Opinions on the Remington 870?

[Addicted2Cats]

I'm trying real hard to get my dad to buy me a Remming 870 Express in 12GA. Where I live in Ohio its mostly heavy brush so I don't know if I even need to get the slug bbl. I want to get it soon so I have the summer to test the accuracy on slugs. MY question is if anybody here uses the 870 for deer, how they like it, and what slugs shoot best? :0a36: Thanks.

[triggerhappy]

I use in for deer and regular shotgunning. There is no stronger design out there. (In either mechanical design or 'strong' as in having a large following, which means parts and upgrades are unlimited) Some will say that the Mossberg 500 is its equal...but if anyone tries to tell you the 500 is better than the 870...or vice versa, they're morons. Both will take a half-dozen lifetimes to wear out. I've not found any slug that shoot as well as I'd like from my hastings rifled barrel, so just take your pick. "as well as I like" means better than a 4" inch group at 75yards, a lot of guys can get a little better. My advice is to buy slugs now while they're out of season (if you can find them) because alot of places will have them up to 50% off after the season passes...and once they're out you'll have to pay full price and have virtually no selection. That's the way it is in my area, and I live in a no-rifle state...so everyone uses shotties or Muzzleloaders. I'd bit the bullet and spend the extra money on the best recoil pad you can find since you're gonna be shooting slugs. No, you won't feel it when you're hunting, but you sure will when you're practicing and sighting in...and thats the perfect place to develop a horrible flinch.

Make sure that magazine cap is screwed down TIGHT when you're shooting slugs, or you won't get groups at all. It'll feel tight, but you can always get a few more clicks out of it.

If you're gonna shoot slugs out of the smooth barrel I suggest brennek's and the mod. choke, that gave the best results in my 12ga. But try the IC choke also. Don't even try sabot slugs, waste of money in a smooth barrel...yeah, they'll shoot alright...sometimes...but they cost more and give NO advantage out of the smooth barrel.

If I were to buy a rifled barrel I wouldn't spend the extra money on a scope again. Rifle sights are all you need at shotgun ranges and fast handling is usually at a premium in the brush areas.

[Duane]

Ive got an 870 as I dont shoot it much I hunt small game with a .410 the 12 guage 870 is the perfect work horse they can do it all its the one gun everyone should own it all you really need from bear to deer to squirrels

[Nobody Special]

I have a 20ga. 870 that's about 50 years old. It's had one firing pin replaced and has been reblued once and the stock refinished and it's still as good as new. My father bought it used from a man for $30.00 when I was about 10-12 years old. I'm 56 now. I killed my first deer with it.

[kspor]

I dont think you could go wrong with an 870. They are top of the line in my opinion. I used to sell a lot of them. They kick like a missouri mule with slugs, but they are still accurate. Will you be able to clover leaf your shots, no; but you will be able to put 3 in a pie plate and that will fill a freezer.

[buckie02]

I have an 870 Express combo. I have killed a lot of deer with it. I used to love it, now I hate it. Can't seem to any thing with it. It does kick like a mule. I am going to buy a 20 gauge with a rifled barrel. I am not real sure what brand yet.

[NCCatter]

870 is the best shotgun you can buy. I have one in 20 and 12 guage and they both shoot well. Me, my dad, and my brother have 12 guage Browning GOld Hunters and every single one of them jams up and won't eject the shell (birdshot or buckshot). I got them clean as a whistle and they still won't eject worth a sh*&! But the 870 as long as you clean it it will work fine. Love mine.

[Mutt]

Get the 870. I have a couple of 870's and wont trade them for anything had them for years no problems with them ever.

[TeamCatHazzard]

I am a benelli man myself, but I would have to say a good ole 870 is hard to beat! They are reliable and go through just about anything. I have one and that was my first gun actually. Its a great gun to start on and they will always be there and last forever! I would recommend them!

