Remington 870 wear & tear

[Big D]

Hey yall. My Remington 870 is about 25 to 30 years old, and as such shows considerable wear on the finish of the magazine tube from the slide being racked many thousands of times. When disassembled, I notice that the Remington 870's mag tube is permanently attached to the receiver (whereas a Mossberg's is screwed in). Ever since noticing this, I also noticed how thin the mag tube appeared, and how fragile it looked. What I am wondering is how much stress the mag tube on of the 870 could take before failing or causing the weapon to fail? I just want some facts and good information to shed some light and to disperse my doubts about the longevity of the magazine tube of the 870. Any replies would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Armored farmer]

I have 3 870's Trapgun, Hunting gun, HD gun.

Worn bluing on the mag tube is a common characteristic of a well broken-in 870. Having seen 870's on the trap range that have fired tens of thousands of rounds(including mine), I wouldn't be too worried about the thin tube or the wear marks.


.....My advice is to shoot with confidence....I do.

 

[Armored farmer]

...I guess you should make sure that the wooden forearm isn't loose on the action bar assembly. That would cause excessive wear on the tube.
Does the forearm rattle??

 

[PapaG]

My 1972 870 TB has over 300,000 rounds through it. The mag tube looks like chrome. I think it is a badge of honor, showing the durability of these things. If it bothers you, wipe a little cold blue on it after degreasing. It isn't going to wear through.

 

[Sunray]

"...how much stress..." Dent it and it'll stop working immediately. So will the mag tube on any pump gun. Mind you, a dent on any mag will cause it to stop working. Rarely an issue on an 870. Forestock sort of protects it.
Taking a dent out of a tube isn't a big deal anyway. Done to shotgun barrels fairly regularly.

 

[Blue Line]

Fragile isn't in the 870 vocabulary. I've have several 870's, none were purchased new, and thier like a timex, "takes a licking and keeps on ticking".

 

[Capstick1]

Although I have access to different shotguns, every once in a while I like to shoot trap with one of my 870's just to prove to these guys with high dollar over/unders that you don't need to spend 2000+ dollars on a shotgun if you want to be competitive in Trap.

 

[PapaG]

One team I shot on had three Krieghoffs and one Beretta. I shot my TB and carried the highest average. We were all in the 47.5/50 range weekly. It ain't the gun, but those old Remmys with trap chokes will shoot.

 

[AndyJ]

I guess you could have some sort of freak accident which dented the tube but not likely. And a loose forearm is not going to cause wear. The wood is just a covering for the full length tube that goes the length of the forearm and carries the action bars.

Your mag tube is MOST vulnerable when the barrel is OFF the gun. When you slide the barrel band over the end of the mag tube and tighten down the mag cap, you are tieing the mag tube and the barrel AND the receiver all together. Strong stuff. Just shoot it!

 

[Fred Fuller]

The magazine tube is about the only real vulnerability in the 870 design. As you observed, it is fixed into the receiver with silver solder and changing it out is a factory level job.

That said, the magazine tube isn't really all that vulnerable to much save owner abuse. I've seen more magazine tubes warped or out of round from misguided attempts to remove magazine tube dimples than anything else (if you want the dimples gone just drill 'em out with the appropriately sized drill). I've never seen one dented from an accident, though it can happen. And there are dent removers made specifically for the 870 magazine tube- there's one in my 870 toolbox, though it's never been used. See http://www.brownells.com/1/1/43626-...auge-magazine-tube-dent-raiser-brownells.html .

Just have a little respect for 870 magazine tubes and all should go well for a long long time... BTW, got a couple of spare magazine springs on hand? You're more likely to have trouble with those.

lpl

 

[kayak-man]

My 1972 870 TB has over 300,000 rounds through it. The mag tube looks like chrome

Any chance you could post a pic? I'd love to see an older, broken in 870!

Chris "the Kayak-Man" Johnson