• Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Register for our forum. Even if you don't want to post, you can still 'Like' and react to posts.

Are the modern 870's junk?


Dirtman

Former Middleweight Moss Fighting Champion
Joined
May 28, 2018
Messages
19,304
Reaction score
13,326
Points
113
Location
41N 75W
Vehicle Year
2009
Engine Type
2.3 (4 Cylinder)
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Total Lift
It's up there.
Total Drop
It's down there.
Tire Size
Round.
My credo
I poop in the furnace.
In my thread about henry rifles it was brought up how marlin rifles went to crap when they were bought out. Well Remington is owned by the same people now so anyone know how the quality of their shotguns is anymore? I have a fairly old 870 which is indestructable. I wanted to get a new one to build into a tactical defense toy but now I'm curious if a new one will be as reliable.
 


PetroleumJunkie412

Official TRS EV Taunter
Supporting Member
TRS 20th Anniversary
TRS Event Participant
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Messages
7,826
Reaction score
6,565
Points
113
Location
Dirtman's Basement
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ranger
Engine Size
2.9l Trinity
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
My credo
Give 'yer balls a tug. Fight me.
In my thread about henry rifles it was brought up how marlin rifles went to crap when they were bought out. Well Remington is owned by the same people now so anyone know how the quality of their shotguns is anymore? I have a fairly old 870 which is indestructable. I wanted to get a new one to build into a tactical defense toy but now I'm curious if a new one will be as reliable.
I made the switch from Remington to mossberg.

Look up black aces tactical if you are looking for an "Oh shit" gun.

I went with their setup on my mossberg shockwave.

Couldn't be happier.
 

Dirtman

Former Middleweight Moss Fighting Champion
Joined
May 28, 2018
Messages
19,304
Reaction score
13,326
Points
113
Location
41N 75W
Vehicle Year
2009
Engine Type
2.3 (4 Cylinder)
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Total Lift
It's up there.
Total Drop
It's down there.
Tire Size
Round.
My credo
I poop in the furnace.
They have some cool looking guns. But I wanna build it myself off a basic 870. I've had bad experiences with the mossberg 500's. Never had an actual problem with one but they just seem sloppier than the 870. (Well the old ones anyway). Both seem just as reliable but the Remington seems smoother and tighter.
 

sgtsandman

Aircraft Fuel Tank Diver
TRS Forum Moderator
U.S. Military - Active
TRS 20th Anniversary
TRS Event Participant
Ham Radio Operator
GMRS Radio License
Joined
Mar 11, 2017
Messages
12,695
Reaction score
12,381
Points
113
Location
Aliquippa, PA
Vehicle Year
2011/2019
Make / Model
Ranger XLT/FX4
Engine Size
4.0 SOHC/2.3 Ecoboost
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
Pre-2008 lift/Stock
Tire Size
31X10.5R15/265/65R17
From what I’ve seen, the new 870s aren’t junk. They do need a lot of break in though unless you know where to smooth and polish to speed up the process (I don’t). Sign up for some turkey shoots or something that doesn’t require speed shots and give the action a good work out for a good number of months. Hell, while there, let people borrow it to speed up the process.

The Mossberg recommendation isn’t off base either. They have gotten a lot better over the years. The same with the Maverick88.

You really can’t go wrong with either now days.
 

Bird76Mojo

Well-Known Member
V8 Engine Swap
Joined
Jun 28, 2009
Messages
2,633
Reaction score
1,264
Points
113
Location
IL
Engine Type
V8
The modern 870's don't hold a candle to the old ones. I traded a Taurus Judge that I hated for a Remington 870 Tactical II with folding stock. The stock beat the shit out of you, so I swapped it out for a nice Magpul buttstock, which I love. Completely changes the gun.. The adjustable length of pull is a nice feature too.

Then I noticed all of the drilled and tapped holes on top of the receiver were off. They're in a straight line, but that line isn't in-line with the barrel. So mounting a rail using those screw holes to mount an optic would be useless..


Same model I traded for:



Mine is black, but this shows the stock well, with the factory (forearm) pump handle, as mine is configured..



I still prefer my Vepr12.



:)
 

85_Ranger4x4

Forum Staff Member
TRS Event Staff
TRS Forum Moderator
Article Contributor
V8 Engine Swap
OTOTM Winner
TRS Banner 2010-2011
TRS 20th Anniversary
VAGABOND
TRS Event Participant
Joined
Aug 7, 2007
Messages
32,192
Reaction score
17,489
Points
113
Location
SW Iowa
Vehicle Year
1985
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
5.0
Transmission
Manual
Most of Remington's line up is tailored towards mass production... which the design of the Marlin is not. 870/700 etc is easy, slap it together and put it in a box.

I think a lot of Remington's problems with Marlin was firing all the Marlin staff and then trying to automate mass production of an 1800's design that was designed to be hand fitted during final assembly. For added entertainment they used people that had never built them before... and I think they made them wear oven mitts while they put them together in a dark room too.
 

sgtsandman

Aircraft Fuel Tank Diver
TRS Forum Moderator
U.S. Military - Active
TRS 20th Anniversary
TRS Event Participant
Ham Radio Operator
GMRS Radio License
Joined
Mar 11, 2017
Messages
12,695
Reaction score
12,381
Points
113
Location
Aliquippa, PA
Vehicle Year
2011/2019
Make / Model
Ranger XLT/FX4
Engine Size
4.0 SOHC/2.3 Ecoboost
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
Pre-2008 lift/Stock
Tire Size
31X10.5R15/265/65R17
I think they moved the tooling out of state to another factory as well and lost a lot of the experienced employees that way too. Not totally sure on that one but I do think that is part of how the story goes with Marlin.
 

Biggfoot44

Active Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2019
Messages
110
Reaction score
42
Points
28
Location
USA
Vehicle Year
1994
Make / Model
Ranger 2wd
Transmission
Automatic
Short Answer - Current 870s aren't junk .

Long Answer - In recent decades , the Rem 870 and Moss 500 ( & related families of 590, 535, 835 ) have been competing for market share . The 870 Express is the value priced product sub line . Plainer finishes , a few synthetic internal parts .

Hard core Remington cork sniffers will extol older Wingmasters . ( Yes, I like mine .) Modern purists will point with glee to the Police Magnum . But 99 % of users will be perfectly satisfied with an Express .

Likewise , the Mossberg is perfectly satisfactory , and the prices of upscale Mossys and basic Express will overlap .

The two potentially deciding differences : Moss has tang safety , left handed friendly , and many righties prefer them also .
The Moss weighs less . This isn't automatically advantage or disadvantage , just different .
 

Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Staff online

Member & Vendor Upgrades

For a small yearly donation, you can support this forum and receive a 'Supporting Member' banner, or become a 'Supporting Vendor' and promote your products here. Click the banner to find out how.

Truck of The Month


Kirby N.
March Truck of The Month

Recently Featured

Want to see your truck here? Share your photos and details in the forum.

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Events

25th Anniversary Sponsors

Check Out The TRS Store


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad


Amazon Deals

Top