Remington 870 Express Tactical- Advice and Opinions

General Firearms Shotguns
1

I am looking for some advice/opinions on this model from Remington: http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/model-870/model-870-express-tactical.aspx
I did the usual search and only turned up a couple threads that didn’t really cover anything I was thinking of. So…

My initial thinking in looking at this version is that it’ll get me a few more desirable options (7rd. tube, ghost ring sights, rail, changeable choke) between the $300-400 price, which makes a lot of sense for me as I cannot seem to find an 870P (especially set up this way) for under $5-600 (and up, up and away:mad:). I’ve looked extensively on Gunbroker, as well as a few online retailers, and all the shops by me, and there’s either nothing at all, or they’re untouchable. For the extra hundred or so bucks I’ll save I can invest in a few simple upgrades to bring it up to “good enough” spec (I am aware of the basic issues with the Express line Vs. Police), as well as a pile of practice ammo…

My longterm vision for this is to have a simple shotgun that I can run any type of ammo through accurately, and including an extended mag tube, sidesaddle shell holder, sling, light mount, and RDS, for both defensive and recreational use.

But I have a few concerns (aside from which, I’m still a shotgun noob).

-The XS rear Ghost ring- how durable is that? How realistically usefull is it, compared to other ghost rings?
Also, from what I can tell from the picture on Rem’s site, it seems to be attached to the rail. How will this work out if I decide down the road for whatever reason it needs to be gone, or switched for something different?

-The rail piece- what is it made of (metal or plastic?), and is it in spec?
In other words, is it a craptastic acessory they added for looks, or is it actually workable, even if it should be replaced eventually?

-If the rail piece is junk, the advantage I’m thinking is that the receiver is still drilled/tapped to accept a rail section. Does anyone know if Remington’s job here is compatible with ALL rails? Or do you need to get one custom, or specifically sized for it?

Fire away.

2

For that price range
better to find a used Wingmaster and build from there…

3

I had one for a short time and liked it well enough. The XS rail is aluminum (I believe).

I didn’t care for the furniture or the “express” finish. It just plain sucks in my opinion. The “door-breaching” choke was gimmicky for my needs and was quickly replaced with a standard Remington IC screw-in choke. The ghost-rings were fine, though I still prefer an XS-dot only or some form of fiber-optic up front. Hell, even open rifle-sights hit faster for me.

I generally stick with the 18" 870P with walnut furniture. I have one and dig it. I also tend to search for lightly used 870 Wingmasters with solid bluing and go from there. I just picked up an 80’s vintage 20ga Wingmaster in excellent condition for $225. If you are patient and don’t mind putting in some elbow grease, this can be a rewarding learning experience on America’s favorite shotgun.

With that said, if it fits your requirements for mounting an RDS, lights, shell holders etc. got for it. It will most likely be the quickest way to get your desired setup.

4

For the money you are willing to spend (or any amount for that matter) I would get a basic shotgun, shoot it a while then add on options to fill needs that the basic shotgun does not meet. You stated you wanted a “simple” shotgun but then stated you wanted a light, rail, RDS, chokes, side saddle…

Rob S started an excellent thread a few days ago that really explains how he has defined his needs and is building a shotgun to meet those needs one option at a time. I say start reading there. For $300 you can find a Remington 870 with a 18"-20" and go from there. Then address one need at a time (stock or light or chokes or…) Adding a bunch of stuff all at once may cloud issues.

M2C, good luck. Keep us posted.

5

That was my thought too.:slight_smile:

6

Yes, I just read through that thread today- definately some good points to think about.

As far as the accessories, please note that I stated that as longterm goals. I’m not just going to buy a shotgun so I can bolt all my favorite stuff to it.:wink:
The overall meaning of that paragraph was that this seemed like a good starter platform that had a number of useful features already included to enable a bit of experimentation to figure out what works for me without to much extra cash outlay. Of course I may be wrong…
And the gear list is basically just stuff anyone here would add to a carbine to make it a more effective tool.

