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Remington 870

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  • mchinea74

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    Sep 10, 2021
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    I’ve gotten countless suggestions for a beginner level shotgun, and this one seems to be the most prevalent. Thoughts?
    DK Firearms
     

    robertc1024

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    I have an older one that is great, but they've gotten a lot of bad comments on here about their quality for the last several years. Mossberg 500 is probably another contender.
     

    Fishkiller

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    Beginner level for what and for who? More information needed before advice can be given. Is it for a small child? A grown man for serf defense? Hunting Birds? Sporting Clays? Etc.
     

    SQLGeek

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    A grown man for serf defense?

    If you piss enough serfs off as a lord, a shotgun isn't going to matter. ;)

    More context is needed as to what would be appropriate. I'm a fan of my Mossberg 500, mainly because I like the tang safety. The drawback is it is harder to upgrade the magazine tube size. A Mossberg 590 or Remington 870 are better in that respect.
     

    Ozzman

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    To the OP, yes the Remington 870 is a great shotgun for both seasoned shooters and beginners.

    As robertc1024 above mentioned, a handful of newer Express models from 2009 through 2020 (based on internet chatter) have had quality control and cosmetic issues... but they are far from junk. The 870 platform is a good all-around pump shotgun for hunting, sporting clays, and home defense. The gun will live much longer than you, and it will WORK as intended when you need it to. Parts are very abundant, fairly priced, and the action easy to maintain/keep clean. New or used, you should be fine picking one of these up.

    NOTE:
    If budget is a driving force here, have you thought about looking into a Mossberg 500 or Maverick 88? These are arguably equal in performance and easy on the price tag.

    Above all, avoid the Chinese shotguns.
     

    mchinea74

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    If you piss enough serfs off as a lord, a shotgun isn't going to matter. ;)

    More context is needed as to what would be appropriate. I'm a fan of my Mossberg 500, mainly because I like the tang safety. The drawback is it is harder to upgrade the magazine tube size. A Mossberg 590 or Remington 870 are better in that respect.
    Self-Defense, but I’d be interested in getting into bird hunting.
     

    mchinea74

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    Sep 10, 2021
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    Lubbock
    To the OP, yes the Remington 870 is a great shotgun for both seasoned shooters and beginners.

    As robertc1024 above mentioned, a handful of newer Express models from 2009 through 2020 (based on internet chatter) have had quality control and cosmetic issues... but they are far from junk. The 870 platform is a good all-around pump shotgun for hunting, sporting clays, and home defense. The gun will live much longer than you, and it will WORK as intended when you need it to. Parts are very abundant, fairly priced, and the action easy to maintain/keep clean. New or used, you should be fine picking one of these up.

    NOTE:
    If budget is a driving force here, have you thought about looking into a Mossberg 500 or Maverick 88? These are arguably equal in performance and easy on the price tag.

    Above all, avoid the Chinese shotguns.
    Hahaha al great advice. Thank you.
     

    Grumps21

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    This is like a Ford vs Chevy discussion. The Remy and Mossy are both solid choices and you can’t go wrong with either. I had the Mossberg and it ran just fine without issue but sold it earlier this year because I just wasn’t using it. No particular reason for buying the Mossy over the Remy other than t was on sale at the time. As someone else mentioned, Remington has had Quality issues in the past but I’ve had no experience with them myself...
     

    Royalecheese

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    I have an 870 Wingmaster, which was my very first gun at 11 or so, and I love it. As others have mentioned there have been some issues, but there's a good reason there have been 10+ million sold.

    Remington (RemArms now) is manufacturing them again in a large variety of styles, but you may want to wait a bit on a newer model. When they first started cranking them out again a few months back they were using leftover parts from the prior iteration of Remington. They were shipping them out to dealers and stores and they were poorly put together. RemArms says they have their act together now, but if you do get one new I think you should probably break the whole thing down in the store to check it over before walking out of the store.

    RemArms site:

     

    45tex

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    The only people having trouble with the 870 express is internet people. That's because the guns rust in their parents basement and are never shot
     

    Texasjack

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    Both the 870 and the Mossberg are solid shotguns that, with just minimum care, should last a lifetime.

    Personally, I think a pump shotgun is the very best way to go. They are super reliable, they don't take much maintenance, and they shoot everything. With the choke tubes, it can be modified to do a variety of hunting, as well as being a superb choice for self defense.

    Don't let anyone talk you into buying one of the Chinese knockoffs that have hit the market. There are plenty of videos showing just how bad they are, despite being close copies of major brands.
     

    Ozzman

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    Avoid the chinese
    Oh. I see.

    What I mean by that is that H&R Pardner makes an 870 clone... It's cheaper, looks similar but CAVEAT EMPTOR you get what you pay for.

    Picked one up in 2010 for $80 at a gun show and honestly, I want that money back. I ran it normally at the range a few times but soon after welds split, and the pot-metal forearm bars broke with #8 Wallyworld Federal birdshot. Avoid the Chinese knockoffs like the plague.
     

    Glenn B

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    Sep 5, 2019
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    Beginner level for what and for who? More information needed before advice can be given. Is it for a small child? A grown man for serf defense? Hunting Birds? Sporting Clays? Etc.
    Let's see: Without any more iunformation from the OP I can say this about a Remington 870: The Remington 870, in 12 gauge - with appropriate barrel(s) and shells - is excellent for self/home defense, big game hunting up to at least black bear, upland bird hunting, waterfowl hunting, small game like rabbit & squirrel and anything between them and big game up to at least black bear. As for the size of the shooter, it is good for any gown man or woman who is big enough to shoulder it properly and then there is the 870 youth model in 20 gauge for the younger or somewhat smaller folks. I'd not recommend allowing a "small child" to shoot either a 12 gauge or a 20 gauge because small enough children are not sufficiently in bone structure (some bones still forming in young small children) to deal with the recoil of either. Of course some may boast how they started there 6 year old off with a shotgun to no ill effects but time will tell when they hit their 40s or 50s as to how much damage was done if Arthur I. Tis becomes overly friendly with them around those years and much less time may be needed to discover the child has bone/joint damage due to the recoil. The 870 is also good for sporting clays, trap and skeet; it's not fancy like some Beretta Over/Under shotguns but will get the job done. As for defense of serfs, not of lords or other royalty, I imagine it even would be a good weapon for the masses when fighting knights who say nee.

     
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