I'm looking to get a 870 express hopefully within the next couple of weeks. First off I am not a hunter. What I am looking for is 1. home defense and 2. target shooting both paper and clay. I have spoken with several local gun shops and have been searching online for a while and get as many opinions as there are options and versions of this gun. It has become very confusing. I originally liked the 870 tactical because of the shorter barrel and the number of rounds it can hold. But I was told for a lesser price I can get a regular 870 whatever that means then buy a 18 inch barrel and a extension tube for less and have the best of both worlds.
Any and all suggestions would greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
Mike
Looking to get a 870 express
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Re: Looking to get a 870 express
As you were told, you can start with a Tactical model and add a sporting barrel & magazine cap, or start with a sporting 870 and pick up a combat barrel & magazine extension kit. Either way will work, an 870's an 870, but there are a couple things to be aware of.
If starting with a sporting model, there will be two dimples in the magazine tube that you'll have to drill or press out in order to install a magazine extension. This isn't that tough to do, you can find information on how to do it properly in the forums & over on the blog. Once you do it though, the spring retainer won't have any way to lock into the magazine tube and keep the magazine cap from backing off. Again, not a tough problem to solve. The spring retainer can be replaced with a press-in type (though I'd recommend ordering a Benelli retainer rather than a factory Remington press-in retainer) if you still want to use a spring retainer, and the magazine cap can be kept secure with a cheap wave washer. If you're looking to keep things simple & inexpensive, a single-piece Wilson Combat extension kit and any defensive/combat 870 barrel will give you all the parts you need to quickly & easily switch between configurations.
Alternatively, you can skip the extension and just buy the short barrel, and it'll drop on using the original magazine cap & spring retainer, no modifications required. 4+1 rounds of buckshot is still nothing to sneeze at, and some prefer a lighter & less-complicated gun. More money left over for practicing, as well.
If starting with a Tactical model, you need to look for an 870 that has a standard-length 4-round magazine tube. If it holds more than 4 rounds in the magazine, make sure the extra capacity comes from a seperate magazine extension. Recently, a lot of the Express Tactical models have shifted over to use special single-piece 6-round magazine tubes:
These single-piece 6-round tubes work very well for a dedicated defensive shotgun, but they require special barrels with guide rings mounted farther forward. All current hunting or sporting 870 barrels are intended for standard receivers with 4-round magazine tubes. It is possible to add a spacer or otherwise modify a standard barrel to work with a Tactical receiver, but even looking past the added time, effort, & headache of getting it to work, you'll wind up trying to hunt or break clays with with a really nose-heavy gun.
I believe a few Express Tacticals still come with standard receivers & magazine extensions. You can also check online sellers for older-stock Expresses that were made a couple years or more back - before the majority of Tactical models switched to the longer single-piece magazine tubes. If you're willing to spend a bit extra, you could also look at Police models, which use standard receivers and also come with a higher-end finish. All of these options will be compatible with sporting 870 barrels, and they won't have any dimples in the magazine tube that you have to remove. The magazine extensions used on Express Tactical & Police models are the two-piece Remington design. They work well, but they're more complicated to take on and off than the single-piece Wilson I recommended above. Not a deal-breaker, but something to be aware of if this is going to be a multi-purpose gun.
To convert an Express Tactical or Police 870 over for clay & target shooting, you'll need a magazine cap (preferably an external-ratchet type) and a 4-round magazine spring in addition to your sporting barrel (assuming you don't want to be swinging around a magazine extension when you don't need it). A press-in spring retainer and a magazine plug are optional. You may also need to get a wave washer if the barrel you get for clays doesn't have a detent in the barrel guide ring.
Hopefully all that made sense. Let us know if you have any more questions.
If starting with a sporting model, there will be two dimples in the magazine tube that you'll have to drill or press out in order to install a magazine extension. This isn't that tough to do, you can find information on how to do it properly in the forums & over on the blog. Once you do it though, the spring retainer won't have any way to lock into the magazine tube and keep the magazine cap from backing off. Again, not a tough problem to solve. The spring retainer can be replaced with a press-in type (though I'd recommend ordering a Benelli retainer rather than a factory Remington press-in retainer) if you still want to use a spring retainer, and the magazine cap can be kept secure with a cheap wave washer. If you're looking to keep things simple & inexpensive, a single-piece Wilson Combat extension kit and any defensive/combat 870 barrel will give you all the parts you need to quickly & easily switch between configurations.
Alternatively, you can skip the extension and just buy the short barrel, and it'll drop on using the original magazine cap & spring retainer, no modifications required. 4+1 rounds of buckshot is still nothing to sneeze at, and some prefer a lighter & less-complicated gun. More money left over for practicing, as well.
If starting with a Tactical model, you need to look for an 870 that has a standard-length 4-round magazine tube. If it holds more than 4 rounds in the magazine, make sure the extra capacity comes from a seperate magazine extension. Recently, a lot of the Express Tactical models have shifted over to use special single-piece 6-round magazine tubes:
These single-piece 6-round tubes work very well for a dedicated defensive shotgun, but they require special barrels with guide rings mounted farther forward. All current hunting or sporting 870 barrels are intended for standard receivers with 4-round magazine tubes. It is possible to add a spacer or otherwise modify a standard barrel to work with a Tactical receiver, but even looking past the added time, effort, & headache of getting it to work, you'll wind up trying to hunt or break clays with with a really nose-heavy gun.
I believe a few Express Tacticals still come with standard receivers & magazine extensions. You can also check online sellers for older-stock Expresses that were made a couple years or more back - before the majority of Tactical models switched to the longer single-piece magazine tubes. If you're willing to spend a bit extra, you could also look at Police models, which use standard receivers and also come with a higher-end finish. All of these options will be compatible with sporting 870 barrels, and they won't have any dimples in the magazine tube that you have to remove. The magazine extensions used on Express Tactical & Police models are the two-piece Remington design. They work well, but they're more complicated to take on and off than the single-piece Wilson I recommended above. Not a deal-breaker, but something to be aware of if this is going to be a multi-purpose gun.
To convert an Express Tactical or Police 870 over for clay & target shooting, you'll need a magazine cap (preferably an external-ratchet type) and a 4-round magazine spring in addition to your sporting barrel (assuming you don't want to be swinging around a magazine extension when you don't need it). A press-in spring retainer and a magazine plug are optional. You may also need to get a wave washer if the barrel you get for clays doesn't have a detent in the barrel guide ring.
Hopefully all that made sense. Let us know if you have any more questions.