[titus2423]

Spiker, while you're right that alot of stuff shouldn't be taken at face value on the net, I've read from no less than a dozen websites that when certain shells are fired from this shotgun, the brass expands into the grooves of the chamber, thus making it difficult to pull back the slide to eject the spent shell. I also said in no way that I was going to be doing any honing in the chamber. That's something that I know would be better left for a gunsmith.

I've used an older 870 before and I loved it. The only reason it malfunctioned was because my father didn't clean it accordingly before I used it for the first time. I just wanted to know if anyone has experienced this issue with the newer models of 870's.

 

[titus2423]

I didn't want to post this until I was replied to but I emailed Remington about this issue and already received a response.

My first email:

To Whom it My Concern,

I have been considering making a purchase of a Remington 870 Express but after doing some online research, I am puzzled by the claims of some customers. The users claim that when they shoot a variety of ammo from these shotguns, they fail to eject due to the brass expanding into the machining grooves of the chamber. I was hoping you could shed some light on this issue before I decide to spend the money on one of your products. I look forward to your response.

His response:

Chris,

What happened here is that we have identified an issue that one of the chamber reamers used to cut the chambers was dulled prematurely and cut some chambers with chatter at the rim if the chamber. This burr was causing some shells to stick when fired. This issue was identified and corrected a couple of months ago and we are correcting the issue with the owners who are having the problems on a case by case basis. The fix is a very simple polishing, under warranty of course, by one of our warranty repair centers. The reamer issue has been identified and resolved however so new production guns going out now will not have this issue, but there may be some guns out there that are older and may have this issue, it didn't happen with ever gun produced in the timeframe, but should you run into an issue with it on a gun purchased we are more than happy to correct the issue for you right away

My response:

Daniel,

First of all, I thank you for your response. I appreciate it. As far as the issue with the chamber, that makes me feel more comfortable about the idea of purchasing one of these firearms. If you don't mind, I will be saving our correspondence for the future in case I do have an issue with one of these shotguns. It's not that I don't take your word, I've just heard that some people had this issue and had difficulties getting it covered under warranty. Please, don't feel insulted. I just want to make sure all my bases are covered in such an instance. Again, I appreciate your response to the matter and will hopefully be purchasing an 870 in the near future!

Chris

His final response:

no problem,

in fact, save the e-mail, and if you do need any assistance, just give me a shout personally. I'll be happy to take care of it myself

So, it my be kind of pointless for me to post this but you never know. Hopefully, if someone someday faces the same situation, they can do a search and see there is some light at the end of the tunnel. After I make the purchase and throw some rounds through it, I will post any issues with the chamber and if they honored it under warranty like they claimed they will.

 

[titus2423]

Thanks Wisconsin. Most of the stuff I read was actually from a couple of years ago, and that's why I decided to email Remington themselves. I couldn't find anything about the issue being remedied. I'm happy with the response I received, and it doesn't exactly sound like he was just trying to tell me what I wanted to hear. He could have done that in less words.

 

[titus2423]

You're right Ronn, I couldn't have gotten a better response. That was one of the first times I've emailed someone on an issue I found BEFORE purchasing and they were straight up with me about it. I like to do my homework before I drop a couple hundred dollars on something only to find out that C.S. isn't exactly up to par.

Like I said earlier, I have used an older 870 and I loved how smooth it was and how well it handled. I'm looking forward to making this purchase and eventually getting it to smooth out and be a reliable piece of hunting equipment. Now if only the money would get here a little faster...haha

 

[titus2423]

Well, I figured I would give you guys an update. I visited a shop in my area and they only had the 870 in synthetic. Unfortunately, I was looking for a wood stock. The stock on the Remington is pretty ugly in my eyes so I took a look at their Mossberg 500's. Their stocks do not have the strongly pronounced wood grain like the Remington's do, rather they have a smooth, laminate finish. After talking with Brian, the shop worker who helped me, I walked out with a 500 in 12 gauge.

I did alot of research on the Mossbergs as well and the only issue that seemed to pop up frequently were with the shell stops. That I can deal with because it's not only covered under warranty but would not require me to send in the gun for repair. The Mossberg also came with a 10 year warranty as opposed to the Remington's 2 year warranty.

Finally, the Mossberg was priced well. Out the door, I paid $312. The Remington would have been the same price from Dunham's but with a $30 mail in rebate. Of course, that's $30 more I could have had back in my pocket. In the end though, I feel that either way I was making a solid decision, not to mention I gave business to one of the "little guys" and not a box store. The only thing I need to do is outfit her with a sling and, at some point, set it up to shoot some deer as well as waterfowl and other critters!

 

[titus2423]

Points very well taken. In the end, I did get what I REALLY wanted. At first, I was skeptical of the 500 but some research helped put my mind at ease (see last post for the shell stop issue). You never know, I may end up with an 870 at some point in time. We can never have too many firearms, right guys? :wink:

Anyways, I did get to shoot some clay pigeons with her this weekend and she performed quite well. I must have put about 150 shells through her and she never skipped a beat. Every shell fired and cycled just like it was supposed to and left me wanting to shoot her more. BUT, I'm in my senior year of college so the weekend had to come to an end.

 

[titus2423]

awsome. college kids havin fun. what school? if you don't mind me asking

Clarion University of Pennsylvania. Relatively quiet little town surrounded by a bunch of woods, just how I like it!

 

[titus2423]

Probably! Whether I'm at school or not, you probably come past my neck of the woods. Travel I-80 most of the way?

 

[titus2423]

Yup, as soon as you cross the PA/Ohio border you're right around "home." Generally it's a nice area. Public hunting land is becoming less productive and land owners are pretty strict with handing out permission though.