I am shopping around for a shotgun and was looking for a 870P and a employee at shop told me to save my money and buy an express molel and change out carrier dog spring (what ever this is),exteactor,sear spring and change out spring and follower and you will have a police model is this all you need to do or is this person BS me since they didn’t have a police model in stock?
I found a older used Wingmaster police that accepts 2 3/4 shells only are these older guns worth buying?
The Express finish is a crappy copy of Parkerizing that does not protect the metal well at all. No way would I cheap out with an Express for a duty gun. I’d rather buy a used Police Magnum trade in than a new Express.
from what I have read, ALL 870’s are built on the same receivers. The finishes and attention to details are different, ie Police Model is top of the line, next Wingmaster and the Express is the “bargain” shotgun. With that said, for a few bucks, you can upgrade an Express to the Police Model specs with a few parts.
What is the difference between an 870 express and an 870 wingmaster?
He is right, and I fully agree with him.
The Express will smooth out after a few hundred shells through it, and the matte blue finish soaks up CLP great which will prevent rust. If you want a Police barrel, you can buy one from $100-$160, and sell the original barrel to recoup most of the cost. A LE forend is about $20 if you need one to run a side-saddle, or you can just trim down the sporting model for free.
The bottom line is do you think its worth an extra $150-$250 for a machined ejector, parkerized finish, and a smoother action
or
Is it better to spend about $30 for the Police small parts, (really the $10 machined extractor & $5 carrier dog return spring are the only parts that is really needed to upgrade for any real advantage) have to smooth out the action by shooting it (or lubing it very well & running the action for a hour while watching tv), and having a rough finish that requires the same care as parkerization?
The 870 Police, 870 Express, and 870 Wingmaster are literally the same shotgun. 2 of them just get more QC & nicer finishes at nearly 100% more cost. Considering 870s are about as easy as Glocks to work on, and you can replace all but 2 parts at home, the added expense of the Police is better spent on shells & range fees.
This is my opinion after owning 2 Wingmasters, 2 Police, and 4 Express models. I currently just own a Police, and the only reason I bought it over a Express is I got it for $199 OTD.
The Police is parkerized
The Express is a rough matte blue
They both require the same care (occasionally wiped down with oil) to prevent rust.
My first Police actually rusted because I thought the parkerization was so superior as Remington LE & the Internet made it to be while my Express never rusted because I kept a very light coat of CLP on it. I thought the parkerization was so great that it didn’t need any preventive maintenance.
The fact is both of them will rust if you don’t take care of them. The parkerization may give you a couple more days before rust sets it, but I guarantee you it will. Mine rusted in about 4 days after a summer range trip, and I’ve seen a Express rust after 2 days in salt-water hunting environment after being stuck in a soft case wet with salt-water for those 2 days.
Take care of the finish, regardless which model you choose.
- The best way to prevent rust is to liberally coat a 870 with CLP to were it is nearly dripping. Let the CLP soak into the rough finish of a Express or Police for about 15-20 minutes. Wipe off, and repeat after shooting/hunting etc. The rough matte bluing & parkerization soaks up the CLP, and will prevent rust from ever setting in.
And for the adventurous DIY guys, you can use spray-on coatings for the metal components, add your own Police components, spend the difference on XS Sights, and others.
If not wiped down with CLP, it’s possible to accumulate rust on an express overnight - sucks, but it’s really not that bad. Leave a light coat on it, and carry on.
+1 on DIY with gunkote or duracoat. Just be sure to prep the surface really well (i.e. degrease, clean well, and handle as little as possible before and after applying coating).
I gun koted my 870 express. I also changed out both the carrier dog spring and MIM extractor. If you look around you’ll find some surplus 3" 870P’s for cheap. I found one at a online gun shop for around $200.
Would you mind sharing where?