Dave MC, 870 Question

[huduguru]

I'm planning on picking one up soon. Does the copper brazing on
the barrel lug and magazine tube ever cause these parts to
separate? To me it seems like a weak way to attach major components
to the shotgun. Have you ever seen any problems? Is this copper
braze as weak as it seems? I believe the Mossberg attachment of
the magazine tube is better(screw in). This is the only concern I
have with the 870 and would like to find out from an expert before
I spend my cash. Thanks

 

[Dave McCracken]

I've not seen a separation on an 870.

I have seen one on a Model 11, but that'un was old and weary.

 

[dfariswheel]

In addition to which, the brazing used isn't copper.
It's some kind of an alloy, probably brass-based.

Whatever it is, it's TOUGH. In many years, I've never seen or even heard of a separation.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Not Dave McC (don't even play him on teevee) but:

Have seen exactly one barrel ring separation (this one on a Mossberg branded 870 replacement barrel, about two years ago) in lotso many years of using and watching other people use dozens of 870s. Haven't ever heard of any others.

Never seen or heard of a magazine tube separation on an 870, a couple of dents sure but no separations. Did see one 20 ga. 870 once that was NIB (new in the box) and wouldn't feed a particular brand of shotshells into its magazine tube. Other brands (all of them that were available) loaded OK, but this brand was a thousandth or two too big to go in. We sent the gun back to Remington for a fix and it came back eating anything it was fed. Still not sure it wasn't oversize rims from that manufacturer that were the problem.

Wouldn't lose any sleep worring about that one if I were you, over either brand. Mossberg attaches the lugs to their barrels the same way, fwiw.

Stay safe, y'all

lpl/nc

 

[Lone Star]

Lee-

Was the "bad" shell brand Fiochhi? I had trouble with those in a 20 ga. M870, and wonder if European shells may be slightly differently dimensioned, at least in that brand.

Lone Star

 

[mnrivrat]

I'm not Dave either , but I have to say - never say never.

It has happened and I have seen all of two in 20 years. I did see a small rash of this on the early runs of the 11-87 . That was simply a manufacturing problem - not a design flaw. The brazing if properly done will hold forever and the 870 is not known for having a problem in this area. It would be / and is / a rare event. No need for concern.

PS: I should clarify that the part I am speaking of is the guide block that is brazed to the top of the magazine tube . I have never seen a seperated magazine tube.

 

[Fred Fuller]

LS,

It's been a few years back, and I don't remember which of several brands available in the store just wouldn't go. Whichever it was, naturally that was the brand this customer had purchased along with his new scattergun- as Murphy would have it. He brought it back, of course, and we tried the offending shells and couldn't get them to load either. They stopped at the rim, the body would load but that was it. It was obviously a matter of thousandths of an inch in tolerance, but 'a miss is as good as a mile.' Everything else in 20 ga. in the store loaded with no problem, the purchaser hadn't thought of trying another brand of shells.

But he wanted it fixed, and we sent it back to Remington and fix it they did, quickly.

lpl/nc