MacTech
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Rscalzo, IIRC, it's somewhere in the Pease Tradeport area, if you Google search "Powder Coating New Hampshire" it's in there somewhere
The 870 surface rust issue, is it *really* as bad as I've been reading?
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Armored farmer
Member
yea, my 870 will rust too if you ignore it.
....as far as the crossbolt safety goes, I think it is in the proper place. The slide safety on the top of the receiver is a poor design and 10X more likely to get knocked "off safe".
I quit carrying a wonderful LC Smith 20 ga sxs because of this.
It suddenly became REALLY important to me when my kids started tagging along on quail hunts.
....as far as the crossbolt safety goes, I think it is in the proper place. The slide safety on the top of the receiver is a poor design and 10X more likely to get knocked "off safe".
I quit carrying a wonderful LC Smith 20 ga sxs because of this.
It suddenly became REALLY important to me when my kids started tagging along on quail hunts.
content
Member
Hello friends and neighbors // I have a 30" Double Bead barrel for my 12ga 870 Express that has some rust.
The barrel ,I bought at a guns show so who knows its history. I know it wasn't rusty the day I bought it and a week later I was worried the rust might "jump" to my other guns so I have it a little removed from the rest.
My two Express shotguns do not, but I do not hunt the marshes or live near salt air. I do take them out in the rain and wet to hunt without fear.
During hunting season they are in a half zipped reinforced soft case standing upright in the gun room, at the hunt camp, rather than on the racks here. I usually wipe them off and spray them down with CLP. If it has been a long hard use day I wil clean with Hoopes#9 and oil them up.
My Wingmasters get the same treatment with the same results. One spot of rust on the barrel(thumb print) after letting a friend borrow it for a long weekend. My fault, I should have known, if he did not have a shotgun he probably did not have a cleaning kit either. He is a good friend and now I lend out a $10.00 cleaning kit with the shotgun. ( I don't often lend out my rifles or handguns)
So, to wrap it up, out of five 870s (1950WM12ga.;1950WM20ga;1976WM12ga;1993ExpMag20ga;2009Exp.Tac12ga.)and seven barrels I have one gun show barrel that rusts more than normal. But I have not yet tried axle grease
The barrel ,I bought at a guns show so who knows its history. I know it wasn't rusty the day I bought it and a week later I was worried the rust might "jump" to my other guns so I have it a little removed from the rest.
My two Express shotguns do not, but I do not hunt the marshes or live near salt air. I do take them out in the rain and wet to hunt without fear.
During hunting season they are in a half zipped reinforced soft case standing upright in the gun room, at the hunt camp, rather than on the racks here. I usually wipe them off and spray them down with CLP. If it has been a long hard use day I wil clean with Hoopes#9 and oil them up.
My Wingmasters get the same treatment with the same results. One spot of rust on the barrel(thumb print) after letting a friend borrow it for a long weekend. My fault, I should have known, if he did not have a shotgun he probably did not have a cleaning kit either. He is a good friend and now I lend out a $10.00 cleaning kit with the shotgun. ( I don't often lend out my rifles or handguns)
So, to wrap it up, out of five 870s (1950WM12ga.;1950WM20ga;1976WM12ga;1993ExpMag20ga;2009Exp.Tac12ga.)and seven barrels I have one gun show barrel that rusts more than normal. But I have not yet tried axle grease
nofishbob
Member
I have an 870 Express that is about 2 years old. Yes, the finish is really thin, but I have not had rusting problems (yet).
I oil the metal parts with whatever I am oiling the gun with (usually Mobil 1) when I am done cleaning it and let it go at that.
I shoot skeet here in Texas with this gun, and since my wife says that I give Patrick Ewing a run for the money in the sweating department, there is a lot of sweat all over this gun while it is being used.
I wonder if there is just a wide variation in how the finish was applied gun to gun at Remington.
Bob
I oil the metal parts with whatever I am oiling the gun with (usually Mobil 1) when I am done cleaning it and let it go at that.
I shoot skeet here in Texas with this gun, and since my wife says that I give Patrick Ewing a run for the money in the sweating department, there is a lot of sweat all over this gun while it is being used.
I wonder if there is just a wide variation in how the finish was applied gun to gun at Remington.
Bob
krimmie
Member
I bought my 20 gauge 870 in Feb.-March, and haven't had rust problems yet. I use it for my change of pace skeet gun about once or twice a month. It has seen plenty of sweat here in South Florida!
LS240
Member
My 870 Express rusts like a son of a gun. I literally have to soak the surface in Remoil at least once a week and by the end of the week it's already turning orange again. Heck I just did it 3 days ago and checked it today and it's already rusting. To be fair though I have an evaporative cooler in my bedroom where the 870 is kept out in the open, and that cooler makes it very humid in here. In a dry(er) environment it shouldn't be as bad, but I'd still recommend oiling it frequently to keep ahead of the creeping orange death.
Mine annoys me so much I'm thinking about getting some Krylon and doing a cheapo camo job to fix the issue.