[peewee williams]

I'm trying real hard to get my dad to buy me a Remming 870 Express in 12GA. Where I live in Ohio its mostly heavy brush so I don't know if I even need to get the slug bbl. I want to get it soon so I have the summer to test the accuracy on slugs. MY question is if anybody here uses the 870 for deer, how they like it, and what slugs shoot best? :0a36: Thanks.
Please check with the manufacture about shooting slugs in any modern smooth bore before buying.Most have been back or over bored for many years now and do not shoot slugs well.The bore is too big.A older used gun with the old standard bore may fit your needs better.Some of the older guns seem to be more versatile,with just a single barrel to do it all.A new gun may need that special barrel for accuracy.This is the reason that I bought a Browning 500G as the Golds came out.It had a steel receiver,the old standard barrel diameter,and I bought a rifled choke for slugs.I have turned down some deals on Remington shotguns.I think that they are great firearms,but they feel awkward and do not seem to point naturally for me.It is me,not the gun.Too many people love the feel of them.It may be that I was raised with single barrel and bolt action shotguns,or could it be the void between my ears? NCCater-My Browning 500G has performed flawlessly so far.Believe me,I have tried to fool it by putting any and all types of shells in it in any order.All of my life,the guns had to be changed or adjusted to shoot different loads.Many of us old timers did not believe it would work in a auto.That 500G proved me wrong.I have read of the Gold being used on South American Dove hunts,where hundreds of rounds a day,and thousands of rounds a trip are fired.Something ain;t right,be it shells or gun.I am sure that Browning would love to hear of it,and try to solve the problem.They sure ain;t any good the way it is.The cheapest of autos work better than that,and a working single barrel is better than a jammed auto.Good luck to all,and let us know how you come out.peewee-williams

[bluecatnut]

i would recommend the the 870 super express it can take 3 1/2's be sure to get the combo it has the slug barrel which is all right but since i got my rifled barrelle i am spoiled the 870 is one of the baddest guns around it is so verisatil (SPELL CHECK) hardy i beat my reg 870 to death i cracked the fore stock i mean just beat it up all i did was replace the wood stock with a syc stock and the gun still shoots true

[FishMan]

one of the best guns ever built. john browning knew what he was doing.

[btmfdr]

great gun, they have about a million different barrells, stocks, and choke tubes available for them

[derbycitycatman]

I would get the combo with smooth barrel and rifled barrel. I didnt and Im still looking for a cheap rifled barrel. Ive had my 870 for years and its never let me down. I dont use it for deer hunting but Ive used it for squirrels, doves, clays, and will use it for turkeys this year. Last dove hunt I went on a couple guys guns got jammed or overheated or whatever. My 870 shot more shells, killed more birds, and kept on shooting. Hard to beat an 870.

[waterwalker]

870 Remingtons are one of the best, I have two 870 Wingmasters that I
have had for 30 years, the guality is first class. My 870 express is rifled
and I have a 3 power wide view scope. I use remington sabots, groups of
2 inches or lesser at 100 yds are impressive for a slug gun. The sabots are
devastating on hogs and deer.

[el_pescador]

Some will say that the Mossberg 500 is its equal...but if anyone tries to tell you the 500 is better than the 870...or vice versa, they're morons.

I would'nt take two Mossberg 500's for a single Rem 870. The 870 is better made, tighter fit then the mossberg. Whole lot more after market parts and barrels for the 870 then the 500 as well.


I have to agree with these fellas. OMG, i can't believe i was one of the suckers that bought one of the 500's. My beads flew off at the range:crying: I no longer own an 870, but they are the best pump shotgun ever made imo, maybe the most reliable out of all the shotguns.

[peewee williams]

Sounds like a word that a 8-12 year old would use to me.I am 60.I have heard them use it all my life.It is sometimes used by "extremely intelligent" people to describe any one stupid enough to disagree with them.I think that it is a very useful word as you instantly know what and where they stand,and what they think of disagreeable people."Bit strong" yea,but you cannot but admire anyone that lets you know right off the bat,that if you disagree with them,you are a moran.You have to admire honesty.The man ain;t lying to you to keep from hurting your feelings.peewee-williams

[copycat]

The 870 is a classic shotgun that has been around forever, great 12 gauge!

