"Improving" my 870

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parrothead2581

New member
I've got an 870 Express, short bbl model. Is there anything realatively simple I can do to make it that much more on par with the 870 Police models? I'm not talking about accessories, but rather fit, finish, polishing, etc.

Is there any reason I can't use some Flitz polish on the exterior of this gun? It's matte black.

Finally, I need to order a new couple for the magazine extension. The Remington parts list, shows the mag extension part as being "matte blue". If I look at the LE parts list, the same part, with the same part number, is listed as matte black.Can non LE's purchase items from the LE parts list?

Thanks! :)
 
The Express finish is standard bluing over a bead blasted finish.
Polishing the exterior finish will quickly degrade it since the abrasives will thin the bluing.

The best way to "polish" the action of the gun is to SHOOT the gun.
A few hundred rounds will make a world of difference in the smoothness of the gun, but since it happens over time, you may not notice it, unless you compare it to a new gun.

As far as I know, the Express Synthetic magazine extension has the same bead blasted blue finish the gun does. This looks like a matte black in appearance.

The Police model has a satin black finish I "think" is a sulfate finish. This has a smoother surface than the Express finish.

As for buying an LE extension, ask Remington. Their web site has an excellent question system.
However, since there will be little difference in appearance between an Express and Police coupling due to the size and grooves, I'd just buy the Express.

Gun Parts Corporation has Police magazine couplings in both the Police Matte "blue" and in Parkerized.
http://www.e-gunparts.com/productschem.asp?chrMasterModel=0860z870

Again, the "blue" is more a smooth satin black.
 
The smoother 870s here have 10-20K rounds through them. Work polishing with elbow grease does wonders.

The least smooth is an Express 20 gauge YE. It has the least rounds through it. It's smoother than it was when new and suffers only by comparison to my well used WMs.

You have a good shotgun, BA/UU/R until it feels like a body part.....
 
Thanks Dfaris. I'll ask Remington that either via e-mail or give them a call on Monday.

I checked their parts list online, and curiously, it lists the magazine ext tube coupling for the Express model as a "blue matte finish", while the police model is listed as a matte black. Why do I think this is curious? Well, they are both the same part number, 99833 and the same price of $13.50. To be fair, the LE parts list is from 2005, while the standard Express is 2006. I'll use Remingtons online question system and hope they can provide an answer as to the difference in finishes listed.

Unfortunately, I don't have a chance to shoot it often. :( Only 50 rounds or so since I purchased it late summer/early fall of 2005. Anything I could due to improve it, short of shooting it (which is what I want to do) would be great. Would dry firing or even using snap caps and cycling improve it in leu of firing rounds, at least to an extent?

Thanks again :)
 
I believe the Express has a dimple on the magazine so that an after market mag cannot be added. However the dimples can be ground or filed off with no ill effect. There might be videos or tutorials online. And I'd go with a Wilson mag extension, they are made with thicker wall tubing.
 
'75Scout,
I actually got the Express model that already came with the magazine extension, so, thankfully I, don't need to worry about those annoying dimples. The reason I am looking at getting a new extension tube and coupler is because, while disassembling it for the first time, they both were scratched up a bit. No mortal human could have put that extension and coupler on there. It was tight. I used a wrench, wrapped in a cloth (I don't have any coated ones yet), and it still got scratched. The coupler got the most damage.

I am relatively certain I will get an 870P Synthetic, with the 18" barrel, speedfeed stock and forend, tritium rifle sights and parkerized finish. It doesn't come with a mag extension, and the Wilson Combat one you mentioned is parkerized I believe, so that should be an excellent match.

Thank you again for the tip. :)
 
The best accessory for the 870 is training...no amount of accessorizing will make up for a trained operator with the right skills, knowledge and attitude.
 
A stock 870 right out of the box is an awesome close range weapon. Learn to use it before adding stuff.

Once you've a few thousand rounds behind you, you'll have a better idea of what you need, if anything....
 
Off Topic...Recoil Reducing Stock?

I guess I am sucking upto Knoxx Ind. lately, because everytime I see a post about improving an 870 I rant and rave about how much I love my Knoxx SpecOps recoil reducing stock. I have it on my 12ga 870, and even when shooting slug there is very little felt recoil (no pain). It is a night and day difference. So much so that my 90lbs. girlfriend can shoot it. Her only complaint now, is how heavy the gun is. Recoil is no longer an issue. Visit www.knoxx.com for more info...and if Knoxx reads this and all my other glowing posts, I accept bribes in the form of free products ;) Shameless, I know...but check this product out...you'll love it!
 
Not that practice isn't necessary, but either the Compstock or SpecOps Stock will greatly aid in your training. I didn't want to shoot my 870 very much until after I added my Compstock. Now I love practicing and don't get to do it as much as I want to. I have added confidence and my followup shots are much faster.
 
;) Thanks for the stock recommendations, however, that's not really the "improvements" I was thinking of. Shooting 00 buck from the standard synthetic stock is comfortable to me. I only don't get to shoot it very much because of the distance to the closest outdoor range. With gas prices+membership fee, it's just not worth it right now. besides, I'll get just a little bit of shotgun training in police academy. I will keep the Knoxx in mind for down the line however...
 
I have not shot a knoxx-equipped 870 but, in my opinion, if you are putting a recoil reducing stock on your gun because it hurts to shoot, you are covering up some other problem. In my limited experience, a shotgun that fits does not hurt to shoot, regardless of ammo.
A good percentage of the guys I see at the SC range are shooting double barrels with almost no recoil pad at all and these guys are shooting thousands of rounds per year. Their guns fit.
YMMV,
Mike
 
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