Replacing 11-87 with 870?

[OrangePwrx9]

I have an 11-87 and three 870s. The 870s run cleaner and are easier to take down and clean...mostly because I'm more familiar with them.

However, the 870s are lighter. This is good and bad. Afield, they're easier to carry than the heavy 11-87 and seem faster. The 11-87 follows through better and absorbs recoil much better. If you'll be shooting slugs, I'd recommend keeping the 11-87 for that reason alone. The 870 can be punishing with slugs (particularly 3-inchers) from the bench.

My 11-87 with rifled barrel is insanely accurate with a particular 3" slug. So I've kept it for that alone. The 870s are great for everything else and shoot slugs well out of a rifled barrel; but they only get 2-3/4" slugs.

I'd keep the 11-87 for sure and buy an 870 Express. My two 870 Express shotguns are as tough and reliable as my Wingmaster...even if not a paragons of gun-making art.

 

[Fishbed77]

However, the 870s are lighter. This is good and bad. Afield, they're easier to carry than the heavy 11-87 and seem faster.

Unless you can find an 11-87 with a Light Contour barrel.

 

[EmbarkChief]

Like most here I'm fortunate to own both. Although mine are at the opposite ends of the model spectrum for each. My 11-87 is a "Sporting Clays" model with a light contour barrel and a gas system setup for loads on the lighter side. My 870 is an old beater "Express" with a 3" chamber and is my "beater duck gun".

After 20 years of use, I just recently had my first breakage with my 11-87, the gas ring lost some material resulting in about a 15% loss of seal area. The gun didn't miss a beat, I only noticed it after I tore it down for a post hunt cleaning session. At the time I was running some AA target loads and it never once short cycled. Turns out that the gas ring and piston have been re-designed since 1993, this weekend I'll have an opportunity to try the new setup. Like one of the above posters I keep some extra "O" rings in my case, but have never needed them in the field. I have put a new one in some years ago as a preventative measure.

Never had an equipment issue with the 870. Keep the 11-87, buy a used 870.

 

[WardenWolf]

If you want reliable, get a Saiga-12 or VEPR-12 shotgun and put an improved gas piston and valve in it. Super easy to field-strip and clean, and very soft-shooting. My father's old Remington 1100 just left a bad taste in my mouth as far as their shotguns go. Hard on the shoulder and extremely loud.

 

[Virginian]

An 1100, hard on the shoulder and loud? Something definitely sounds amiss here. Did it have a Cutts on it? 1100 is one of the softest shooting guns anywhere.

 

[jaguarxk120]

To some people a 22RF kicks hard!!!

 

[MachIVshooter]

If you want [strike]reliable[/strike] a poorly balanced, heavy, ungainly, ugly shotgun that has no business in the field, get a Saiga-12 or VEPR-12 shotgun and put an improved gas piston and valve in it.

There.

Those things have their place, but it ain't out there shooting upland birds & waterfowl or bustin' clays. That'd be like deer hunting with an RPK.

 

[peacemaker45]

There.

Those things have their place, but it ain't out there shooting upland birds & waterfowl or bustin' clays. That'd be like deer hunting with an RPK.

This man has a point.

 

[Master Blaster]

Actually an RPK works much better as a deer rifle than a Saiga does as a trap or field gun. Its a great zombie gun with 00 though.

 

[Screwball]

I've never had an issue with either or my 11-87s. I changed the seals when I purchased the second one, but only because I try to write down when maintenance is done... the original, which was my fathers, wasn't changed since he bought it (around 1990). The newer Special Purpose did have a follower that would jam in cold weather (crappy plastic one), but I swapped it out with a stainless one and never had an issue again.

Likewise, I have an 870 Police for my home defense gun. I do keep two rounds on it that I doubt an 11-87 would cycle, but I didn't buy the 870 for reliability. I picked the 870 due to the amount of aftermarket available compared to the 11-87. Yes, a lot of stuff from an 870 will work on an 11-87, but there are certain things that you can't...





Highly recommend the Magpul pars. Gun is slightly different (have the front and rear sling mounts and slightly higher cheek piece to work with the rifle sights).

Bottom line, I'm not getting rid of any of those three shotguns...