870 express
870 express
I'm looking into buying and didn't know if there is any advantage to buying new. I have a friend with a 1988 express 870 for sale for 200.00. It is in excellent cond. I just wanted to make sure before I bought it, instead of buying new, that there haven't been any improvements to the 870 express in 26 years. I'm willing to spend more if anything is better with the new (2013) one.
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Chief Brody
- Senior Shotgunner
- Posts: 223
- Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2012 4:19 am
- Location: Long Island, NY
Re: 870 express
As long as the gun is in good working order, jump on it. There are no major differences compared to a new one, chances are that '88 model will be really slick and run like a champ.
Let us speak courteously, deal fairly, and keep ourselves armed and ready. - T.R.
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Synchronizor
- Elite Shotgunner
- Posts: 3022
- Joined: Fri Dec 28, 2012 8:04 am
- Location: The Inland Northwest
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Re: 870 express
The only really major, model-wide design change to the 870 since its introduction was the flex-tab update, where the breech bolt, slide assembly, and shell carrier were modified to prevent a certain type of malfunction from locking up the action. But that happened around 1984, so a 1988 model should have the updated parts. There have been other tweaks over the years, but most were minor things that shouldn't affect performance or reliability.
The one other thing you might want to check is the choke. In 1988, interchangeable choke tubes had only been offered on new 870s for a couple years, and some 870s were still running fixed chokes. I don't know if that matters to you, but it's worth mentioning. But even if your friend's gun has a fixed choke, you could buy a Rem Choke barrel or pay a gunsmith to thread the original barrel. For $200 for the gun itself, you should be able to add interchangeable chokes and be out the same as or less than what you'd spend on a brand-new 870. And as Chief Brody said, a used 870 should already be broken in and slicked-up for you.
The one other thing you might want to check is the choke. In 1988, interchangeable choke tubes had only been offered on new 870s for a couple years, and some 870s were still running fixed chokes. I don't know if that matters to you, but it's worth mentioning. But even if your friend's gun has a fixed choke, you could buy a Rem Choke barrel or pay a gunsmith to thread the original barrel. For $200 for the gun itself, you should be able to add interchangeable chokes and be out the same as or less than what you'd spend on a brand-new 870. And as Chief Brody said, a used 870 should already be broken in and slicked-up for you.