What finish is my 870?

[bucknball]

I want to purchase a 18.5" barrel for my Sportsman 870 to turn it into a HD shorty when I'm not hunting. I'm not knowledgable about finishes but I would like the barrel's finish to match that of the receiver. I'm just not sure. The shotgun was made in May of 1985. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[kcpanages]

Is it ruff feeling? If so, MATTE finish..... If smooth, BLUED


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[bucknball]

That simple? Thought maybe there might be a parkerized finish, which would be different?

[BurstBarrel]

I want to purchase a 18.5" barrel for my Sportsman 870 to turn it into a HD shorty when I'm not hunting. I'm not knowledgable about finishes but I would like the barrel's finish to match that of the receiver. I'm just not sure. The shotgun was made in May of 1985. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I see blued and matt shown. Checked Google Images, Gunbroker and a couple factory listings.

Very nice looking gun! Does yours have walnut and gold trigger?

[bucknball]

The receiver looks black with not a glossy finish but a 'satin' (in-between glossy and matte) and the barrel roughly the same. The furniture is walnut and it has a black trigger. My father had a Rem 1100 when I was growing up and when I turned 16 (1985) he gave me the 870 on my birthday. I've hunted/shot dove, grouse, rabbit, crow, and turkey since and the shotgun has operated flawlessly and without fail. It still looks good. I don't hunt that much anymore but I'm concerned about home defense these days. Just can't shell out the big bucks for a tactical shotty. Decided to repurpose the 870 and slap a 18.5" barrel on her, switching barrels if and when I get the chance to go hunting again.

I looked at some Mossbergs these past few weeks and I don't know...despite their reputation, Mossies just rub me wrong. Must be too old or something to try something different.

[kcpanages]

That simple? Thought maybe there might be a parkerized finish, which would be different?

Parkerized came on the tactical 870.... Blued and matte on hunting version


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[BurstBarrel]

The receiver looks black with not a glossy finish but a 'satin' (in-between glossy and matte) and the barrel roughly the same. The furniture is walnut and it has a black trigger. My father had a Rem 1100 when I was growing up and when I turned 16 (1985) he gave me the 870 on my birthday. I've hunted/shot dove, grouse, rabbit, crow, and turkey since and the shotgun has operated flawlessly and without fail. It still looks good. I don't hunt that much anymore but I'm concerned about home defense these days. Just can't shell out the big bucks for a tactical shotty. Decided to repurpose the 870 and slap a 18.5" barrel on her, switching barrels if and when I get the chance to go hunting again.

I looked at some Mossbergs these past few weeks and I don't know...despite their reputation, Mossies just rub me wrong. Must be too old or something to try something different.

Do an image search for "Remington 870 Sportsman" and match up your gun finish with what you find and listed and that should do it.

Sounds like parkerized has been ruled out by kcpanages.

[Synchronizor]

I'm pretty sure none of the sporting 870 models were Parkerized. Apart from camouflaged guns and a few other special models, nearly all are going to have a black oxide finish; either glossy, as with Wingmasters, or matte, as with Expresses and special purpose hunting models. Older special purpose matte oxide finishes may not be exactly the same as the current Express finish, but it'll probably be closer than the highly-polished Wingmaster bluing. Parkerizing is somewhat similar to matte black oxide (many confuse the two), but they're not going to be a perfect visual match. Parkerizing tends to appear less reflective, and is often lighter in color. If you want to best identify what finish to go after, I would suggest going to a gun store and examining an 870 Express and a Wingmaster to see which seems closest to what your gun has. You could also take your current barrel with you in order to do a side-by-side comparison.

[kcpanages]

I'm pretty sure none of the sporting 870 models were Parkerized. Apart from camouflaged guns and a few other special models, nearly all are going to have a black oxide finish; either glossy, as with Wingmasters, or matte, as with Expresses and special purpose hunting models. Older special purpose matte oxide finishes may not be exactly the same as the current Express finish, but it'll probably be closer than the highly-polished Wingmaster bluing. Parkerizing is somewhat similar to matte black oxide (many confuse the two), but they're not going to be a perfect visual match. Parkerizing tends to appear less reflective, and is often lighter in color. If you want to best identify what finish to go after, I would suggest going to a gun store and examining an 870 Express and a Wingmaster to see which seems closest to what your gun has. You could also take your current barrel with you in order to do a side-by-side comparison.

Correct on parkerized finish.... Suppose to have ZERO shine, very dull look for consealment for tatical use


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