Remington 870 express upgrade?

C

colostomyclown

New member
Where I live 870p's are pretty tough to track down, and if you can find them, they're an arm and a leg. I've owned a black 7 shot 870 express before, liked it well enough, but didn't really pull it apart and mess with it any because I didn't know how at the time. My question is since I like the 870 express 7 shots layout the best because it's simple, mag tube's flush with barrel, plain bead sight and such, can I theoretically:

buy this gun, open it up, polish the bolt and chamber, have the gun blasted and duracoated in solid black, replace the mag spring with a Wolff version, replace the trigger assembly/guard with the metal variety, add a sidesaddle and call it a hell of a gun like one would an 870p?
 
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I want to know the same thing. I bought a Tactical 870 recently, only to find out that it is based on the express model, not the police/wingmaster. I'm debating trading it in for a police, but if I can modify it to be essentially the same then I would keep it. Whats the good word?
 
A mag spring is probably never a bad idea.

1 have come to really dislike sidesaddles due to various issues throughout the years (interference with the foreend or the innards of the action) and also found that I just generally don't like the extra weight. A butt cuff seems to make much less off a difference in the handling of the gun. That's what I will use in the future.

I doubt the average shooter will put enough rounds down range to have a problem with the express/tactical style 870.

YMMV
 
You can do all of the changes but the cost of having them done may be as much or more than getting the gun you want in the first place. There is nothing wrong with an express model, They are a little rough but are very serviceable. Some of the trap ranges where I have shot (in the local farm county) have lots of express 870s being used by the farm boys with lots of rounds being shot through them each year. If you want to build a gun I would start with a used 870 (as the finish and the inner parts would already be smooth) just my .02 worth. Good look with your project. Bill
 
I build, customize and run these guns in 3 Gun Matches, and I mean run them. The first thing you need to do is break them down and clean them. Lube them with quality products. I use TW25b grease on most of my guns with a few drops of oils. Cycle the action either by hand or by shooting, A LOT. The weak item on the Express is there MIM extractor, replace this with a tool steel extractor, used on the Wingmaster and Police models. This can be purchased from Brownells for about $15.00. Some complain about tight chambers, this is as much a problem with certain cheap ammo as it is with the chamber itself. Either buy different ammo or hone your chamber. I use a brake hone, rap it with very fine emery cloth and use oil, powered with a drill motor. These guns never wear out, they just break in.
 
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Putting in an aluminum trigger assembly, then replacing your current ejector spring to a magnum ejector spring will make your 870 express "almost like" a police model.
 
I a nut shell the answer is yes / no. Most of the LE parts to convert are listed below. However, this said THERE is no part # for the understanding and experience of the fitters along the LE assembly line at Remington. Nor do you have folks like Tommy Nagle a phone call away to help smooth out any kinks.

When my state agency switched to 870P magmuns, I was given the job of bringing 200 of these into service, a difficult task. What I found is that after a extensive Remington Armoror's school, help from the factory reps, and a understanding of "how it works" the Wingmaster 870 is one hell of a combat shotgun.

I still have a unfired 870P in the safe and recently I hauled it down to the shop to compare with some express HD guns that came in. After examining both side by side my original thoughts STILL stand, you get what you pay for and there is a difference in fit, finish and quality between the 870P and the 870 express regardless of what name Remington packages the Express by.

About 6 months ago I wrote in this forum abut the express and some things that could be done to enhance the Express as a "Fighting Scattergun". The gist is below, you can find the rest by doing a search of this forum.

Good Luck in your quest and Be Safe


Originally Posted by Scattergun Bob
Here you go. This is a list to upgrade express 870's, please read it carefully.

Hi Folks,

So from what I’ve read of your e-mails you would like fixes to some of the potential problems in the Remington 870 Express. First let me say that from the factory these guns work! It is only after tough use that some parts start to become suspect.

Extractor / Extractor spring (this is the most important part change) – as a cost saving measure Remington uses a slurry metal extractor in the express this P/N 93012, if my life depended on this gun I would replace this part with a Forged Extractor P/N 16176, might as well throw in a new extractor spring P/N 17433.
Now, let’s talk about when to do this. By opening the action half way it exposes the extractor to you scrutiny, feel and look at the edge closest to the firing pin. If it does not fell sharp or looks rounded change it right now, otherwise keep checking this surface regularly. Order the parts and when you are ready to change out extractors, drop me a line and I can shoot you exactly how to change out this part.


Carrier Dog Follower Spring – I have noticed in many early Express models a problem with the action hanging or stuttering on the closing stroke (fail to feed up), this is commonly caused by the shell carrier not traveling high enough into the receiver and the shell hanging up on the bottom of the chamber. It is a common occurrence and is usually fixed by replacing with P/N 16966 a heavier version of the follower spring, Do Not change if you are not experiencing this problem, it could create a new one.

Trigger pull / sear spring - I have noticed that the nice 3 ½ pound trigger on many 870 guns seems to get mushy after a lot of use, sear spring P/N 17518 returns the trigger to a crisp release. As of last year all sear springs are the same, good news from Remington!!!! However if you have an early model Express change this part.

Magazine spring - Many times our shotguns run sluggish for no good reason. Most of the time (besides keeping the gun clean), weak magazine springs are the bad guys. Please replace your Express 5 shot magazine springs with magazine spring, Police P/N 92447. This is a much better quality part. For those of you with 8 shot tubes, I really like the Scattergun Tech stuff now owned by Wilson Combat. They make a very good, very stiff magazine spring.

Well, that’s about it for now. In closing let me remind you that I am in the personal protection business and am addressing the Express as a defense weapon. If it is a hunting gun, we can be more forgiving of the above mentioned parts. Feel free to e-mail with any other problems with your 870’s I’ll try to help.
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Here is what I did with my Remington 870 HD with factory extended magazine and 18" barrel and factory synthetic furniture.

I purchased and installed a like-new Wingmaster aluminum trigger assembly to replace the Express plastic one (it is oh-so smooth), I removed the cheap plastic follower installed a Vang Comp stainless steel magazine follower, I removed the stupid 'J' lock safety and installed a Vang Comp aluminum large head safety, replaced the extractor, mounted a 4-round Side Saddle on the receiver and finally I polished the chamber (even though I wasn't having any sticking problems).

I couldn't be happier with the finished product. It is one sweet HD shotgun!
 
Hello!

I have recently bought a scattergun for HD use. My choice felt on a basic 870 Express with the Speedfeed II stock and short foreend. The barrel is a original 18" Cylinder bore matte. I have also ordered a heavy duty spring and follower from Scattergun Tech.
I am looking for good advices from you about my "HD kit". What should I do more on this scattergun? I have considered get a jumbo safety and 2 shot extension from Scattergun Tech. I know that Scattergun Bob,have talked about changing the extractor and more. Is this a "must" for a HD shotgun?
I hope that you can come with good advices for me!:)
Kind Regards!
 
The weak item on the Express is there MIM extractor
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The above is from a few posts above SGB's.

IMHO, MIM parts may be fine for trigger group bodies and the sort but don't feel them really suited for high energy usage like extractors or action components.
Brent
 
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