In my opinion, the shell latch design on the 870 is it's biggest weakness,
not only the method of securing, but the design(specifically the right side
latch). Sometimes they will work when the stakes are loose, sometimes they won't. The average Joe cannot restake them without going to the gunsmith(or buying the tool).
As far as it being "a five minute job", most of the gunsmiths in my
area will take a long time and charge you a high hourly rate to do this job.
I prefer to have weapons I can replace parts on without the "services"
of a "gunsmith".
The design of the shell latches(specifically the right side). It is made
to prevent a double feed during the feed cycle. The problem is, if you
are using your 870 to do rapid fire of fairly heavy loads, the shell does
occasionally pop ahead of the right shell latch resulting in a click instead
of a bang. This is called "shell surge" and is supposedly cured by a heavy
magazine spring. Every 870 I have had(and my Norinco 982) has done this.
The heavy spring does not always work to prevent this from happening, however(it makes the shells harder to push in the magazine while pushing on the carrier, that's another issue with the 870). So in a rapid fire defensive situation, you might have to pump the gun again to get a round in the chamber, resulting in the loss of a split second which can get you killed in a gunfight.
The Mossberg shell latch that prevents double feeding actually rotates
into place so that a shell cannot be thrown forward during recoil. So this
"shell surge" cannot happen with the Mossberg unless the latch is
malfunctioning. Look at your 870 and see how quick the right shell latch
moves into place(the bolt is only back from battery by about 1in.) to block the next shell from feeding. The shotgun is still in recoil with heavy loads and combined with the slide coming back quickly, you can see how easy this can happen.
I know the proponents of the 870 are going to tell me that I'm not
pumping the gun correctly or I'm firing it to fast. Well, I'm a former
officer who has had extensive training with the 870, and the Mossberg
and 1300(personally owned). I have never had these issues with the other two. EVERY 870 I have fired has done this occasionally with slugs and
buckshot. Don't get me wrong, I like the 870 for it's feel, steel receiver
and longevity, but if someone is gunning for me and my family I'd
rather have the Mossberg. I'll keep the 870 for a hunting gun(which
it was designed for).