7

Jellybean, understood about the longterm goals. I can tell you that there are a couple of no brainers, Mesa Tactical side saddle and SureFire 618 being two. If you want a screw in choke, one options is to get a long VR barrel and send it to Rose Action Sports for a chop and thread job. However, the I/C or Mod choke should serve you very well. I just put on a Mesa Urbino and I have a short review in another thread, this is also going on the no brainer list. As far as extended tubes go, I have a Vang Comp and a Wilson. I prefer the Vang Comp simple because it has removable sling plate. Other than that, I would buy either one again. In my humble limited opinion, things to avoid are Choate, Tacstar, and ATI. I like my bead and I am adding a XS large bead. My eyes are getting old. I have a rifle sighted barrel for my daughter’s deer shotgun, but I prefer the bead. I am interested in the Remington express sighted barrel and may get one later, but the bead is working for me now and I think the XS may be a little faster.
Good luck, keep us posted.
R/
Mike

8

Yes- I have heard a lot of good stuff about Mesa/Vang/Wilson, and they’re definately on my “go here first” list. Never liked the looks of the Choate stuff anyway (yeah I know-‘function over form’ but their stuff always looked like puke.:p).

I’m not sure what you mean by a “long VR barrel” (noob:rolleyes:)?
Anyway, I’m not adverse to having a custom barrel job done, but it seems that (for me), the cost might outweigh the usefulness, and I might be better off with a fixed choke or a barrel already threaded from the factory. But I could be wrong…
That, and I really don’t want to go past the minimum 18.5" length- the shotguns I have used previously all had really long barrels, and were just impossibly unwieldy (especially after using an AR). The 870’s and 590’s I have been able to get hold of were just right with the 18 inch barrel.

The one acessory I am just hell-bent on having is a mag tube extension, preferably a +2 or 3. I have an older .410 that I have used quite a bit, and the fact the it only holds 3 shells has been an endless source of frustration that I am, quite frankly, sick of. So I WILL have an extension tube.:shout:
I looked at Wilson Combat’s shotgun accesories http://shopwilsoncombat.com/Magazine-Extension-Tubes-Followers-Springs/products/163/- their tube is cheaper than Vang’s, still has a sling mount, and still comes in the right size, so I’ll probably go with them.

In other news- this looks like an interesting accessory that would get around needing to have the receiver drilled/tapped to mount a rail. And it incorporates a shell carrier as well. For the price it seems to make sense, especially since it wouldn’t be permanent if I end up hating either the rail or the shellcarrier…
Mesa Tactical rail/shellcarrier option: http://www.smartgunner.com/91630.aspx
IMO, the 8-shell version looks like it will be a little to long in the rear, especially since I plan on keeping a standard shotgun stock.

9

VR is vent ribbed. It is the flat rail on the top of the barrel typically seen on game/hunting guns.

10

What I did was kept an eye out in local pawn shops and ended up picking up a Remington 870 12ga Express Magnum. It was an older one with the metal trigger guard instead of the plastic one with the j-lock. I paid 200 out the door. Turned around and started buying parts here and there, bought several off of here including a 6 shot side saddle and a GG&G sling point. Found a 18.5" barrel online new for 100 shipped and then added a Hogue Forearm, Scattergun Technologies +2 mag ext, spring, and follower, and a Blackhawk Specops stock. Ended up with a nice HD shotty and actually recouped a lot of my initial investment by selling the factory barrel, stock, and other parts I removed. I was going to go with Ghost Rings style sights but after shooting a friends shotty that had them I realized target acquisition wasn’t as fast (as for me) and a single bead sight. I wouldn’t overdue a shotty cause chances are its never going to see a lot of use unless you just like shooting shotguns. Don’t take nothing I say to heart, its just my .02

11

I think the better option for a new gun is the basic 7 shot express (formerly marketed as the 870 express HD home defense).

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/model-870/model-870-express-synthetic-7-round.aspx

Two internal upgrades that are a good idea would be replacing the MIM extractor with a machined wingmaster/ police one (about $15) and an upgraded magazine follower. S&J hardware makes a really nice one:

http://sjhardware.com/store/modules.php?name=catalog&file=product_info&cPath=107_123&products_id=347&osCsid=041685b09b9b63ddb38b792c6718c849

You need the shorty forend in order to run a sidesaddle

Cdm gear makes nice light mounts if you don’t run a surefire forend

Trijicon makes nicely priced grs, there are tons of options on the market for grs

12

SHARP1983- Give me unlimited ammo and I’ll shoot just about anything all day everyday.:smiley:
As far as switching parts out- I’ve done that exact same thing with all my stuff I own. Definately save some money by re-spending what you already have.

