Remington 870 magazine tube

[Georgian]

Hey yall. My Remington 870 is about 25 to 30 years old, and as such shows considerable wear on the finish of the magazine tube from the slide being racked many thousands of times. When disassembled, I notice that the Remington 870's mag tube is permanently attached to the receiver (whereas a Mossberg's is screwed in). Ever since noticing this, I also noticed how thin the mag tube appeared, and how fragile it looked. What I am wondering is how much stress the mag tube on of the 870 could take before failing or causing the weapon to fail? I just want some facts and good information to shed some light and to disperse my doubts about the longevity of the magazine tube of the 870. Any replies would be greatly appreciated!

 

[HottAK47]

In half a centruy of 870 use I have never seen one put out of action by a dented magazione tube, its pretty much protected by the forearm and opperating bars unless the breech is open.
The reason the Mossberg is thicker is because its cheaper steel, there are a lot of things I'd worry about before I'd worry about a damaged mag tube.

 

[drail]

The only 870 mag tube damage I have seen was always when someone had installed an extension and did not install a clamp between the bbl. and the tube.

 

[sirsloop]

Even if you managed to destroy an 870, you could simply buy a new one for 300 bucks and bolt on all of your barrels I love owning an 870.