Initial Impression on Remington 870

[DArBad]

Hey gang,

This is just to let you know: I bought a brand new Remington 870 Express known as the Field and HD Combo. It came with a 28 inch vent rib barrel and an 18.5 inch barrel.

Just picked up the shotgun few minutes ago and like a kid, I was excited when I was unpacking the piece.

From my cursory inspection, everything is spot on. Fitting and racking was quite impeccable for a " cheap " shotgun. The trigger group, as expected has a polymer housing, not metal.

After reading most of the horror stories about the barrel chambers on the Express as being rough and therefore contributing to failures, I was pleasantly surprised that my two barrels have smooth and burr free chambers.

The color of the wood stock and front end grip is dark, dark brown....just as I liked! I've always found wood stocked shotguns very attractive, and it reminded of my uncles shotgun when I was growing up.

I will fully disassemble the piece and clean out all the factory lubricant, will inspect the extractor and other small parts.

That's it, guys.

[pennstater]

Glad to read your new 870 Express is GTG out of the box. First impressions go a long ways. Remington had a tough go of QC a few years back if I remember the articles correctly. The roughness in the chambers was an easy fix, if needed. Clean that baby up and go shoot it. You'll enjoy that gun for years.

[JohnnyMtn]

Congrats on the nice shotgun. I have an 870 Police Magnum that I really like.

Even though the chamber might be burr free you should still cycle various rounds through it to see if there are any issues. Get some Winchester AA's and see how they cycle. To me, that's probably the worst ammo you can get and if they cycle fine then your 870 is GTG.

For me, my 870 wouldn't cycle AA's and they would get jammed in the chamber. I would have to slam the butt on the ground to get the chamber opened. Many other!loads were just fine but those low brass AA's would routinely get stuck.

Some polishing of the chamber with steel wool and a power drill fixed that problem for good. AA's shoot just fine now, not that I shoot that ammo much.

[XVIga_Rob]

Glad to hear you have your gun! That combo is a sweet deal! Clean, lube, shoot, & repeat. As said, shoot various brands & types of shells, to make sure it functions correctly & reliably. A well cared for 870 just gets better with use.

[olhunter]

Good choice! And wood is good.

They sold a bazillion 870's for a reason.

Like Johnny said, your chamber might feel fine, but run some test rounds through it anyway.

[DirkPitt]

I bought an 870 like that many years ago it did not have a second barrel it was just the 28 inch barrel . I have since turned that into a tactical model and shot thousands of rounds through it of every kind of shell you could think of. That action on that thing is now butter smooth just due to wear and tear I guess, but I love it and it will stay with me till I can no longer do anything with it and my son will take it.

[DArBad]

I bought an 870 like that many years ago it did not have a second barrel it was just the 28 inch barrel . I have since turned that into a tactical model and shot thousands of rounds through it of every kind of shell you could think of. That action on that thing is now butter smooth just due to wear and tear I guess, but I love it and it will stay with me till I can no longer do anything with it and my son will take it.

Did you add a magazine extension?

[deckhandmike]

Now resist the urge to add a made in China laser/light combo, bandolier, ghost ring sights, heat shield and magpul stock.

[DArBad]

Now resist the urge to add a made in China laser/light combo, bandolier, ghost ring sights, heat shield and magpul stock.

LOL, yes, deckhandmike.

I'll be honest, I NEVER liked all those gadgets, most especially.....the Magpuls. I find the way they look........quite hideous. I know a lot of people like them a lot and spend hundreds of dollars.

Only one addition I am currently interested in, the +2 magazine extension, I already ordered Remington brand kit from Midway USA. I plan to shift back and forth between the 18.5 inch barrel and the 28 inch VR barrel with chokes.

Down the road, might decide to add a low profile Hi-Viz front sight or the Tritium XS-Dot Sight, to aid this 60 years old sight.

[solislbc]

Does this qualify for the current $60 rebate or is that just the tactical models? Been eyeing the same gun myself.

[pennstater]

Good for you DArBad, no real need for all the do-dads. Shorter barrel for SD/HD, longer barrel for the funner things in life. Enjoy!

[DArBad]

Does this qualify for the current $60 rebate or is that just the tactical models? Been eyeing the same gun myself.

No it doesn't. I think, only models with one barrel, the 18.5 inch ones qualify.

[DArBad]

Good for you DArBad, no real need for all the do-dads. Shorter barrel for SD/HD, longer barrel for the funner things in life. Enjoy!

Thank you.

[DArBad]

There is a Calguns member with a Remington 870 with an 18.5 inch barrel, wood stocks, and...... he mentioned he changed the stock extractor to a Volquartsen, and added a +2 Nordic Magazine extension.

Forgot the name of the member, but his shotgun is minimalist and tastefully done. I really would like to emulate his piece. Hope he posts pictures of his shotgun again.

[DGoodale]

Just know that to use that +2 extension you'll need to take a drill to your new gun and remove the dimple that holds the spring / cap retainer in order to get shells to go past. I've found that since doing that the cap tends to work it's way loose with the barrel over time.