Question on 870 express

[jimmyjam]

Hey all.

I was poking about Big 5 the other day, and noticed that they had a remington 870 express for 299 - or 269 after Remington's mail in discount.

I was thinking of getting one so I can shoot trap and skeet - my current shotgun is a nice benelli I play with on tactical courses.

A few questions - do all the 870 expresses chamber 3" rounds? And would I be better served in getting a mossberg 500 for 40 bucks cheaper?

And is it a good price for the remington?

I did do a few searches for this but didn't turn up anything pertinent - sorry if I missed something.

Thanks all!

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

I believe all the newer 870 Express models will chamber 3". It's easy enough to tell, it's stamped on the side of the barrel.

As far as price, that's about par. Several places have the same gun on sale for $20 or $30 less with the same rebate applying.

If you have a genetic defect that renders you left-handed, you may wish to consider the Mossberg.

 

[Volvit]

Dick's will have the same beast for cheaper. And yes I think all 870s chamber a 3"

 

[steak-knife]

Get the Remington 870, you won't be sorry, and yes, it does chamber 3" shells, while some of the Mossbergs do not.

Also, on the Mossbergs, the fore-ends tend to be a little bit more wobbly, than the Remingtons.

Lastly, there are a ton of after-market parts that you can starp onto the Remington that are not available for the Mossbergs.

Otherwise, both are proven designs.

 

[Ed Ames]

Before you buy, check out the "same" gun at a normal gun store.

My observation has been that Big5 sells guns in configurations you won't see anywhere else. Example: The 870 I looked at at Big5 had a bland wood stock and a sort of low grade parkerized metal finish... the 870 from a gun store had a laminated wood stock and the metal looked better. Both were the "express" model on paper. Better example: The Mossberg 500 you mentioned comes with two barrels, 28" and 18"... many gun stores sell the "same" combo... but in most stores the 28" barrel is ported and has an interchangeable choke... Big 5's is a fixed modified choke and no porting. It also has a lower grade of plastic stocks vs the "same" gun from another store.

The guns are also $50 or so cheaper from Big5. Just something to be aware of.

 

[eastwood44mag]

Mossberg is a cheaply made gun, which is generally reliable, but not up to the quality of Remington.

Not a bad price on the 870.

 

[jimmyjam]

Thanks all! I'm going to poke about and see if I can get a decently used 870 express at a LGS.

 

[Deer Hunter]

Jimmy, I bought an 870 express 3" for 180 dollars used. Just shop around.

 

[average_shooter]

My understanding, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but there are different Express models.

The basic Express chambers just 2+3/4 inch shells. The Express Magnum handles the 3 inch shells and the Express Super Magnum takes the 3+1/2 inch super-duper magnums.

 

[Gord]

Got mine for $170 (at a pawn shop no less) with some really light surface rust on the receiver. Ten seconds with some steel wool and a disassembly/cleaning and she shoots and runs great.

I believe the normal 870 Express will only do 2 3/4" shells - mine is an Express Magnum and the barrel says 2 3/4 or 3".

 

[shoup dawg]

I bought the same thing

Jimmy - I am in Los Angeles and I bought the Remington 870. I had been eyeing the mossberg 500 persuader that they were selling for 229. I gotta say it, I'm frugal but not cheap. So I did plenty of research and was all set to buy the mossberg 500. However, the last couple of times I went to my local Big 5, the action on the mossberg just felt "shabby" as some folks may have mentioned. I tried the remington and while heavier, it felt more solid. as luck would have it, they were out of mossbergs and i ended up buying the remington. haven't gone out with it yet, but i am scheduled for a tactical training course in january. it just feels like a solid gun. hopefully it ends up being a good gun quality wise. by the way, i've never owned a firearm and have never shot a shotty. by the way, i tried to shop around local pawn shops here in L.A. but the ones i called didn't sell firearms. so i bought new and got this and will be mailing off my rebate. my net will be 269.

and yes, it does fire 2.75 and 3" shells and it's the synthetic 7 shot security model. it's a newer model according to remington's website. so no wood stock here.

 

[Gord]

Shoup,

Congrats on your purchase An 870 will last you a lifetime - more likely it will outlast you and your kids both.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Guys, ALL 12 gauge Expresses fire the 3" shells. Check your barrels.