[Chris]

I've got an 870 express that I use for turkey hunting, bird hunting and other game. I have had nothing go wrong with the gun even in sub zero temps.

chris

[Tinboat]

I've had a wingmaster for 45 years...got it used. I've replaced a firing pin in it during all these years. I never killed but one deer with it. I was shooting 000 buckshot thru a 30" full choke barrell. The next year Dad got me a used 30-30 Win. I killed deer much farther and with less shots lol. Guess I'll hang on to it too. I never liked slugs or had a slug barrell

[triggerhappy]

Guy's I'm sorry to cause such a stir over my use of the word "moron". Since it's caught the eyes of so many, let me clarify. I didn't mean someone that preferred the 500 or the 870 was stupid. Nor did I mean that someone who believed that one was a hands-down better-built firearm was stupid for holding such an opinion. My point was that they each have they're following and its a topic that has been beaten to death several times over...with no clear winner. We each hold our own opinions and preferences. (Like you Jess, I don't care for the 500. The light reciever just feels wrong, which is all the farther I need to go.) They each will take a long long time to wear out, and the differences are so that it becomes purely a matter of the individual's tastes.

[MilwaukeeCatHunter]

Field and Stream magazine recently took a reader poll and the 870 took top honors in a couple categories. I have an 870 Express Super Magnum Synthetic with rifled slug barrel. Using open sights, I have very good accuracy using Remington copper solid slugs out to about 50-75 yards. I just don't trust open sights much past that distance.

However, when I bought it new, I had a failure to extract a shell after 100 rounds. Had to take it back to gunsmith for some minor work.

You can't go wrong with Mossberg either. Both guns work equally well. I just think the Mossberg is harder to disassemble and clean.

With Winchester closing it's factory, you might want to consider trying to pick up a Model 1300 somewhere on clearance. I got one for $200 a while back. (Black Shadow synthetic)

[Addicted2Cats]

Hey thanks for all the info! Sounds like I can't go wrong with the remmington 870. I do have a few mor questions though, I'm new to shotgunning and don't know all the basics. So if I want to shoot slugs through a smooth bbl I should use rifeled slugs and it doesn't matter what choke tube I use? and if I put on a rifeled bbl use sabbot slugs? one more thing, how hard is it to change out bbl's, and can I damage the gun by doing it too often? I might get a chance to shoot a 500 this friday so I can get the "feel" of a 12GA. Thanks again for all your knowledge!

[triggerhappy]

Changing barrels takes me all of about 40 seconds and doing so will not wear out your gun. (just your fingers). Correct, rifled ( or "foster") slugs for a smoothbore and sabots for a rifled barrel. Don't use a full choke for slugs. Experiment and find out if you get better groups from your Mod. choke or your IC (improved cylinder) choke...either one may do a little better than the other.

[Addicted2Cats]

Ok one more question I just thought of, lol. Is the reciever pre-drilled for a scope mount, or do I need a bbl with a cantilever mount?

[triggerhappy]

And as for changeing the barrels max, even a Moron could do it.;) :)

oooohh, touch'e haha

If.......IF you don't plan on using a scope for turkey and you do want to use one for deer I suggest the cantilevered barrel. The advantage is that you can zero you scope in, take the barrel off, use your smoothbore for rabbits/birds/whatever and when you go to put your rifled barrel back....it'll still be zeroed in. Not always so with a reciever-mounted scope. Like I said earlier though, if I could do it all again I'd save money and just use a barrel with rifle sights . It's totally a matter of personal preferance though.

[slabmaster]

you cant go wrong with an 870. personaly i would look for a nice used wingmaster. i have seen a couple of brand new express' that were out of time they would eject live shells out the magazine feed while working the action. im sure most work fine though.as far a slugs go i have used a rifled slug barrel on an 870 and it did a good job out to about 70 yds. i asume you are in a shotgun only state . if not a .44 cal lever gun is a very good brush gun out to a 100 yds. as far as the scope id use a red dot made for a shotgun.

