Items to inspect before purchasing a used 870P

[NM9657]

Hello:
I am considering a purchase of a used 870P. It has a wood stock and fore end. The stock has a big gouge by the sling swivel. I am wondering what other potential damage to look for in the action and Barrel. Thanks.

[Synchronizor]

The barrel should be pretty self-explanatory. Look for bulging or pitting in the bore; damage to the sights, muzzle, and choke (if it has one); and excessive wear in the chamber and locking notch. Dings, dents, and other cosmetic damage in the furniture shouldn't be a problem as long as they're still structurally sound.

In the breech bolt assembly, inspect the condition of the locking block, extractor, extractor spring, firing pin, and firing pin retractor spring. In the trigger plate assembly, make sure the carrier dog, hammer, carrier, and sear are all in good working condition and operating properly. Also look at the ejector and ejector spring inside the receiver, check the shell latch alignment and staking, and inspect the action bars for excessive wear or chipping.

If this is an older 870, you should also see if it has new-style flex-tab components, and check between the stock and receiver for a bearing plate. You'll probably want to have both updates if this is going to be a defensive shotgun.

It shouldn't be a deal-breaker if some small parts or springs need to be replaced or updated, just add the cost of any required replacement parts to the purchase price of the gun.

[NM9657]

Thank you much.

[Vitaly]

Get several dummy rounds and use them to test all functions of a shotgun: load magazine tube to full capacity, chamber a round, reload shotgun several times, test everything you can.

[shootall]

Make sure gun is unloaded , pull back on the forearm and dry fire . forearm should not move until you push it forward a little then back. Put gun on safe and try to dry fire a fix for either one of these faults can be costly. Look at the bolt face for excessive wear. If you can remove the trigger assy and check hammer for wear. Either will tell of a lot of use. I once got an 870 from a police supply the hammer looked like a well used chisel with a mushroomed end.

[Synchronizor]

Make sure gun is unloaded , pull back on the forearm and dry fire . forearm should not move until you push it forward a little then back.

An 870 shouldn't do that, the hammer spring snaps the action bar lock down the instant the hammer falls. If you apply a lot of rearward force to the fore-end (and I mean a lot), you might be able to keep the action bar lock engaged through friction, but it'll still disengage the instant you let up, no forward travel should be required.

[shootall]

I have to disagree as it is a built in safety . Check it out.

[Synchronizor]

I did check it out. The 870's action is designed to unlock as soon as the gun is fired, Remington has stated this themselves. If you don't believe that, just look at the lock's mechanism. The action bar lock has a tab that sits right over the hammer plunger; as soon as the hammer falls and lets the plunger up, it snaps the action bar lock down and disengages it from the action bar. I can pull back on my 870's fore-end, pull the trigger, and the action falls right open. This is a common technique for rapid-firing an 870.

If your 870 isn't unlocking properly, it's not a safety feature. There might be something wrong with your action bar lock, or perhaps your hammer spring is worn.

[Doc. Caliban]

I can pull back on my 870's fore-end, pull the trigger, and the action falls right open. This is a common technique for rapid-firing an 870.

That is correct. Common thing for people new to pump guns to do is to pause between the shot and cycling the action for the followup shot(s). Better to keep a little rearward tension on the slide and use the recoil to assist in cycling the action the moment the action unlocks (by design on the 870). Some train differently, such as Magpul's training videos, but I think that's not nearly as common of a technique.

If you pull back hard enough when you dry fire, it may not unlock until you let up the pressure a tad, but you certainly don't have to push forward to get it to unlock. Live fire does not have that issue ... it just unlocks.

-Doc