If it's an Express, not a Wingmaster, that's par for the course with steel "brass" shells.
That's not true. There was an issue with certain ammo jamming in some Express shotguns. It was a 30 second fix to end that problem forever. All it takes is polishing the inside of the chamber very slightly. I put a cleaning brush on a drill and fixed my Express in less than 10 seconds. It has never jammed one time since then.
As for the Police being so much more robust than the Express again not true. There are about 3 parts on the Police model that are better than the Express versions. The Express can be upgraded for about $30 to be exactly the same as the Police model. I have the parts list if you're interested and I have the source of this info which was a police armorer who is a nationally recognized expert on the 870.
Now Wingmasters are a step above both the Police and the Express. But they cost a lot more too. The stocks and the finish on the metal is the main difference on the Wingmaster. But even the finish on the Express can last decades if proper care is taken to make it right. I soaked mine with gun oil about 50 times because the finish is designed to fight rust by keeping an oil film on the metal. I kept soaking mine and letting it dry a few days until it wouldn't absorb any more oil at all. I haven't had one speck of rust on it either.
I don't agree that shotguns are no fun to plink with either. I used an old boot to play "shotgun golf" which was my own game where I kept score on how many shots it took me to blast that boot into a hole at the bottom of my hill.
There are lots of things you can do with a shotgun that you can never do with a rifle too. I used to trim limbs on my tree to keep it from blocking my satellite dish from getting reception. You can't do that with a rifle unless you live a long way away from anyone. I've shot bats with a rifle but it's very hard. I don't shoot bats unless they are a nuisance and before someone tells me they are never a nuisance I can direct you to news reports of bats harassing people who get near their nests. If they nest in your house you either block access to their nest or you kill them. And that takes a shotgun.
Anything you can hunt with a rifle you can hunt with a shotgun with a very few exceptions (doll sheep, mountain goats, etc.). Everyone should have at least one shotgun IMO. And an 870 is a perfect choice for that one shotgun. Simple, reasonable price, effective, reliable, parts available worldwide. What else is there?