New Remington 870 - Thoughts? Opinions?

I found an 870 at a local pawn shop. It had a broken handguard which was fine with me. I bought it cheap and put on a new handguard and a spec-ops stock and have made it just what I want for the same price as a base model 870 from walmart. I think it turned out to be a pretty good deal.
 
870= one hell of a shotgun, owned one since the beginning of this year and cannot complain!
 
I have staked my life on a 870 and will continue to do so even though I now have the choice of whatever I want. Just make sure that its fully operational, and all parts that can wear out are replaced, fire 500 test rounds of all sorts through it, and you are good to go to war.
 
Thanks guys. I love the support and reassurance that an 870 in any form is a great gun. I've basically narrowed my needs and intended uses though down to these two models. I'm not just picking based on bling and color. I know I can build my own 870, or modify one 10 times over. What I'm shooting for is a gun that includes the majority of features I already know I need, right out of the box. The only question now is, to pistol grip or not to pistol grip. I'm not really looking for a project or some highly modified 870. These two models exhibit simplicity with "just enough" feature... (minus the breech choke:D)
 
I got an 870 Magnum Express (3.5" chamber and slug barrel) right when they came out (I was 12) and haven't looked back since. I really like the modern classic look of a standard 870 with wood, it's smooth and simple.

I have never felt like I needed a single accessory on mine when hunting (woodcock, partridge, pheasant, turkey, rabbit, deer, squirrel, clay, skeet, trap). I can hit anything that flies with a single bead and a modified choke. IMO if you need more than 5 shots of 12 gauge you are doing something drastically wrong. Don't forget that everything you put on your gun adds weight to your swing. Things like extended tubes with 7 rounds get really heavy real soon. If you plan on using it for anything more than turkey hunting, DON'T GET THE PISTOL GRIP! I find them to be cumbersome and though they are nice for sitting shots, they tend to slow you down when you are shooting on the fly at things in the air.

If you are using one for HD, none of the fancy stuff is going to help you one bit (a flashlight will do you good). If you did end up having to use it, a "working man's gun" looks a whole lot better in court than a dolled up black boomstick. As a part of my CCW class we had an hour to ask the best SD lawyer in the area any questions we wanted. I asked him what to keep under the bed and his response was: "An 870 shotgun with wood and nothing else on it". He said people get themselves into a lot of trouble by going way overboard on SD stuff.

Having said all this, I can say that the guts are all the same on those guns you listed and either of them will be mighty fine. I have shot thousands of rounds through my 870 and it is still going strong. I look forward to passing it on to my kids someday.
 
Hey. Personally, i feel like a light is NOT the best accessory. Not to say anything against anyone here, its just that I have a different outlook on things i guess. First off, if an intruder is coming onto your property, then right away you have the advantage of knowing the house, the hallways, places to hide, etc. Since you live there, you probably can walk through the whole house in the dark, if you needed to. And, since you do have the advantage of knowing the house, this puts the other guy at a huge disadvantage. However, add a light on to your gun as your sneaking up on whoever is out there, and you just gave yourself away. He will see you coming, thus taking away your advantage. I know this isn't always the situation, and maybe one day(hope not) someone will be close enough to you IN your house that you might just have to blow him away through a door or something, but IMO, i would want the advantage of surprise on my side, especially at my own house. just my .02
dave
 
d.weglarz13 said:
Hey. Personally, i feel like a light is NOT the best accessory. Not to say anything against anyone here, its just that I have a different outlook on things i guess. First off, if an intruder is coming onto your property, then right away you have the advantage of knowing the house, the hallways, places to hide, etc. Since you live there, you probably can walk through the whole house in the dark, if you needed to. And, since you do have the advantage of knowing the house, this puts the other guy at a huge disadvantage. However, add a light on to your gun as your sneaking up on whoever is out there, and you just gave yourself away. He will see you coming, thus taking away your advantage. I know this isn't always the situation, and maybe one day(hope not) someone will be close enough to you IN your house that you might just have to blow him away through a door or something, but IMO, i would want the advantage of surprise on my side, especially at my own house. just my .02
dave
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There are tactics and courses related to using white light on weapons. You dont walk through the house with the light on. It can be used for disorientation (ever stare into a bright LED flashlight) and more importantly for identifying your target. True, you should be able to navigate your own house, but its that last second you flip the light on, before blowing away your drunk brother in law or unexpected guest. Strange things happen.
 
michaelmcgo said:
I got an 870 Magnum Express (3.5" chamber and slug barrel) right when they came out (I was 12) and haven't looked back since. I really like the modern classic look of a standard 870 with wood, it's smooth and simple.

I have never felt like I needed a single accessory on mine when hunting (woodcock, partridge, pheasant, turkey, rabbit, deer, squirrel, clay, skeet, trap). I can hit anything that flies with a single bead and a modified choke. IMO if you need more than 5 shots of 12 gauge you are doing something drastically wrong. Don't forget that everything you put on your gun adds weight to your swing. Things like extended tubes with 7 rounds get really heavy real soon. If you plan on using it for anything more than turkey hunting, DON'T GET THE PISTOL GRIP! I find them to be cumbersome and though they are nice for sitting shots, they tend to slow you down when you are shooting on the fly at things in the air.

If you are using one for HD, none of the fancy stuff is going to help you one bit (a flashlight will do you good). If you did end up having to use it, a "working man's gun" looks a whole lot better in court than a dolled up black boomstick. As a part of my CCW class we had an hour to ask the best SD lawyer in the area any questions we wanted. I asked him what to keep under the bed and his response was: "An 870 shotgun with wood and nothing else on it". He said people get themselves into a lot of trouble by going way overboard on SD stuff.

Having said all this, I can say that the guts are all the same on those guns you listed and either of them will be mighty fine. I have shot thousands of rounds through my 870 and it is still going strong. I look forward to passing it on to my kids someday.
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Exactly. ;)

The more dolled up the weapon is the worse it is for you....

They can make the case that you were looking for trouble and an excuse to use that fancy gun to kill someone with. As the Prosecutor points out (Insert Action Movie or TV show here) and your Gun looks just like it. The fact you just killed someone you really won't have a leg to stand on and they can say whatever they want.

Plain Jane Shotgun or a simple Double Barrel for Home Defence.

It does look better if you ever have to goto trial.
 
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They let you have those in Jersey? I thought you guys were like the European union?:confused: Oh and get a Benelli!
 
Ankerson said:
Exactly. ;)

The more dolled up the weapon is the worse it is for you....

They can make the case that you were looking for trouble and an excuse to use that fancy gun to kill someone with. As the Prosecutor points out (Insert Action Movie or TV show here) and your Gun looks just like it. The fact you just killed someone you really won't have a leg to stand on and they can say whatever they want.

Plain Jane Shotgun or a simple Double Barrel for Home Defence.

It does look better if you ever have to goto trial.
Click to expand...

It never ends. I recall a counter argument to the "plain gun" theory went something like: "Why do you keep a SPECIAL gun for murder ?"
 
shunsui said:
It never ends. I recall a counter argument to the "plain gun" theory went something like: "Why do you keep a SPECIAL gun for murder ?"
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I heard that too before....

It's called a Hunting Gun or the Shotgun that you hunt with. ;)

It's much easier to defend a normal Shotgun in court than the other ones.

It's how the Jury sees it.... ;)
 
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