Redlg155
Member
Remington 870 Express Synthetic (Tactical)
I've owned several model 870s in my lifetime and always traded them for something new fangled with extra bells and whistles. It seemed that plain Jane old reliable just wasn't enough. I went through the mish mash of various automatics and pump actions with new, improved features and eventually sold them all for some reason or another. So it was no surprise that I ended up without a shotgun in the house ( and no...this story is not symbolic of relationships).
On a whim I decided to look at the monstrosity of polymer and metal called the Remington 887 Tactical when I noticed a svette little extended magazine compact shotty sitting in the corner minding her own business. Gasp..what manner of shotgun was this with a trim little forend, elongated magazine tube and sleek appearance that I had previously ignored because I thought she was a Mossy? Why hello old friend..nice to see you again! The 870 once again enters my life!
Let's start with an overall look.
The 870 Express is a 12 Ga shotgun with an 18" barrel and a somewhat misleading advertisement of 7 round capacity, when it is actually a 6+1. Remington makes up for this slight bit of deception by adding the words Remington 870 TACTICAL on the receiver instead of the generic 870 Express Magnum. All is forgiven since I am now "Tacticool" because Remington told me so (I'm not really serious so please don't take it to heart). The parkerized finish is even and the stocks are black synthetic. However, there are some distinct differences from previous models that I have owned.
Receiver.
Marked 870 TACTICAL, but lacks the ghost ring sights and tapped reciever of other Tactical models. The top of the receiver is flattened to create a sighting plane to align with a plain front bead sight.
Trigger Guard/ Trigger
The trigger guard is
...Polymer! with the name Remington molded into the bottom. Some may doubt the durability of a polymer trigger guard and tout the virtues of a powderede aluminum guard. They of course say this in all sincerity while they own one or more polymer framed handguns. The good news is the ugly Remington locking system has been removed and you are left with two safeties, a crossbolt type and your trigger finger.
Barrel/Mag tube.
I put these two together as they are both unique to this model. Remington discontinued the use of a extended magazine tube add on in favor of an lengthened magazine tube and barrel retainer placed further down the barrel. This is both positive and negative. The positive is that you eliminate extra parts and create a more rigid barrel/mag tube combination. The negative is that a.standard 870 barrel cannot be used without installing a standard length magazine tube.
The barrel also lacks the choke tubes offered on other Tactical models in favor of a fixed choke. I tried a dime and it entered completely into the barrel while a nickel only entered 1/3 of the way, so I suspect it is modified or improved cylinder. Picture shown to illustrate the lengthened magazine tube.
On a side note, the follower is also a red/orange high visibility plastic part and the mag cap features a sling swivel.
Stocks
The forend type is short with ridges that offers an excellent gripping surface. The buttstock is the new version with a softer recoil pad and molded in gripping surfaces. The rear also features a sling mounting point designed to be used with a sling swivel.
Function
The slide moves back forth with authority, loading with no hang ups and positive ejection of dummy rounds. Being new, it does have a measure of stiffness, but this will ease over time. Unfortunately I won't have a chance at live fire for a week or so, but I suspect it will just like any 870.
My initial verdict? It's a winner in my book. Simple, rugged and based on a reliable platform. It will used as a dedicated HD shotgun, so interchangeable barrels is not a concern for me. I would rather have one less part to loosen or break. Now...thinking of a paint scheme....it is a "Tactical" can be "Tacticool"!
I've owned several model 870s in my lifetime and always traded them for something new fangled with extra bells and whistles. It seemed that plain Jane old reliable just wasn't enough. I went through the mish mash of various automatics and pump actions with new, improved features and eventually sold them all for some reason or another. So it was no surprise that I ended up without a shotgun in the house ( and no...this story is not symbolic of relationships).
On a whim I decided to look at the monstrosity of polymer and metal called the Remington 887 Tactical when I noticed a svette little extended magazine compact shotty sitting in the corner minding her own business. Gasp..what manner of shotgun was this with a trim little forend, elongated magazine tube and sleek appearance that I had previously ignored because I thought she was a Mossy? Why hello old friend..nice to see you again! The 870 once again enters my life!
Let's start with an overall look.
The 870 Express is a 12 Ga shotgun with an 18" barrel and a somewhat misleading advertisement of 7 round capacity, when it is actually a 6+1. Remington makes up for this slight bit of deception by adding the words Remington 870 TACTICAL on the receiver instead of the generic 870 Express Magnum. All is forgiven since I am now "Tacticool" because Remington told me so (I'm not really serious so please don't take it to heart). The parkerized finish is even and the stocks are black synthetic. However, there are some distinct differences from previous models that I have owned.
Receiver.
Marked 870 TACTICAL, but lacks the ghost ring sights and tapped reciever of other Tactical models. The top of the receiver is flattened to create a sighting plane to align with a plain front bead sight.
Trigger Guard/ Trigger
The trigger guard is
...Polymer! with the name Remington molded into the bottom. Some may doubt the durability of a polymer trigger guard and tout the virtues of a powderede aluminum guard. They of course say this in all sincerity while they own one or more polymer framed handguns. The good news is the ugly Remington locking system has been removed and you are left with two safeties, a crossbolt type and your trigger finger.
Barrel/Mag tube.
I put these two together as they are both unique to this model. Remington discontinued the use of a extended magazine tube add on in favor of an lengthened magazine tube and barrel retainer placed further down the barrel. This is both positive and negative. The positive is that you eliminate extra parts and create a more rigid barrel/mag tube combination. The negative is that a.standard 870 barrel cannot be used without installing a standard length magazine tube.
The barrel also lacks the choke tubes offered on other Tactical models in favor of a fixed choke. I tried a dime and it entered completely into the barrel while a nickel only entered 1/3 of the way, so I suspect it is modified or improved cylinder. Picture shown to illustrate the lengthened magazine tube.
On a side note, the follower is also a red/orange high visibility plastic part and the mag cap features a sling swivel.
Stocks
The forend type is short with ridges that offers an excellent gripping surface. The buttstock is the new version with a softer recoil pad and molded in gripping surfaces. The rear also features a sling mounting point designed to be used with a sling swivel.
Function
The slide moves back forth with authority, loading with no hang ups and positive ejection of dummy rounds. Being new, it does have a measure of stiffness, but this will ease over time. Unfortunately I won't have a chance at live fire for a week or so, but I suspect it will just like any 870.
My initial verdict? It's a winner in my book. Simple, rugged and based on a reliable platform. It will used as a dedicated HD shotgun, so interchangeable barrels is not a concern for me. I would rather have one less part to loosen or break. Now...thinking of a paint scheme....it is a "Tactical" can be "Tacticool"!
