Express vs. Police

[007_Bond]

Hey guys. I’ve got a 2015 Remington 870 Express Tactical Magpul FDE shotgun. I didn’t realize before I bought it that this version is a budget / economy / entry level version. Last few days I’ve read a lot about how the express series is Remington’s bottom of the line shotgun and they aren’t the same quality as they used to be. That is why I’ve felt the need to upgrade to a Police / Marine Magnum model.

FWIW - I’ve never had any problems with my extracter extracting, action seems smooth, etc. With that said from all the advice I’ve read online it seems that it’s a much smarter choice to upgrade to a better shotgun. The police models apparently have higher quality parts (extractor, barrel), go through higher quality standards and checks, go through a de-burring/smoothing process, and have polished barrels.

Anyways - is it worth the upgrade going to a police model? If I sell mine and go with a police I’d currently lose all my Magpul accessories (stock, fore-end, tactical rails) and my tactical rail on top of the receiver and XS Ghost Ring Sights.

Any advice is appreciated.

[ShotgunSam870]

I was in your position just a little over a year ago. i just bought an 870 Express, and did not know of the Police lineup Remington offers. It functioned great, with no problems at all. Until I came across a youtube video describing the differences between the 870 Express and 870 Police. It was that moment I had a revelation; I had to have the police model.
Went to my local gun shop, and saw they had quite a few Police models in stock.
I selected a brand new Remington 870 Police Magnum, with an 18' barrel, Tritium Rifle Sights, along with a standard magazine capacity (4+1). To this day, it was one of the best choices I've ever made. The 870 Polices are exceptional guns. A year later, it's been great and love it more and more I shoot it.
Was it expensive? Yes, yes it was, especially for an 870. But, I really wanted it and seemed like a fair deal. Good thing to note is I live in California (I know, trying to move soon), so gun shops are few and far between, and this was the only one with 870 Polices in stock in store that was not at least an hour away.
Look up the differences between the 870 Express and Polices, and decide if it is really worth it to you. The 870 Express models are great guns, just the Police models are a cut above. But to conclude, I would give it a look. If you buy one, you will be very happy, as I have been with mine. Another 870 never hurt anyone!
Hope this helps, and be sure to let us know what happens.

[007_Bond]

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah I’m definitely wanting to go the looks route but the main things that are hard are that I’ve never had a failure of any sort on this 870 express and I’ve got it setup so much the way I want it with Magpul furniture and tac rails etc. and it’s in FDE cerakote which I love.
Tough choice cuz of these factors
I wish they still made the police marine magnum cuz I’d jump on that if I could.

[Bourget117]

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah I’m definitely wanting to go the looks route but the main things that are hard are that I’ve never had a failure of any sort on this 870 express and I’ve got it setup so much the way I want it with Magpul furniture and tac rails etc. and it’s in FDE cerakote which I love.
Tough choice cuz of these factors
I wish they still made the police marine magnum cuz I’d jump on that if I could.

I was in the same position as well when I bought my marine magnum. But I decided their really weren’t many differences. I did change out a few parts and still paid much less than for a police marine magnum.

[007_Bond]

Yeah I’ve been researching the differences a lot this afternoon. Basically they don’t make the shotgun I really want in all it’s specs. I’ll have to modify or do add one anyway. So I’m thinking about converting the necessary parts to make mine a Police version plus some (extractor, magazine spring, magazine tube follower.)

Do I need a new/better extractor spring as well to make it a police spec?

[TexasArmor84]

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah I’m definitely wanting to go the looks route but the main things that are hard are that I’ve never had a failure of any sort on this 870 express and I’ve got it setup so much the way I want it with Magpul furniture and tac rails etc. and it’s in FDE cerakote which I love.
Tough choice cuz of these factors
I wish they still made the police marine magnum cuz I’d jump on that if I could.

They still make the police marine magnum they have some for here and there


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[ShotgunSam870]

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah I’m definitely wanting to go the looks route but the main things that are hard are that I’ve never had a failure of any sort on this 870 express and I’ve got it setup so much the way I want it with Magpul furniture and tac rails etc. and it’s in FDE cerakote which I love.
Tough choice cuz of these factors
I wish they still made the police marine magnum cuz I’d jump on that if I could.

Well judging from what you have said you have already done to outfit your Express, then I would pass on the Police Magnum. Unless you want to expand your arsenal, an 870 is an 870 at the end of the day. Also, Cerakote jobs are around $300-$400, so you have already invested a lot of money into your Express already (and because the Express finishes are meh IMO).
Police Marine Magnums are essentially unicorns. I've never seen a Marine magnum with factory installed wood furniture. They do look really great with the Nickel finish and wood furniture. Remington makes them, but I'm sure they are pretty hard to find and are even more than a standard Police Magnum. Maybe Check GunBroker if that is what you really want. I like variety (not too much) with my guns, and the 870s are perfect for that. Out of the 3 I own (another being a future project), they are all slightly different in their own way, which I really dig, especially when the time comes for Family photos

[ShotgunSam870]

Yeah I’ve been researching the differences a lot this afternoon. Basically they don’t make the shotgun I really want in all it’s specs. I’ll have to modify or do add one anyway. So I’m thinking about converting the necessary parts to make mine a Police version plus some (extractor, magazine spring, magazine tube follower.)

Do I need a new/better extractor spring as well to make it a police spec?

No. The original extractor will work perfectly fine. If you wish to make it "Police" spec, then you can order a Non-MIM Extractor from Remington and install it yourself. I believe it is around $6 or so.
Hope this helps.

[TexasArmor84]

I have both police marine magnums. Synthetic model 25047. Wood furniture model 81307, this model was a limited production from Remington only 50 made as a parade/award model.


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[ShotgunSam870]

I have both police marine magnums. Synthetic model 25047. Wood furniture model 81307, this model was a limited production from Remington only 50 made as a parade/award model.


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Absolutely gorgeous shotguns you have there. The walnut with that Nickle Finish is such eye candy. Put them to good use.