[bearcat]

870 hands down. I have one and it has shot over 100 lbs of lead thru it and still going strong. Wouldnt trade it for a train load of Mossberg 500s. I have shot the mossbergs and the big difference is the trigger pull. It is way to creppy and the length of travel is for ever compared to my 870. The trigger is one of the most important parts of being a good shot.

[Mountain Cur]

There was a time when the M-12 Winchester was the No. 1 pump on the market, but as far as longevity and withstanding abuse I'll take the 870 hands down. Some time in late 1959 I scratched together $89.00 my grandfather gave me the sales tax and I bought an 870 Wing Master 2 3/4" 12 Ga. Everyone told me that piece of junk wouldn't last a single season, they were all M-12 fans. My youngest son who is now 28 stills uses it to hunt doves , quail and phesants. I replaced an extractor and a trigger spring several years ago, she still functions flawlessly. I have a new 870 in 3" I prefer over my Bennelli or a couple of other more expensive than necessary shotguns. As far as reliablity I have carried an 870 in several different places in the world that were not exactly friendly towards me. Reliability, durability and ease of use will make it my favorite until I can no longer carry one......

[xxx MASTERFISHER xxx]

870 is an awsome gun, you can't go wrong with it. You know it's good if the FBI uses them.

[cherokee laker]

I sure like the 870 that I turkey hunt with, I put a Beretta back in the gun case and pulled out the old reliable remington.

hhh

[pursuing_cats]

The 870 is one of the best pump guns on the market. It is reliable and very durable. I own one and have put it through alot. It is so versitile. I use it for birds, deer and turkey. If you get one you will not be disappointed.

[Txbluecatman]

You can't go wrong with the 870.

[Pennsylvaniacatchaser]

I have an old 870 Wingmaster and a newer 870 Express and love 'em both. Very reliable, rugged and accurate!

[Catmaster]

I think they are awsome for deer. I have shot 2 does up to 50 yards away and knocked em flat. GO FOR IT, I mostly use bow and arrow for deer.

[TimberTalker]

You can't go wrong with a 870, if thats the gun you decide on i think you will be pleased

[gardengrz]

shop around for a used ithaca 37. best gun youll find.:smile2:

[Darrell]

Back home I had an Rem 870 express in my squad car. Very reliable and maintenance free. Cleaned it once a month and it really did not need it. Good gun. I would rather hunt with an 11-87 though just because it is an auto.

D

[IL Hunter]

I have 2 870's. One started as a combo, but now it has a scope on it and the slug barrel never comes off. I love using it for deer hunting. It's the closest thing to a deer rifle I can use in Illinois. It does kick hard with fast slug loads, but it is a great gun. The action is also reliable so you don't have to worry about it jamming and stuff all the time. If you keep it clean that gun will take care of you.

[Jesse168]

There are 3 pump shotguns I prefer. The Remington WINGMASTER 870; Browning BPS; amd the Ithica 37. All in that order.

Please folks don't confuse the Wingmaster 870 with the Express 870.

Remington came out with the Express model so that they could make an 870 at a price that would compete with the lower cost shotguns.

The Wingmaster 870 is made with better stock & forarm (walnut unless camo or synthedic is desired). The machining process has closer tolerances and more hand fitting than the Express. The older Wingmaster 870's were all hand fitted...before the late 70's or early 80's. Most all gun manufacturers have had to eleminate most hand fitting in order to make a firearm affordable to the general public. Winchester and Browning had to do the same.

Most all parts are made by CNC numerical machines instead of automatic chuckers or manual machines. The CNC machining has helped keep the price of firearms down to a price most people can justify.

If you want a real good shotgun that you can be proud to keep for a lifetime find you a Wingmaster 870, Browning BPS,or Ithica 37 instead of the Remington Express. Don't be turn your nose up at a good used shotgun. I personally prefer one of the older shotguns over these new ones....almost all the old ones were hand fitted if not hand made.

Just My Personal Thoughts

Jesse
Hunter Safety Instructor for
Tenneesee Widlife Agency since 1973