1961 Remington 870

[sdurocher03820]

Hello,

I'm looking at purchasing a 1961 Rem. 870 at a local store. It has an 18 inch barrel. I'm told it is a former corrections gun that was recently traded in. The wood is rough and a lot of the bluing is missing. I have a few questions. Does anyone know if a 1961 870 was available with a 18 inch barrel or was this something that was probably added later on? Also, if I purchase the gun I'm trying to decide if I should restore it or leave it as is. I'm a big fan of older firearms and wonder if it would be better to restore it or keep it as is. I know there may be a lot of opinions on this but I'm just looking for what others think about it. I already have a tactical shotgun so I'm not interested in changing it into something else. Thank you in advance.

[Synchronizor]

Hmm, I'm not sure there were factory 18" barrels on guns that old. I know the initial 1950 lineup included the Model 870R Riot Grade which had a 20" barrel; and the old military 870 Mk-1s built for the US Armed Forces later in the 1960s had 20" barrels as well. 870 barrels are virtually universally interchangeable, even for guns that old, so it may not be original, if that's something you care about. The NFA had already established the 18" minimum legal length for shotguns in the US by that date though, so it might also be an original barrel that got cut down.

I'd check the date stamp on the left side of the barrel. If it's a 1961 barrel, it should have an "H" stamped on it (though 1987 barrels used the "H" stamp as well). Also check and see if the receiver and barrel are built for the same shell lengths. A lot of the early 870s were built for 2.75" shells only. If the gun is a non-magnum (the serial number on the receiver will end in a "V"), but the barrel is labeled as having a 3" chamber, it's most likely a newer barrel that was swapped on at some point.

As for the finish, I tend to favor a well-used look, especially with a classic working gun like what you're describing. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to go through the internals and replace small parts or springs that are looking worn out; but keeping the battle scars the gun picked up over its years just gives it a lot of character. "Boba Fett-cool" is a good way I've heard it described.

[sdurocher03820]

Thanks Synchronizor. I like the idea of preserving an old firearm and giving it new life. The one is pretty rough but I think it's worthy of saving. In your opinion, is a gun like that worth more as is or restored. Also, it seems to have the newer police fore end on it that rolls up towards the barrel. Do you know if this gun should have the corn cob round style fore end on it? Thanks again for your response.

[Synchronizor]

In the condition you're describing, I wouldn't consider it a major investment; just a cool, old gun with character. There are a lot of old 870s floating around (kind of comes with that whole most-popular-shotgun-on-the-planet thing), and this doesn't sound like one of the rarer models like the Special Field, Ducks Unlimited, or 150th Anniversary 870s. Fix it up and make it pretty if you like it that way, but I wouldn't expect to be able to turn around and sell it for a real big profit.

For the fore-end, is it something like this?


Remington has been using pretty much the same fore-end design for a long time; at least as far back as the early 1970s. It'd be tough to say with absolute certainty that the fore-end is original (as a working gun, it may have gone through several fore-ends over the decades), but if it's one like in that picture, it's not a new-style by any stretch.

[sdurocher03820]

Yes, Synchronizor, that's the fore end. For some reason I thought the older ones came with a totally round fore end (without the part that curls up towards the barrel). I'm not looking at it as an investment by any means. Just think its a cool old gun that has some history to it and a good project for me to learn how to restore one.

[Synchronizor]

Some of the really old models did have truly round, cob fore-ends:


If you like the look of those, you can still find them floating around auction sites.