All new 870 barrels threaded for choke tubes?

M

MacII

Inactive
I'm finally in the market for a shotgun, specifically turkey gun. I've shot 870's - my grandad's late 60's(?) vintage 12ga with fixed choke and a much newer 20ga Wingmaster, a Mossberg, and once got my hands on a friend's Model 37 for some clays. Maybe because the 870 12ga was the first that I ever shot as a kid but it was my favorite of the bunch. It was as smooth as the Wingmaster, but that was after almost 20 yrs of use (and now it's my damn cousin's. No, I'm not bitter...). The Ithaca was incredibly nice too. I wasn't too impressed with the 500, no offense to the fans, but it felt loose and I just didn't like the synthetic stock.

I loved the Wingmaster, but it's too shiny for me. It looks like something I'd hang on the wall. I'd be too upset to get a scratch on it. Same for the Ithaca with the fancy engraving. A nice inexpensive 870 Express that can take a lickin' in the woods is perfect for me. I baby my guns once home, but in the field they can get a bit worked. For the price on an 870 Express, I feel like you can't go wrong.

OK, finally to my question, do all of the new 870 Express models come with threaded barrels for screw-in chokes? I want a plain ol' Express with a laminated stock that I can carelessly scuff and 26" barrel (a compromise in case I feel like going after fowl/upland birds), but definitely want a tighter choke than the Modified Rem choke for the mostly turkey hunting that I'd like to do.

I don't suppose that older fixed choke 870's like my cousin's will accept a new threaded barrel, will they?
 
Greetings MacII and welcome aboard

Sure, an old 12-ga 870 Wingmaster or Express will take a new barrel. The difference between the Wingmaster and Express barrels is in the finish level not the dimensions. There's some question when it comes to 20-ga interchangeability with Remingtons but I can't remember if it was with the 870s and/or the 1100s. They made two different size 20-ga receivers and, obviously, the barrels for one won't fit the other.
 
swinokur,
Yours "didn't" what? Let's not confuse the newby. Stu, are you saying your older 870 didn't accept a newer Rem-choke barrel, or the old fixed-choke barrel won't accept a screw-in choke?
 
Most Remington Express models come with a threaded barrel and a Modified choke tube. HD models come with a fixed cylinder and the turkey models usually have a turkey choke.

Within a given gauge, 870 barrels will interchange. You might run into a minor issue of how the end cap is prevented from loosening accidentally. Some use a ball detent and others use an internal ratchet. In either case you can just tighten the end cap enough to keep it on.
 
MAC, for the price of a new Remington threaded barrel and a turkey choke, you could have your very own 870 express and not have to suck up to your cousin:D
 
Yours "didn't" what? Let's not confuse the newby. Stu, are you saying your older 870 didn't accept a newer Rem-choke barrel, or the old fixed-choke barrel won't accept a screw-in choke?
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Sorry for the confusion. My 870 HD barrel was not threaded. I didn't buy it for anything except HD so a choke wasn't needed.
 
MAC, for the price of a new Remington threaded barrel and a turkey choke, you could have your very own 870 express and not have to suck up to your cousin
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That's my plan. I wasn't entirely sure if a new 870 Express took choke tubes or if it was fixed choke. Since it sounds like they take choke tubes, I'll probably pick up a new 870 Express and a tight choke.

If it was a fixed choke, I'd have looked for an older used gun, replaced the barrel and then get a turkey choke, given that so many people seem to complain about the newer models being of a lower quality.

It's kinda sad that another classic American company is stuck sacrificing quality for price, but that's a whole different thread.

Thanks all for the replies. Hopefully, I'll be ready for those spring birds!
 
It's kinda sad that another classic American company is stuck sacrificing quality for price, but that's a whole different thread.
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If you want old school polished blued steel and walnut, you can still get it in the 870 Wingmaster. It just costs $750.

If you want a $300 870, you'll have to buy an Express and accept some compromises in finish and materials.
 
a 3" 870 wingmaster barrel will fit on an express, A 3" express barrel MIGHT fit a wingmaster but you will need to deal with the cap detent ball/spring issue in both cases. The magazine end plugs are completely different express to wingmaster. The express barrel has a thicker profile so will not clear on some wingmasters.
 
My 870 Wingmaster

(with beautiful wood and deep, polished blue steel) was purchased (by me) at a K Mart in 1973 for $89.95 :D.

It had a fixed choke (modified) 28 inch barrel w/o a vent rib.

I bought a Hastings aftermarket 26 inch barrel with vent rib and Remchoke, about 1990. Finish on this barrel was more like the finish on an Express 870. This barrel had a 3 inch chamber, but my 1973 vintage action was for 2 3/4 inch shells. This barrel was completely compatible with the 1973 action, and I "Lived Happily Ever After".:D
 
It may have changed, but if you ordered an Express barrel from Remington a year ago you could get it with the ball detent if you paid $25 extra. I got a used one that didn't have the ball detent, but it was drilled for the detent and spring. Parts and a staking tool would run me just about $25. Chepo me. Since I didn't have a magasine with the spring and internal ratchet (and the magaxine dimples, I got some 1100 wave washers from Brownells to prevent the magazine cap from backing off.
 
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