thoughts on 870 clones?

[nighthawk96]

hey, was just looking around and found out there are quite a few clones of the 870 design out there which is not uncommon for designs with a patent that is expired so i thought i would ask and see what you guys think of them or if anybody here owns an 870 clone personally whether it's an H&R, IAC, Norinco, Dominion Arms or some other brand i haven't heard of yet.

[Tomac]

Picked up a couple of Hawk 870 clones years ago as a first shotgun for my son & his best friend, they've been used extensively.
Added a mag tube extension, replaced the mag tube spring & follower and they've been 100% w/everything from cheap WallyWorld loads to slugs/buck.

Definitely a good budget option if you can't afford anything else, IMHO, but I'm not sure if I would trust them for heavy use (no data either way to work with).
HTH...

Tomac

[DaveC]

Getting ready for doing some hog hunting in Texas. I was looking for a Remington 870 12-ga. barrel with rifle sights. I looked high and low, and then realized that my old ex-Pontiac, MI PD 4+1 cruiser S&W/Howa 3000 870 clone could possibly be used as a field gun rather than the 870... Sure enough, I found a brand new surplus 20-in. rifle-sighted cylinder bore barrel, parkerized for less than half of what I could find a Rem. 870 barrel! It is really nice, and while I'm certainly no expert, I'd think the parkerizing is probably higher quality than some Remington products these days--with exceptions of course.

So I've got a 1983-mfr. Japanese 870 clone with $200 for the gun, another $50 for the history letter about it being used by the Pontiac, MI PD, and another 80 bucks in an extra 20-in. barrel with rifle sights to go with the 18-in. bead cylinder bore barrel it came with. Not too bad I think.

[Synchronizor]

The 870's design is a good one, and clones of it are a good way to get a robust and functional shotgun if you're on a very limited budget. There are a couple drawbacks though. Not all clones are up to the quality levels of genuine 870s, and they often have minor parts differences that limit interchangeability. Break something on an 870, and it's a breeze to get replacements. Break something on a clone, and you may have a tougher time of it. Accessory and barrel options can likewise be limited by this. Clones are also sometimes less-refined, like the heavy hump-back receivers & reduced mag tube thread engagement on the Pardner Pumps. Also, many clones are based on older versions of the 870, and lack the design tweaks of modern models. In particular, many lack the modern 870's flex-tab feature that prevents a potentially severe action jam (although some, like DaveC's S&W/Howa 3000, have their own solutions to this vulnerability). I consider an updated flex-tab action to be very important in an 870 that will serve in critical roles like LE duty or home defense.

If you're on a strict budget, and/or want a cheap hunting or plinking shotgun, an 870 clone can be worth considering. But if it's for a critical application, or you really want to keep your customization options open, I think it's best to save up for the real thing if possible. Basic Express models or used 870s can still be pretty darn affordable.