870 police

[Slugnuts]

I think your better off buying police model , for a few bucks more , then build to what you want , I think lm going back to keep it simple 4 plus one plain Jane wood stock if you need more rounds for home defense, and can't do it with 5 rounds of buck shot , then you must be in BIG TROUBLE,

[BlackWhiteGrey]

ok, i'll bite. Why?

From what I understand the big differences are the extractor, sear spring, carrier dog spring. At least when comparing actual 870 Express tacticals, or new 7-round guns to any of the 870P models.
Is that worth $250? Probably not. For how much the average person uses a 12ga shotgun they're honestly better off with a #25549, #25077, or maybe the #81198 . Any of those they can add just about any aftermarket stuff they want.
The money they save can go in to a better stock, and lots of ammo.


BTW: this is coming from a guy that owns a #25549 (with aftermarket) and just bought an 870P. But the only reason I bought the 870P was because I wanted the very vest 870 money could by, with rifle sights already installed.

[Synchronizor]

From what I understand the big differences are the extractor, sear spring, carrier dog spring. At least when comparing actual 870 Express tacticals, or new 7-round guns to any of the 870P models.
Is that worth $250? Probably not. For how much the average person uses a 12ga shotgun they're honestly better off with a #25549, #25077, or maybe the #81198 . Any of those they can add just about any aftermarket stuff they want.

You also get a heavier-duty Parkerized finish with the Police 870s, and if you're comparing models with synthetic furniture, the Police synthetic stocks are a lot thicker and more solid (also heavier, though). Those are the significant differences in my opinion; swapping out the extractor or CDF spring is easy and cheap; having the entire gun refinished is a much bigger deal, and while changing stocks is easy, a new stock is definitely more expensive than small internal parts.

That said, I do agree with BlackWhiteGrey here. The Express models are perfectly sufficient for typical HD duty, and will leave you money for modifications or practice. A gun that spends most of its time in a climate-controlled home doesn't need a military-grade finish, and if it'll let you sleep better at night, the few internals that are different in the Police models can easily be swapped in.

The #25549, #81198, & #25077 models are decent choices (though the post-2012 #25077 with its nonstandard mag tube should be avoided if a multi-purpose shotgun is desired), but I really like the newer #25559 & #81197 Hardwood Home Defense models as a basis for a budget-friendly 870 HD build. Standard mag tube with an optional factory +2 extension, so they can be used with other barrels for hunting or sporting, a solid wood stock that packs more of a wallop than the hollow plastic stocks on the synthetic models, and a mid-length fore-end that's more ergonomic for smaller-statured members of the household. The wood stock & fore-end are also easy to modify if a shorter length of pull or loading port/sidesaddle clearance are desired.

[BigTime]

just picked this up last week, # 24899 18in. Blued model Police Magnum wood stock, I added a blued factory +2 ext. no dipples in the mag tube(good thing I take it?) Can anyone educate me alittle on this? TIA

[Synchronizor]

What is it you want to know? Sounds like you have a pretty standard, recent-manufacture 870P. Shouldn't be anything to get concerned about. Nice to hear that we can still get blue/walnut Police models, pretty much all the packages listed on Remington's LE website are Parkerized.