Hello all, I'm new to this forum and i have a couple of questions about Remington shotguns. i hear there are quite a few people that r unhappy with 870's today. i would like to buy one but now i don't know. Are the problems just with the express or all new 870s? Would i be better off with a 870 police or is the express going to be ok? It would be used as a HD gun.
whats the deal with remington?
- Thread starter gleaner26
- Start date
- Status
P.B.Walsh
Member
Go Police, going to be my next purchase most likely.
Starter52
Member
Complaints about the Remington 870 line? This is news to me. Perhaps some folks are unhappy that Remington has begun to import a few shotguns from overseas. Prior to this they had always been a 100% USA-made company.
All Remington pump shotguns are still made in Ilion, NY. The 870 Express is a fine American-made shotgun that will serve you well for HD or any other purpose.
All Remington pump shotguns are still made in Ilion, NY. The 870 Express is a fine American-made shotgun that will serve you well for HD or any other purpose.
wow6599
Member
The 870 Express line has a terrible finish and are prone to shipping from the factory with burrs that cause a lot of problems.
OrangePwrx9
Member
Well, the older 870 Express was fine functionally. I've got a 12 ga. and a 20 that both date from the '90s. Yes, the finish is rough textured and, yes, you can find cosmetic defects on the metal work that have been covered by the finish if you look close enough. My conclusion back then was that an 870 landed on the Express production line if some earlier operation had caused a cosmetic defect that would keep it from becoming a Wingmaster. Still, I liked the 12 ga. well enough to buy the 20, which I like even more.
My older Expresses have never caused problems. They perform as well as the 870 Wingmaster I bought new and have owned since the early sixties, though their actions are not quite as smooth. But that says nothing about 870s being produced now.
Bob
My older Expresses have never caused problems. They perform as well as the 870 Wingmaster I bought new and have owned since the early sixties, though their actions are not quite as smooth. But that says nothing about 870s being produced now.
Bob
hometheaterman
Member
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2009
- Messages
- 1,115
Yes, the main problems with the 870 Expresses is the issues with them jamming due to having burrs, mostly in the chamber that cause issues. The next issue is the finish which is horrible and rusts very easily, and the finish on the wood scratches off very easily. The cheap finish I could understand at that price point, but it's no reason a gun of that price should have to be worked on right out of the box for it to function correctly. You'd be much better off to go with either a Police model or a Wingmaster imo.
Hell yes. The Police and Wingmaster grade guns are excellent quality, but the express guns can be a bit rough (but this can be tamed with a bit of simple work).
Before buying an Express, I'd do my best to find a used 870 (especially an ex cop gun), either Police or Wingmaster...these can be had for reasonable prices if you can find them.
Youngster
Member
I've got a 7 year old Police that I bought new, like all recent Police models I've seen the quality is okay but nothing like the older "Ps" and Wingmasters I've seen. If I had to do it again I would have bought a nicer older model and saved money to boot.
Pony Express
Member
No problems from my 870 Express from September of 09. But go police or wingmaster if you have the money.
m500'92
Member
The main problem people seem to have with Remington is they don't like that they were bought by that big investment company, Cerberus and prices have seemed to go up while quality goes down. I wouldn't buy one.
quote; The main problem people seem to have with Remington is they don't like that they were bought by that big investment company, Cerberus and prices have seemed to go up while quality goes down
That tends to happen in manufacturing when the business is taken over by investment bankers. Outsourcing ( for purposes of cheaper labor) causes a decline in quality while prices go up. It's all about profit margin and greater market share with these people.
In defense of the 870 line, my wife owns the same Youth Model 870 in 20 ga as my nephew. About 8 years difference in the age of the guns but equal in terms of quality and design. We've put them through alot of use with no problems what so ever.
That tends to happen in manufacturing when the business is taken over by investment bankers. Outsourcing ( for purposes of cheaper labor) causes a decline in quality while prices go up. It's all about profit margin and greater market share with these people.
In defense of the 870 line, my wife owns the same Youth Model 870 in 20 ga as my nephew. About 8 years difference in the age of the guns but equal in terms of quality and design. We've put them through alot of use with no problems what so ever.
Dave McCracken
Moderator In Memoriam
I've handled and shot more than 20 Expresses in the last couple years. None have had any issues not remedied on the spot inside 2 minutes and not many of those.
A lot of the 870 bashing seems to come from a small group of folks and the problems they cite are.....
Failure to eject. Sometimes this comes with generic ammo, sometimes the chamber's a bit rough. Fix by switching ammo and/or using a bit of 4/0 steel wool on a brush chucked into a variable speed drill to polish out any burrs. 5 minute fix if you polish.
Rough cycling. Better ammo and some elbow grease seems to fix this.
Rusting. Express models are blued, not parkerized, over non polished metal. Folks who read the manual and follow the instructions about soaking everything in lube FIRST seem to not have this happen much. Still, I believe this can happen if the blueing salts are not properly flushed from the metal.
I've used 870s for a half century. I believe the platform is still a lot of gun for the money.
A lot of the 870 bashing seems to come from a small group of folks and the problems they cite are.....
Failure to eject. Sometimes this comes with generic ammo, sometimes the chamber's a bit rough. Fix by switching ammo and/or using a bit of 4/0 steel wool on a brush chucked into a variable speed drill to polish out any burrs. 5 minute fix if you polish.
Rough cycling. Better ammo and some elbow grease seems to fix this.