Toyoland66-
Yes- that’s exactly what I meant in my original post about buying upgrade parts. And frankly, after looking around some and getting a feel for how all this would work together, I don’t really see anything to gain anymore if I went with the 870 Tac, so I’ll probably be going back to looking at more basic models.
However if you could clarify a couple things for me:

What are the Trijicon “grs”? I’m not familiar with that abreviation…:stuck_out_tongue:
And I didn’t notice anything under the shotgun section on their site that matched.

Also, please explain more about needing a shorty forend for a sidesaddle-
Granted, it’s been a pretty long time since I’ve shot/handled an 870, so I don’t recall exactly how everything worked together.:o
I don’t understand how the factory forend would cause a problem with either the sidesaddle/rail combo I linked previously, or a standard sidsaddle (http://www.smartgunner.com/90210.aspx)? It doesn’t seem like the sidesaddle would be long enough to interfere with anything…
I don’t care if I will have to change it out or not, I just want to know why it would be a problem.

13

If I’m correct if you have a standard express with the factory furniture and you add a 6 shot side saddle then the forearm comes back onto the receiver and doesn’t allow enough room to cycle the action. That’s why I ran the Hogue with the 6 shot saddle. You can modify the factory one easily to work as well but no more expensive that a forearm is I’d go that route and sell the factory one. Side saddle’s are a personal preference. My shotty with the mag ext holds 6+1 so if I can get the job done in 7rds, then I’m up shit creek anyways. I use mine mainly to carry different types of ammo. I keep 6 rds of 00 Buck in the mag, 3 rds of #4 HD and 3 rds of 1oz slugs in the saddle. The slugs are mainly for some reason a intruder takes cover behind something in the house or if the fight moved outside. The 4’s come in handy incase I have to worry about over penetration. If the boys are home and something was to happen I load a #4 in the chamber. If kids aren’t home, its 00 buck all the way.

14

The model I linked to has a sporter style fore end, the model you linked to has the police style fore end. The sporter style fore end isn’t compatible with a sidesaddle because it comes back further and overlaps the receiver when the action is pumped. The cheap fix is to chop a couple inches off the back of the fore end with a saw. You can also replace it with a speed feed police style foreend or a Remington police fore end but those a harder to find.

GRS is ghost ring sights

15

Alright- got it.

Ghost Ring Sights… Duh.:suicide2:

16

I just bought an 870 Express Synthetic in 20 gauge and couldn’t be happier. I’ve always preferred the 20 to 12 gauge and believe in keeping it simple. This is a great setup right from the factory with everything you need and nothing you don’t. The 20 gauge doesn’t beat you to death and is more than adequate for defensive use.

17

Jellybean… I own the 870 you are talking about. I have only shot a few hundred rounds through it and so far have no complaints.

The first thing I did was to replace the breaching choke with an improved cylinder choke. I did not like the extended length and don’t need to blow off door hinges. I like the ghost ring sights and prefer them to a bead. They seem to be of decent quality. The finish is sort of grainy, though I haven’t had it come off yet (others have said it does not wear well). I would prefer a parkerized finish and will have that done if there are issues in the future.

Out of the box it seems like a nice gun and to me the price was right. My use is primarily for home defense and some plinking. What I don’t like is the stock, it just doesn’t feel as good in my hands as other 12 gauge shotguns I have (Winchester Defender and Benelli M1 Super 90). I plan to replace the stock and forend with a Hogue and add a Mesa 4 or 6 shot side saddle and their magazine clamp so that I can add a piece of rail and mount a light.

I know it is an Express not a Police, but I am happy with it. I look forward to getting more rounds through it. :cool:

18

I know this is a raging necropost, but I figured it would be better to ask a related question here than start a whole new thread.

I just picked up one of these 870 Tacticals from a friend, and I’m a bit confused. It appears to have a magazine extension, being that it’s as long as the barrel. However, the gun only holds 6 rounds in the tube. As far as I know this is how my buddy got it NIB.

Do I need to replace the spring? Do all of these models ship with only 6 in the tube?

19

An 870 with an 18" barrel with the factory extension will be six in the tube.

20

Gotcha, I guess it seemed like it should fit at least 1 more. I would have to go to a 20" barrel to get 2 more, correct?