Found me a scatter gun

[City Rat]

Hi all,
Greetings from the east coast, MD/VA area to be precise. I read stories of guys finding classic weapons, in a barn, at a garage sale, yada yada yada. I always asked when will it ever be my turn. I was at the range on Saturday getting some range time on my rifles before my first hunt of the season when I happened by a very jumbled and sad looking rack of used long guns for sale. As it happened I was planning on going by the local Basspro shop after the range to check out some shotguns so I thought, what the hell let's see if the guys at the range have anything from my list in decent used condition. The only ones they had were three 870s in differing levels of abuse. I grabbed the that has clearly been worked hard, was priced very low and still cycled great. So now I have a new project gun 870 Express Super Magnum. From the chipped barrel paint and faded camo pattern on the stock and forend I think that it saw service as a waterfowl gun. My plan is to field strip it, clean and lube it then replace the stock and forend, extend the magazine, and drill and tap the receiver for a short rail with ghost ring sight. In addition to the paint chips off of the barrel, the vented rub shows early signs of flash rust in spots. To fix this I plan to have the metal media blasted and then cerakoted. Hopefully when I'm done I ought to have a pretty spiffy gun that will look nice and can take a few licks as I run it against turkey and yotes. AnywayI plan on asking lots of annoying newbie questions along the way and really look forward to getting your advicee and insights as I go through this process.

[Synchronizor]

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you found yourself a fun project. 870 SuperMags have some eccentricities, but they're solid guns that are just as flexible as standard 870s, and will take most of the same add-ons as well. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions, and if you really get into the project, pictures of the process are always nice to see.

[City Rat]

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you found yourself a fun project. 870 SuperMags have some eccentricities, but they're solid guns that are just as flexible as standard 870s, and will take most of the same add-ons as well. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions, and if you really get into the project, pictures of the process are always nice to see.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I just wanted to follow up on one of your points and as this gun came with no literature or pedigree from the factory, I'd be grateful if you could fill me in on any "eccentricities" of the Super Magnums". I would be especially grateful for a listing of any known problems with this gun, i.e., parts that are prone to failure, breakdown early wear and tear. I have downloaded the schematic and owners manual and have written off to Rem to see what they can tell me about the gun based on the S/N. Thanks.

[Synchronizor]

The main design-related item of note is the sliding piece attached to the bolt that covers the rear of the ejection port when the action is closed. This is Remington's solution for keeping the longer ejection port sealed without lengthening the bolt, receiver, or cycle stroke length. This port cover can sometimes be a source of problems, especially if it's damaged by improper removal or replacement. See here, here, and here for some examples. To be fair, most SuperMag owners don't seem to have issues with their port covers, and even if there is a problem, replacement parts are cheap and the gun can function fine without the cover until you can get them. So if you want to be able to kill your shoulder with 3.5" shells, the port cover shouldn't be a deal-breaker. It's just something to be aware of, and remember to be nice to that part when you're taking the gun apart for cleaning or maintenance.

Also, a lot of the SuperMag's internals like the trigger plate assembly, bolt, slide, action bars, and so on are special parts that are different from those used in standard 12ga 870s. If you're ordering replacement parts or buying them used, make sure you're getting the SuperMag versions of those parts.

On the other hand, if you want to change barrels and use your shotgun for things like slug hunting or home defense, your choices are probably going to be limited to barrels that only have 3" chambers (or maybe even 2.75" chambers, if you're buying on the used market). These barrels will drop onto your gun and function just fine, but don't think your SuperMag receiver will let you shoot 3.5" shells in those barrels. A SuperMag with a 3"-chambered barrel installed can only use 3" or shorter shells, or 2.75" or shorter shells if it's an old non-magnum barrel.

Other minor things include accessories and add-ons. Some aftermarket fore-ends need a bit of tweaking to work on a SuperMag, some aftermarket stocks aren't really meant to handle the recoil produced by 3.5" shells, some saddle-type scope mounts need to have material removed to keep from interfering with the longer ejection port, stuff like that.

[City Rat]

The main design-related item of note is the sliding piece attached to the bolt that covers the rear of the ejection port when the action is closed. This is Remington's solution for keeping the longer ejection port sealed without lengthening the bolt, receiver, or cycle stroke length. This port cover can sometimes be a source of problems, especially if it's damaged by improper removal or replacement. See here, here, and here for some examples. To be fair, most SuperMag owners don't seem to have issues with their port covers, and even if there is a problem, replacement parts are cheap and the gun can function fine without the cover until you can get them. So if you want to be able to kill your shoulder with 3.5" shells, the port cover shouldn't be a deal-breaker. It's just something to be aware of, and remember to be nice to that part when you're taking the gun apart for cleaning or maintenance.

Also, a lot of the SuperMag's internals like the trigger plate assembly, bolt, slide, action bars, and so on are special parts that are different from those used in standard 12ga 870s. If you're ordering replacement parts or buying them used, make sure you're getting the SuperMag versions of those parts.

On the other hand, if you want to change barrels and use your shotgun for things like slug hunting or home defense, your choices are probably going to be limited to barrels that only have 3" chambers (or maybe even 2.75" chambers, if you're buying on the used market). These barrels will drop onto your gun and function just fine, but don't think your SuperMag receiver will let you shoot 3.5" shells in those barrels. A SuperMag with a 3"-chambered barrel installed can only use 3" or shorter shells, or 2.75" or shorter shells if it's an old non-magnum barrel.

Other minor things include accessories and add-ons. Some aftermarket fore-ends need a bit of tweaking to work on a SuperMag, some aftermarket stocks aren't really meant to handle the recoil produced by 3.5" shells, some saddle-type scope mounts need to have material removed to keep from interfering with the longer ejection port, stuff like that.

Thanks very much. I am trying to put together a budget for a modest rebuild/ refresh of this gun so this type of very specific feedback is exactly what I'm looking for. Would you say that this spring is a common wear item and if so would you recommend simply replacing that spring now? Easy to add to the list of "while I have it opened up and am in there..." items. BTW Here are some pics of the project gun. Thanks and I've been working through your 870 vids on youtube, very informative.

[Synchronizor]

Thanks very much. I am trying to put together a budget for a modest rebuild/ refresh of this gun so this type of very specific feedback is exactly what I'm looking for. Would you say that this spring is a common wear item and if so would you recommend simply replacing that spring now? Easy to add to the list of "while I have it opened up and am in there..." items. BTW Here are some pics of the project gun. Thanks and I've been working through your 870 vids on youtube, very informative.

Wow, those are some big pictures. In the future, you should re-size your images before uploading them. Huge images take up more space and stretch the page, making the pictures harder to view and your post harder to read.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry about replacing that spring. If the port cover is sticking in the forward position, then you may want to look at the spring (though it's more likely that the port cover itself is bent or gummed up with something); otherwise, as long as the cover moves freely and slides back to cover the ejection port whenever you close the action, you should be fine. It's not like the port cover serves a critical function where a weak spring might throw something else off. It's just a spring-loaded dust/mud shield for that elongated ejection port.

Although, if you're going to be ordering other replacement parts anyway, and and you're worried about port cover problems, I suppose you could order a replacement port cover & spring just to have them on hand. Probably not necessary, but it'll make repairs a snap if one of those parts does get damaged someday.

[City Rat]

Thanks again for the advice and sorry for the pic size, Its my first time posting a pic and I did it from my smartphone while commuting to work, so hard to even know file size was an issue.