Edit: As for the safety, I think that's a non-issue. Then again I don't really use safeties anyways. I figured if I don't want it to go off, I won't have it chambered. I don't trust a little piece of metal or plastic or whatever it is with mine or other's lives. As such, I never even touch my safety, it's just off all the time. Also, the shell lifter is no problem. I can load the thing quite quickly now and it just takes a little practice.
Mine annoys me so much I'm thinking about getting some Krylon and doing a cheapo camo job to fix the issue.
Edit: As for the safety, I think that's a non-issue. Then again I don't really use safeties anyways. I figured if I don't want it to go off, I won't have it chambered. I don't trust a little piece of metal or plastic or whatever it is with mine or other's lives. As such, I never even touch my safety, it's just off all the time. Also, the shell lifter is no problem. I can load the thing quite quickly now and it just takes a little practice.
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My experience with Remoil that it isn't the greatest as a rust preventative. The 870 expresses are rust magnets. Fingerprints show up within a few days.
I've found EEZOX to be fantastic in rust prevention. Following the instructions, I've yet to see any rust since. The main disadvantage is it's best you get plenty of ventilation (and/or use a proper solvent mask) when applying it. It's also not cheap. However, I don't even think about rust anymore.
MacTech
Member
Agreed, on the safety issue, the best safety is that squishy gray lump between the ears, that and keeping the booger hook off the bang switch...
I have an 870 Express for home defense.
The rust problem was driving me nuts untill I finally sent it to be refinished in Armor Tuff by Wilson Combat.
Problem gone, but I had to spend about $200 on a $300 gun.
Now I'm looking for a shotgun for hunting and Skeet, trap, etc.
This will be my first sporting shotgun, but I will avoid the 870 express because of the rust problem.
Think I'll go Benelli.
Hope this helps.
The rust problem was driving me nuts untill I finally sent it to be refinished in Armor Tuff by Wilson Combat.
Problem gone, but I had to spend about $200 on a $300 gun.
Now I'm looking for a shotgun for hunting and Skeet, trap, etc.
This will be my first sporting shotgun, but I will avoid the 870 express because of the rust problem.
Think I'll go Benelli.
Hope this helps.
rbernie
Contributing Member
I store all my guns in a climate controlled environment with plenty of ventilation, and I use them all at the same ranges. I've had three 12ga Express models that showed no rust after significant use, and yet my son's six-month-old 20ga Express is already rusting on the rib when given the same use, care, and storage as the others.
There is clearly some undesirable variability to the finish application.
wow6599
Member
You don't understand just how piss poor the 870 Express finish is.
You have to own one to believe it.
Snarlingiron
Member
Probably a little off topic, but I use silicone cloths primarily for wipe down in the field until I can get home for a proper job.
All Silicone cloths are not created equal. The Birchwood Casey ones seem to have very little silicone material. I ordered a couple of cloths from KleenBore, and they are fairly dripping silicone oil. If this were the direction I was going to take, I would go the KleenBore route.
All Silicone cloths are not created equal. The Birchwood Casey ones seem to have very little silicone material. I ordered a couple of cloths from KleenBore, and they are fairly dripping silicone oil. If this were the direction I was going to take, I would go the KleenBore route.
HB
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I have had the same experience with many of the above posters... I have 2 870 Expresses and they will rust very easily. The finish reminds me of the coating on alot of weight benches and power lifter equipment....
Does anybody know if 11-87s will do the same? The cheaper ones have the same spray on finish.
HB
Does anybody know if 11-87s will do the same? The cheaper ones have the same spray on finish.
HB
dfariswheel
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Remington says the Express finish is just a bead blasted blue job.
The "rust" some people see in gun shops is preservative grease applied at the factory.
This same grease inside the chamber often causes extraction problems if the new owner fails to follow the manuals directions to clean the new gun before shooting it.
To prevent rust there are two good techniques that work in most cases.
First method is to fully field strip the gun, including the magazine assembly. Spray everything but the wood with a dripping wet coat of CLP Breakfree and let soak 20 minutes.
Wipe off the excess and reassemble.
This will dissolve any factory preservative coating and impregnate the bead blasted surface with a rust preventing layer.
Every time you handle the gun, apply a little more CLP with a non-lint cloth or with a clean toot brush.
This will build up the protective layer each time.
A method used by salt water hunters is to get a can of Johnson's Paste wax and apply a heavy coat to all external surfaces.
Use a hair dryer to warm the metal until the wax melts into the rough finish. After it re-hardens, wipe off the excess.
There's also a method supposedly used by old military armorers.
Supposedly they would apply a coat of cosmoline, (I've also heard linseed oil) then bake the metal in an oven at 250 degrees for several hours.
This was said to cause the cosmoline or linseed oil to soak into the rough parkerized finish and harden into a rust proof coating.
The "rust" some people see in gun shops is preservative grease applied at the factory.
This same grease inside the chamber often causes extraction problems if the new owner fails to follow the manuals directions to clean the new gun before shooting it.
To prevent rust there are two good techniques that work in most cases.
First method is to fully field strip the gun, including the magazine assembly. Spray everything but the wood with a dripping wet coat of CLP Breakfree and let soak 20 minutes.
