Difference between 870 Express and 870 Police

[MTS Cop]

Just as the title implies, what are the differences between a standard 870 Express and the Police model? I'm looking to upgrade my Express a bit and want to know what Police parts I could/should swap in.

 

[8200rpm]

http://www.remingtonmilitary.com/articles/870ExpvsPol6-30-05.pdf

 

[Sunray]

"...the differences between..." The finish on the steel and the stock(oiled). A standard "Police" 870 is parkerized with an 18" or 20", IC, rifle sighted, barrel. Same gun otherwise.
Your shotgun have a vent rib? Buy a 20", rifled sighted, slug barrel(either smooth bore or rifled) and you have a "Police" 870 without the parkerizing and a slightly longer barrel.
It is easier to fix scratches on an oiled stock. Rub in a bit more oil and the scratch goes away. This applies to the stock on any firearm.
You can get an afterkmarket, pistol gripped, synthetic, shoulder stock and 'ghost ring' sights though. The felt recoil will be more with a synthetic stock.
Don't even think about a pistol grip only. Nothing on Earth is more useless than a shotgun with no shoulder stock.

 

[ugaarguy]

"...the differences between..." The finish on the steel and the stock(oiled). A standard "Police" 870 is parkerized with an 18" or 20", IC, rifle sighted, barrel. Same gun otherwise.

Not the same gun. There are significant differences beyond parkerizing. The major ones include:

Due to heavy recoil in buck and slug loads, all 870 Police guns have a longer
magazine spring which ensures positive feed and function.

A heavier carrier dog spring is used to ensure when the carrier elevates the shell, it will be held there until the bolt can push it into the chamber. This ensures positive feeding when using heavier payload rounds.

The Express model will not allow for the addition of an extension tube without
physical modification to the tube and barrel, which can nullify the warranty.

The Police shotgun barrel is locked down with a "ball detent" system in conjunction with the magazine cap vs. a lesser grade "synthetic magazine spring retainer" lock down as used on the Express system.

Police shotguns use machined ejectors and extractors, as opposed to powdered metal cast which are utilized on the Express models.

None of that may matter to you MTS. However, if this is intended to primarily be a slug & buckshot gun, the beefed up magazine & carrier dog springs wouldn't be a bad idea. The machined extractor is cheap insurance. A short police style fore end will allow you to keep the action completely open, push the carrier up, and unload from the loading port. Someone (trying to remember who, saw them in my Brownell's Mil / LE supply group catalog) is offering anti slip washers to help retain the mag cap on Express guns which have been modified for extending mags, so it saves the expense of buying a ball detent barrel, or having a ball detent installed on your current barrel.

 

[MTS Cop]

Thank you guys. Especially for the link, I had seen that awhile ago and was trying to find it again.

 

[hags]

Due to heavy recoil in buck and slug loads, all 870 Police guns have a longer
magazine spring which ensures positive feed and function.

A heavier carrier dog spring is used to ensure when the carrier elevates the shell, it will be held there until the bolt can push it into the chamber. This ensures positive feeding when using heavier payload rounds.

The Express model will not allow for the addition of an extension tube without
physical modification to the tube and barrel, which can nullify the warranty.

The Police shotgun barrel is locked down with a "ball detent" system in conjunction with the magazine cap vs. a lesser grade "synthetic magazine spring retainer" lock down as used on the Express system.

Police shotguns use machined ejectors and extractors, as opposed to powdered metal cast which are utilized on the Express models.

The new Express model with the full extension has the longer spring, or you can buy countless aftermarket springs and even followers.

They offer an Express model with the 2 round extension from the factory, same as the 870P 7 round model.

The new Express models I have seen have the detent ball system.

I have seen some new Express models with equal fit/function as the 870P.
If you wanted to use the 870 Express 7 round model as a base to build on I would recommend it. I would also recommend refinishing it as the finish on the Express is pretty "weak".

 

[Fred Fuller]

There's more room for improvement in the software of the shooter than there is in the hardware of the gun...



lpl

 

[hags]

There's more room for improvement in the software of the shooter than there is in the hardware of the gun...

Certainly.

 

[JImbothefiveth]

If the magazine capacity isn't restricted, it looks like the 870 police, especially with aperture sights or a scope, would make a good slug gun, anyone else think so?

Will remington sell these to us regular people, or will you have to get a trade-in?

 

[The Deer Hunter]

The extractor, extractor spring, and mag spring from the police model are all available for around $35 total. If anyone is interested in the part numbers PM me and I will provide them for you.

It looks like mine are riveted in. How did you change yours?

 

[357wheelgunner]

I own both an 870 Police and Express. There is a noticable difference in fit and finish between the guns. In addition, the Police feels more robust, probably due to most of the springs being stronger.

A few thousand rounds down the road, I think that the extra $200 for the Police Magnum was worth it.

Will remington sell these to us regular people, or will you have to get a trade-in?

You can get them, but most stores don't stock them. You'll probably have to order one from a distributor to a local gunshop.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Extractors and ejectors are different.

The extractor in on the bolt.

The ejector is mounted on the receiver, riveted on and takes a good smith or Remington itself to change.

HTH....

 

[hags]

I learned this info from a police armourer who specializes in converting the Express to the Police version. It's a 10 minute job to convert them except for the mag extension. And that can be done if you're willing to make permanent modifications. They will void your warranty so it's best to wait before doing this. If you want an Express with a higher capacity you should probably buy one that way from the start and save yourself the trouble of making the conversion. But doing this conversion is a common thing. It has been done by many people successfully with the only drawback being that the difference in the way the mag cap screws on the Express makes it neccessary to check to be sure your extension is coming unscrewed while you're shooting. But by most accounts that isn't something that happens easily.

The Express models I've had through the shop lately have had the ball/detent for the magazine cap, at least the ones with the factory extension have.

 

[Fred Fuller]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=5281681&postcount=6

The current sporting style Express guns use a different system to retain the magazine spring and detent the magazine cap than older Expresses, and all Wingmasters, Police guns etc. That new system consists of a toothed plastic piece, retained in the end of the magazine tube by two pressed-in dimples, which both holds the magazine spring in place and keeps the magazine cap tight.

The older Express guns, plus the Wingmasters, Police guns etc., use a spring-loaded detent on the barrel ring to keep the magazine cap tight, and use a cup shaped spring steel magazine spring retainer which is press fitted into the end of the magazine tube to hold the magazine spring in place when the magazine cap is removed. This retainer can be pried out fairly easily if necessary to clean out the magazine tube.

The current production Home Defense version of the Express gun (with a factory installed magazine extension) has no magazine tube dimples (which interfere with the use of an aftermarket magazine extension on other newer Express guns), and has the old style spring loaded magazine cap detent in its barrel ring.

It's best IMHO to segregate barrels by type- old style versus new style, and stick to the design that is basic to the gun you have when shopping for spare barrels. Otherwise you have to use alternative ways to keep the magazine cap tight, like teflon tape on the threads of the magazine tube.

Keep in mind that the 21" vent rib barrels made for the Special Field version of the 870 will not interchange with other guns in the same gauge- the barrel ring is in a different place on the Special Field barrels. Otherwise all 12 ga. 870 barrels should interchange with no problem, save for the caveat about the two different systems for retaining the magazine cap and magazine spring described above.

lpl

 

[A man with a gun!]

Express shotguns rust in a heartbeat.

870P's dont.

Fit and finish are far better.

 

[tobyw]

Hello King Ghidora,

Could you provide me with those part number for the spring upgrade to remington 870P...

Thanks!