870 Express Action

F

fsfty

New member
I just purchased a Remington 870 Express, and am taking it to the range to shoot it for the first time tomorrow :D. I have, however, already cycled some rounds and compared to my other shotgun (Benelli Supernova), it seems you have to be a little more deliberate when racking the slide expel the shell and chamber the next round. The action itself is smooth, but it seems like it would be a little easier to "short-stroke" the remington compared to the Benelli. Have you guys found this to be common with the Remington?
 
I have never had a problem with mine. I am pretty fast with the pump and never had any with short stroking it. My opinion is that it is a shotgun and there is no need to baby it. Treat it as the dirty little girl it is and don't baby it when you cycle the thing. It will handle what ever you throw at it
 
I know exactly what you mean, as I have both. It does seem like you do need to be a lot more deliberate with the action. My nova pumps so smooth it does most of the work for you, if you hold it straight up and drop the action, it'll almost eject the shell on its own! So in that sense I'd say we might be a little spoiled. ;) But that remi is a tank in its own right. I use it for everything from a dedicated slug gun to a dedicated zombie slayer. The nelli is just so big about the only thing I use it for now is turkey hunting.
 
"The nelli is just so big about the only thing I use it for now is turkey hunting."

This is why I bought the 870...much more compact. Thanks for confirming that there is nothing wrong with the gun...just have to get used to the different action. Thanks again!
 
I like my 870, but I've found that I DO short stroke it if I'm under stress, which is either shooting for speed (3 gun, etc) or duck hunting. I've never had a problem shooting clays or dove hunting. It has only gotten worse with time, and is to a point now that I have a real problem with it. It's just something that I've gotta work through.
 
From what many have reported, I wonder if your's feels tight because it indeeed is tight. Many report that the chamber of a new Express, as opposed to the more expensive Wingmaster, needs to be smoothed or polished. If not, some of the cheaper hulls, especially the steel based ones from WalMart, have been known to jam. I had one stick one time so bad that I had to place the but on the ground and yank the rack hard with two hands.

Actually, my new barrel never jammed, but I polished it before shooting. That happened with a used barrel I just got from back east and it may have had some crud in it or even (cover the children's ears) light rust.

The problem with new Express models is reportedly worse if shot right out of the box without cleaning the preservatives applied at the factory.

I used the wood dowel and steel wool techinique on mine. http://www.aiptactical.com/Page_2.html

Yes, I know that a new gun shouldn't need have this extraction issue, but if your gun is tight AI&P's solution works. That or many report that it losens up with use.

As for short stroking, be rough with the 870 until it is broken in. I believe JD at AI&P Tactical also recommends a drop or two of RemOil where the action bars enter the receiver while breaking in the 870 Express.

Good luck.
 
"I had one stick one time so bad that I had to place the but on the ground and yank the rack hard with two hands."

Its no where near that tight...just not as "glassy" as the Benelli. Hopefully with rounds through it and some time, it will loosen up a little...thanks.
 
It will loosen and I even fell silly telling you anything about guns. I am the novice that just so happened to have gone down this road with the 870 I got New Years Eve.
 
I did forget to mention that my 870 "waly" special works great NOW. But it did lock up on me a number of times right out of the box. I was able to break it loose just by working it for a minute, but it was extremely aggravating in the middle of a clay busting session! I just took it down fully n cleaned it a few times and kept on pounding on her, and the problem went away.
 
The 870 express is a fine pump for the money however, they are not as smooth as a wingmaster that has been smoothed and finished from the factory. If you really want a smooth cycling shooter find one from about 20 years ago that has been used but not abused, you can tell when you hold the gun with the muzzle pointing up and drop the hammer on an empty chamber it will open by itself -- them are some quick pumpin shooters!!
 
I will tell you with a lot of experience under my belt using 870 Expresses that it takes a minimum of one hard duck season to get them working smoothly. They are just not as smoothly finished as a Wingmaster, Ithaca or BPS.

You may also find the hulls will swell on the 3.5" 870 Express models preventing you from jacking the empty out, if this happens, don't panic. The hull will reduce in size as it cools and then you can jack the empty out. After a duck season or two, it will loosen up.

In other words, you need to shoot the dickens out of an 870 Express to smooth it up. I choose this over using a dremel or other abrasive method. I would rather the working parts seat in and mate than to take too much off. You do get what you pay for.
 
There's only one Express here, a 20 with maybe 1500 rounds behind it. Slicking up nicely. IMO, Expresses take a little longer to smooth up than WMs,but they will slick up. Especially if one follows the manual and gets all the preservatives out and replaced with a good lube.

While I love 870s, especially older WMs, there are slicker pumps. The 12, the 37 and even the 1200-1300 are a touch slicker. However, a well loved 870 will be slicker than a NIB version of the others.

There's two ways to smooth up an 870.

1, run a couple thousand shells through it.

2,after ensuring it is empty, shuck it while holding down the slide release a hundred times or two. Then disassemble. Use a hard Arkansas stone, crockstick or similar to polish out the wear spots you see. Then, stone down the flashing from the stamping process and radius the edges of the action bars just a little.

Use a yard stick or other straightedge to make sure the action bars are straight AND parallel, then lube and reassemble.

Finish up by running a couple thousand shells through it.

As mentioned, a drop of oil on each action bar before shooting also helps.
 
If I'm going to buy an 870...and I do add to the pile from time-to-time...I always buy a Wingmaster. There are plenty of good used WMs out there for +/- $200 - $400, and I'd much rather have one of them than an Express.
 
I went to the range and had zero issues with short-stroking/chambering/ejection. I worked the action last night about 100 times and oiled it up pretty good. Very happy with the gun...:)
 
There's two ways to smooth up an 870.

1, run a couple thousand shells through it.

2,after ensuring it is empty, shuck it while holding down the slide release a hundred times or two. Then disassemble. Use a hard Arkansas stone, crockstick or similar to polish out the wear spots you see. Then, stone down the flashing from the stamping process and radius the edges of the action bars just a little.

Use a yard stick or other straightedge to make sure the action bars are straight AND parallel, then lube and reassemble.

Finish up by running a couple thousand shells through it.
Click to expand...

OK, so let's see.

1. Either run a couple thousand shells thru it to smooth it up.

2. Or, shuck the slide 200 times, polish and radius and then run a couple thousand shells thru it.

Sounds like option 1 would be a time saver.:p

OK, just kidding around.:D

My hunting 870's have all loosened up after use. All Wingmasters.

My Scattergun Tech is Express Mag. and it came from Wilsons' with as slick and smooth a slide as you'd ever see----or want.

They also converted a Wingmaster to the Border Patrol version and it came back smooth as it needs to be. But not like the one above.

Fsfty, not trying to seal your thread, but I think this discussion might be of benefit to all of us who own various 870 versions.


Dave, what do you think about the MIM extractor vs. forged steel?

Both my 870's came back from Scattergun Tech with MIM extractors. I developed extraction problems with the Border Patrol (Wingmaster) and solved it by changing to a Remington steel extractor. Examination of the MIM extr. showed no problem that I could see. I'm thinking of changing out the other one, also.:cool:
 
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First,not many pumpguns of any kind have been damaged by racking them hard and certainly no 870s.

Rack them like you mean it. And go ahead, wear one out.

I double dog dare ya...

Re extractors, I have little input. None of mine have given me any hint of trouble. Back when 32 870s were part of my area of responsibility, an occasional 870 would require cleaning crud from the plunger channel and a relube.

I note the 20 gauge Express has a bit less "Hook" on the extractor than those on the WMs. I don't know whether that's typical. All work 100%.

IMO, MIM vs forged is a non issue.....
 
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