Rusting. Express models are blued, not parkerized, over non polished metal. Folks who read the manual and follow the instructions about soaking everything in lube FIRST seem to not have this happen much. Still, I believe this can happen if the blueing salts are not properly flushed from the metal.
I've used 870s for a half century. I believe the platform is still a lot of gun for the money.
The Express line was/is chemical bluing, cold blued, over bead blasted metal. You can often see them rusted straight from the box. Go to any retail store and tilt a few up to the light just right and you can see it. That's *before* being bought. Remington originally tried to claim that that was packing grease....but totally degreasing it doesn't effect it. The 3d bead blasting also means that once rusting has started, it's impossible to ever fully remove without stripping the entire gun. You would have to polish the entire part back to smooth metal to do it.
rich
Waywatcher
Member
I like the Express, but then again I don't bother with junky ammo.
Just Win AA or reloads in Win AA hulls. I will try some Rem STS when I get around to it; but shooting decent quality ammo I've never had a problem of any sort.
But I haven't tried "cheap" ammo. AA or STS can be had on the cheap if you get them on sale or during a rebate, they're just not cheap all the time.
Just Win AA or reloads in Win AA hulls. I will try some Rem STS when I get around to it; but shooting decent quality ammo I've never had a problem of any sort.
But I haven't tried "cheap" ammo. AA or STS can be had on the cheap if you get them on sale or during a rebate, they're just not cheap all the time.
My 870 has been prone to rusting. As a matter of fact, it seems that it rusts if you look at it wrong. I am not a someone who neglects my firearms either. It came from the store with rust on the reciever. Also has rust on the top of the receiver where the shooters thumb touches the metal. I ahve to keep it soaked in CLP so it won't spread.
Texas Gun Person
Member
My local Cabela's has got new Express's in that were rusted in the box from the factory.
Roughneck08
Member
I purchased a new 870 Express in August of last year because I traded my Mossberg 835. I rushed off to West Texas on a dove hunt with friends which we do annually. I was using remington heavy dove loads, 6 shot. It preformed flawlessly without any extraction issues right out of the box. I will admit my dads old wingmaster is much slicker, but I couldn't have been happier with the new express. I have shot several hundred rounds through it mostly birdshot and a few S&B buckshot loads. Proper cleaning and it has been great. Anyways I love my Express and as posted above if you have the money get the police I have handled them and they feel great.
Blackrock
Member
I currently own four 870's which are all fine by me. Got two Wingmaster and two Express'. They all fire and function well for me.
I had an express 5 years ago that rusted right away, inside of my air conditioned closet.
I got another one a year or two ago and drenched it in oil, then wiped it clean. It never rusted like the other one. I guess I did something wrong with the first one.
My police magnum survived a few years going everywhere with me, in the woods or the car. It didn't have a spot on it, with minimal maintenence. It also had a much better fitted action. I couldn't recommend a Police Magnum highly enough.
I got another one a year or two ago and drenched it in oil, then wiped it clean. It never rusted like the other one. I guess I did something wrong with the first one.
My police magnum survived a few years going everywhere with me, in the woods or the car. It didn't have a spot on it, with minimal maintenence. It also had a much better fitted action. I couldn't recommend a Police Magnum highly enough.
It's entirely possible to make junk in the US. This has been proven over and over again. By Remington, on occasion...
The 870 is a perfectly adequate HD gun as long as you run decent ammo in it. I have never had a jam in thousands of rounds, except with Winchester Universals, which have to be some of the worst shells sold in the US. They're birdshot anyway, which you shouldn't use for HD.
The Express rust issue is a real one. I believe that, on my gun, the salts weren't cleaned off properly at the factory. Soaking in CLP or similar, getting all the salts and existing rust off, then keeping the gun oiled with Rem Oil, CLP, etc. will preserve it in an environment with average humidity. If you live along the Eastern Seaboard or the Gulf Coast, I would probably get something other than the Express, or I'd coat it.
The 870 is not a fine gun, and it was never meant to be. Fine shotguns are at least an order of magnitude higher in price, and go up to the stratosphere from there. It won't serve well for any purpose, either, but it will work fine for HD.
The 870 is engineered for mass production using WW II industrial technology. It works quite well, but there have been much nicer pump guns made. These nicer guns (Winchester Model 12, Ithaca 37, Remington 31) tend to appeal much more to the few connoisseurs who have any interest in pump guns any more.
The pump in general used to occupy a pretty high place in the shotgun heirarchy. They were once used for serious clay target competition, and Remington used to sell fancy versions of the 870 for premium prices. Nobody uses pump guns for serious clay target shooting any more. The pump gun moved way downmarket, and the 870 succeeded in shifting along with the whole market segment. This is to its credit.
However, you have to understand that, at a foodie website, people aren't going to be all that interested in which local truckstop has the least-bad $1 burger. That doesn't mean that any given $1 burger will give you tomaine poisoning.
Last edited:
Yo Mama
Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2008
- Messages
- 3,230
1. Mine FTE multiple times each box I used. Sent to Remington after checking for burrs, and they still did not fix it.
2. Rough cycling may go away with some use, but mine got worse.
3. I've not seen rust, but the finish comes off easily during the cleaning process. Seriously, if I rub a cloth on it the finish comes off on the cloth.
I'm very happy with my 700, just a different beast. IMO it's not bashing, and there are many posts on this board and others showing the problems with the Express model.
- Status
