Remington Marine Magnum question

[MikeJ]

Hi all,

Is the Remington Marine Magnum a better built shotgun than the standard 870 synthetic Express home defense model or is it just the electroless nickel finish that makes it more expensive? If so, could you please describe the differences that make it better. The price difference around here is more than $200 between the two so is it really worth the difference? Thanks, Mike

 

[9mmMike]

Hi Mike,
You really should compare the MM with the Wingmasters. The MM is sort of like a Wingmaster with a nickle finish, and synthetic furniture, and a short barrel, and an extension.........
....Well, anyway, like Wingmasters, the MM's are hand finished and much smoother guns from the box. They use the same components, bolts, trigger groups, receivers, etc. but get more attention at the end of the production line.
They are nice guns. Someday I might get one. I have shot my friend's MM many times and it feels like a gun with a lot more miles on it than it should. Very nice.
Mike

 

[Dave McCracken]

Getting a MM means no silly dimples in the mag tube and a finish much better able to resist corrosion in wet and saline environments. How important that last would be in Phoenix is a matter of conjecture.

The similar 870HD will be less expensive. The Express models need a little more time to smooth up, but functionally they're identical.

 

[MikeJ]

Thank you for the responses. Dave, from your response I take it that the MM is also finished a little more than the Express since you say they are smoother from the start. Mike

 

[Dave McCracken]

The smoother finish, Mike, means the action's a little slicker at the start. See the floater about breaking in new pump guns. The 20 gauge YE here is as smooth as most WMs and MMs. It took maybe half an hour to get it there. It could get slicker yet with more use.

Well used examples of either are quite slick when properly lubed. IMO, the Express's rep for not being as smooth is due to many being owned by folks who neither shoot them enough nor understand the intricacies of cleaning and lubing.

A coomon reaction at the range when I ask an Express owner if he's cleaned inside the receiver is "Huh?". If I had a dollar for everyone I've shown how to break an Express down....

Maybe this is a good place to mention this. Many 870s can be a little slicker shucking if the action bars are made straighter than they are. Kuhnhausen recommends using a straightedge. I just sight down them and make them run parallel to each other and in line with the forearm tube. The improvement is noticable though not dramatic in most cases.It takes just a minute and can be done the next time the thing's deep cleaned. Combined with the techniques in the floater for cleaning up the action bars and proper lubricating, it makes an 870 of any series silky smooth.

HTH...