Wipe off the excess and reassemble.
This will dissolve any factory preservative coating and impregnate the bead blasted surface with a rust preventing layer.
Every time you handle the gun, apply a little more CLP with a non-lint cloth or with a clean toot brush.
This will build up the protective layer each time.
A method used by salt water hunters is to get a can of Johnson's Paste wax and apply a heavy coat to all external surfaces.
Use a hair dryer to warm the metal until the wax melts into the rough finish. After it re-hardens, wipe off the excess.
There's also a method supposedly used by old military armorers.
Supposedly they would apply a coat of cosmoline, (I've also heard linseed oil) then bake the metal in an oven at 250 degrees for several hours.
This was said to cause the cosmoline or linseed oil to soak into the rough parkerized finish and harden into a rust proof coating.
DHart
Member
If you've already got an 870 with the crappy finish and you don't want to have to work at it constantly to try to minimize rust, just bite the bullet and get it Duracoated or if you really want good protection, true parkerizing. For me, to have to keep grease or oil all over a gun that's around my house and being handled is just too messy. That's why I like a finish that doesn't need to be slathered in grease to keep from rusting.
Of course, then you're probably into the gun for almost as much as if you'd bought a factory parkerized 870 Police model in the first place, but your rust worries will be behind you.
If looking to buy a new 870, I'd skip right over the Express models and go straight for an 870 Police... you'll get good parkerization, proper chamber polishing, machined extractor, heavier carrier dog spring, and more attention to fit and finishing and it won't cost you much more than what you'd put into making Express what it should have been in the first place.
Of course, then you're probably into the gun for almost as much as if you'd bought a factory parkerized 870 Police model in the first place, but your rust worries will be behind you.
If looking to buy a new 870, I'd skip right over the Express models and go straight for an 870 Police... you'll get good parkerization, proper chamber polishing, machined extractor, heavier carrier dog spring, and more attention to fit and finishing and it won't cost you much more than what you'd put into making Express what it should have been in the first place.
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Jolly Rogers
Member
Now that it's back on the market... a RIG rag. Rust Inhibiting Grease. Brownells has it and the grease cans/tubes back in stock.
Joe
Joe
6-gunfun
Member
i have a rem 870 20ga i put a knoxx spec opss stock onit with a pistole rip and i use it allll the time for water fowl.Your right this gun rusts very easily but ive always been able to just wipe it off with a rag and some rem oil
DHart
Member
If you're thinking about a defense shotgun, another great option is the Mossberg 590A1... great parkerizing, controls, dual extractors, unobstructed loading gate, stone reliable. They're more expensive than an Express, but a fair bit less expensive than a Police.
ForumSurfer
Member
Newer stuff? No Idea. I have 2 870's (one is a marine magnum) and a few 1100's. They manufacturer dates range from 80's to 90's. None are rusty. YMMV. I've seen rusty one's, though. I've also seen much nicer guns rust. It depends on how the owner treats/stores them. All brands rust given proper misuse or time.
Gord
Member
ITT: "I don't know how to search and I don't understand Parkerizing."
Also ITT: "Oil is a magical rust preventative which doesn't dry up ever and should never require reapplication."
Are you kidding? The whole "Express guns rust at the drop of a hat" thing has been a perennial topic here for years. We need to build y'all your very own Wailing Wall.
I wiped my 870E down with petroleum jelly when I rescued it from a pawnshop and it hasn't had a spot of rust in the past three years despite being propped up next to my perpetually-open window in a fairly humid area and being run in the rain and snow all the time.
Also ITT: "Oil is a magical rust preventative which doesn't dry up ever and should never require reapplication."
natman said:
Are you kidding? The whole "Express guns rust at the drop of a hat" thing has been a perennial topic here for years. We need to build y'all your very own Wailing Wall.
I wiped my 870E down with petroleum jelly when I rescued it from a pawnshop and it hasn't had a spot of rust in the past three years despite being propped up next to my perpetually-open window in a fairly humid area and being run in the rain and snow all the time.
Though not necessarily the best, but still an interesting comparison...
I have a matte blue 870 Express that's about ten years old. Never had a single spec of rust on it, and I haven't been all that diligent about keeping the surface lubed.
About five months ago, I bought a factory new set of rifle sights (front & rear, blued finish) for an 870. The sights went on a parkerized 870 which was stored with the aforementioned Express. A couple of days ago I discovered the rear sight aperature was actually furry with rust. The sight base and the windage screw which are both in direct contact with the aperature were absolutely fine, as was the front sight.
Weird.
I have a matte blue 870 Express that's about ten years old. Never had a single spec of rust on it, and I haven't been all that diligent about keeping the surface lubed.
About five months ago, I bought a factory new set of rifle sights (front & rear, blued finish) for an 870. The sights went on a parkerized 870 which was stored with the aforementioned Express. A couple of days ago I discovered the rear sight aperature was actually furry with rust. The sight base and the windage screw which are both in direct contact with the aperature were absolutely fine, as was the front sight.
Weird.
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