Why does everyone love the Remington 870 so much?

[thunderchicken]

I have six 870s and zero Mossbergs if my opinion means anything.

Well it means about as much as the rest of ours. Doesn't make it right....or wrong

 

[ACC]

I think 870s are great guns, but I prefer Mossy 500s because of the tang mounted safety.

 

[thunderchicken]

I think 870s are great guns, but I prefer Mossy 500s because of the tang mounted safety.

I will agree with the thumb safety. One of the reasons I love the BPS.

 

[Duce]

Next question, which is better? Browning A5, Savage 720, Remington model 11?

 

[tcecil88]

I have had a couple Remington shottys over the years, an 870 and an 1187. Both were set up for deer. They were both super accurate with Barnes Expander Sabot loads. Just got too expensive to shoot them so I sold them and went back to a Mossberg smooth bore. I have shot Mossbergs of various types fore over 35 years. Nothing against Remington, just have way nope experience with Mossbergs, that's all.

 

[Pepi]

I'll take a Mossy anyday

 

[Thomas1969]

Recent threads have led me to realize that my preference of the Mossberg 500 over the Remington 870 express might be uncommon.

So? Why does everyone like the 870 express so much? I cant figure out why it would be ANY better than a Mossberg 500, but I can find a few reasons why the 500 could be considered better than the 870 express.

Opinions?

In my experience Remington has poor quality control, so I shy away from practically all of their firearms. Mossberg takes heat as “low quality” but I haven’t had any issue with their shotguns.

 

[flatlander]

I've had my Wingmaster since 1977. I have various barrels and furniture for it to fill various roles. It has never failed me when I did my part. I'll take it over anything else.

 

[flightsimmer]

A friend of mine has a Remington 870 with a rifled barrel and rifle sights, he couldn't get it to cycle and he couldn't unload it. So he brought it to me to see if I could fix it for him. Well in short order I had it unloaded and suggested he leave it with me so I could do a through strip down and cleaning, no charge. He agreed so we went to the breezeway and had a couple of Sprites.
Later that evening I dug into it after the sun went down. So first I removed the barrel and it had a varnish like material in the chamber, so did the shell that was stuck in the barrel which locked up the action. So I pulled out my stainless steel bore cleaning tool, it's not a brush, it's a spiral like cleaning tool, that and a little Hopp's cleaner and variable speed drill and it was sparkling clean in short order. So I disassembled and thoroughly cleaned the rest of it and then lubed it up and then reassembled it. It functioned well so I played with it for awhile to get familiar with. I'm a right hand shooter but left eye dominate so I shoot left hand. So the next day I took it out and ran a 5 count box of slugs through it. The accuracy was no way near that of a rifle but it wasn't that bad either and I wasn't going to test for favorite loads on my dime even if he is a really good friend and besides he didn't really care anyway, just so it worked.

Now why did I go to the trouble to write this long post? I have a Mossberg 835 and a model 500, I find the Mossberg geometry more to my liking than the Remington's. The Remington's are very good shotguns, it's just that the Mossberg's fit me better and I'm looking for a 20 gauge model 500, sometimes a 20 gauge is all you really need, same speed just a little less load.Well that's my take on it. Have a great day.

 

[pdg45acp]

20 years ago the bolt on my Mossberg 500 broke shooting 3in mag Remington ammo, I've stuck with Remington since then.

However, in the last couple of years I have seen some really crappy Remington's.

 

[breakingcontact]

Its a classic.

 

[Michigan Slim]

The 870 Fieldmaster I just picked up is light-years ahead of the last 500 I had. I do prefer a tang safety but I'll keep this one until I die. I really like it.

 

[flightsimmer]

The 870 Fieldmaster I just picked up is light-years ahead of the last 500 I had. I do prefer a tang safety but I'll keep this one until I die. I really like it.

That's the point with me. The Remington 870 is a fine shotgun, but there can be more than one.

Due to an accident many decades ago I am right handed but forced left eye dominate (blind).

I find the 870 controls (backwards?) for me. I like the top tang safety on the 500 and mine works very well with no problem, not stiff, not loose.

Then when/if I want unload the magazine or chamber, my grip on the stock is all it takes to operate the shell interrupter.

Loading is just as easy in either brand so no choice needed there.

Their both loaded with choices and you can have them anyway you want, pretty, dull, long, short, heavy, light. For home defence or hunting, compitition, skeet, trap. Build them any way you want.

They are tools, the AR-15 of shotguns.
Now if you have the coin to buy beautiful, engraved handmade weapons you can be proud to own and admire have at it. That's why there are choices.

Well, I have probably already rambled on to much but you get the idea.
Goodnight.

 

[Michigan Slim]

That's the point with me. The Remington 870 is a fine shotgun, but there can be more than one.

Due to an accident many decades ago I am right handed but forced left eye dominate (blind).

I find the 870 controls (backwards?) for me. I like the top tang safety on the 500 and mine works very well with no problem, not stiff, not loose.

Then when/if I want unload the magazine or chamber, my grip on the stock is all it takes to operate the shell interrupter.

Loading is just as easy in either brand so no choice needed there.

Their both loaded with choices and you can have them anyway you want, pretty, dull, long, short, heavy, light. For home defence or hunting, compitition, skeet, trap. Build them any way you want.

They are tools, the AR-15 of shotguns.
Now if you have the coin to buy beautiful, engraved handmade weapons you can be proud to own and admire have at it. That's why there are choices.

Well, I have probably already rambled on to much but you get the idea.
Goodnight.

Oh, absolutely. I'm actually left handed so that tang safety is why I bought a 500 (and I was a broke kid scrounging pennies). I wore that gun out. Now that I have the pumpgun I want I'm going to upgrade my doubles. I'm wondering if I can reverse the safety on this 870.

 

[J D]

Oh, absolutely. I'm actually left handed so that tang safety is why I bought a 500 (and I was a broke kid scrounging pennies). I wore that gun out. Now that I have the pumpgun I want I'm going to upgrade my doubles. I'm wondering if I can reverse the safety on this 870.

It’s a 17.00 part from Midway. Fortmann‘s left hand safety conversion. I’m sure there’s others.

 

[scout5]

Simple and reliable is why. Look at an older pump gun and notice the difference in the number of moving parts.

I like the 870 and I have a couple, my favorite pump gun is the Ithaca 37.

 

[bgcatty]

I love the 870 because it works! That is why and it’s never failed me. Period!

 

[CWMC]

I love the 870 because it works! That is why and it’s never failed me. Period!

This . My sons and I have taken a few nice whitetails back in the day. With a Remington rifled slug barrel on an 870. Also, rabbits, squirrels, ducks, and geese with the smooth bore barrel.

 

[Trapper Jim]

Recent threads have led me to realize that my preference of the Mossberg 500 over the Remington 870 express might be uncommon.

So? Why does everyone like the 870 express so much? I cant figure out why it would be ANY better than a Mossberg 500, but I can find a few reasons why the 500 could be considered better than the 870 express.

Opinions?

Both will get the job done. But the Remington seems to do it better for me. Don’t care for the safety bump on the receiver and rattles on the mustenberg.

 

[SheepDog4Life]

I've had both and enjoyed both. I think the older 870 Wingmasters are more refined, especially if you get one with nice wood.

I do prefer the Mossberg safety location and prefer a Mossberg in situations where I'm topping off the tube without looking... i.e. dove hunting and home defense. Perhaps I'm just a klutz, but I've got my thumb stuck in 870/1100 shell lifts while dove hunting more than once. Mossberg made that idiot-proof for me.