New Rem870 owner from Madison, WI

[rythomas0704]

Greetings Friends,

My name is Ryan and I am from Madison, WI. I recently came upon this site while searching for parts and upgrades for a 2009 Remington 870 Express Magnum (parkarized) that I received in a trade for my old Marlin .22.

I have always wanted to own an 870 but in the last year or so funds would not allow (recently married, baby boy, etc) but the shotgun gods smiled down and a guy wanted a .22 and offered his NIB Remington 870 that he has had for a few years and never shot for my old .22 semi auto. Yeah... I jumped on that trade.

I am looking to turn this thing into a serious combat shotgun, but not looking to go extreme like lots of people do (unnecessary accessories, lasers, scopes etc..) I want a sleek, functional and well built gun with no expense spared, other than Mesa tactical gear, who the hell do they think they are charging that much money??? LOL $90 for a side saddle? Anyway. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you.

-Ryan

[Synchronizor]

Welcome to the forum.

Just to let you know, Expresses aren't parkerized. They have an oxide treatment that's much like bluing, but with a matte finish. It's not as durable or effective as Parkerizing, but it works just fine for HD.

[rythomas0704]

Ahhhh I see. Thank you for the advice. As soon as I read your reply I googled it and you are correct. However I just found out that the finish on my gun is not a tough finish and is prone to rust??? WTF? Oh well, guess I will just have to be extra stringent with the oil. Thanks again.

[Synchronizor]

Sure, it'll rust if you drag it through snow all day while hunting, then put it away wet. Funny thing though, any gun will rust if you don't take care of it.

I can speak from experience that the Express finish will stand up to some pretty harsh conditions just fine if you do your part, people have used them as boat guns up in Alaska without problems. The bigger issue is if you reconfigure your gun frequently for different roles, the Express finish tends to wear off under things like barrel clamps or rail mounts over time.

But the way it sounds like you'll be using this gun, you shouldn't see any rust if you maintain it properly. Mine's down to bare metal in some spots, but I just wipe it down if it gets wet, and clean it thoroughly when I get home, and it hasn't given me trouble.

[rythomas0704]

Thanks for all the great advice. Almost all of my other guns are blued or duracoat finished. I have never owned a gun with this finish and I was just under the assumption that it was parkerizing. We all know what happens when you assume.

Yeah I dont really plan on doing a lot of swapping of parts on this one. Strictly combat config for when the SHTF. Barrel clamp with rails to support the extension (when they get the Nordic Components back in stock) and the side saddle should be the only things touching the finish. I dont really plan on moving/removing/replacing unless absolutely necessary.

I am already very OCD about ensuring that my guns stay clean, dry and properly oiled. Even the ones that see little to no use get regular loving. LOL

Thanks again.