First Look: Remington 870 Express 12-Gauge Shotgun

The Remington 870 is perhaps one of the most popular shotguns the past couple decades.  It is a simple, yet effective, design.  Remington offers the 870 in a variety of styles, which means there's an 870 for everyone.  The model being reviewed here is the 870 "Express" model, with black synthetic furniture, and a single front "bead sight".  It's simple, functional, and honestly, it's not something I'm terribly worried about scratching or damaging.

First impressions when I pulled it out of the box were positive.  The original Remington box was solid, although it was cardboard, and the shotgun was held in place quite well through the use of a few styrofoam cutouts.  Included in the box were very few items, basically just the shotgun itself, a trigger lock, and an owner's manual.  Since this box wasn't sufficient for transporting the shotgun to/from the range, and it was large and bulky, I removed the contents and dropped it in the recycle bin.  If it doesn't serve a purpose, it doesn't have a place in my home.  Besides, it's an excuse to go spend more of my hard-earned money on a hard case for the Remington, which allows for a case review for The Low Ready, which directly benefits you, so I'm glad I tossed the box.

The shotgun itself is very well made, all of the parts fit together quite well.  There isn't a whole lot of "slop" between the parts, so it doesn't have the same rattling noise that the Mossberg 500/590 tend to have.  As with most people I know, my first instinct is to take the thing apart and figure out how it works. The design is similar to the Mossberg shotguns, disassembly is about a 2 on a 1-10 scale, while re-assembly is a 3.  Overall, it's well-designed, and it's simplicity is likely the reason for the reliability this platform is known for.

At the range, I spent some time behind the trigger, shooting a variety of loads through the 870.  To start off, I shot some 2 3/4" birdshot shells, then moved up to 2 3/4" 00 Buckshot, and finally ending with a few 3" Slugs.  The Remington fired all rounds with no issues, and accuracy was as expected, right on target.  I can't attest to long-range accuracy, however, since I was only shooting out to about 50 yards. 

The Remington 870 was purchased to fill a void in my personal collection, it is my first (and currently my only) shotgun.  When it's not at the range, it spends it's time doubling as a home defense weapon, which is out of sight and out of reach of children, yet easily accessible in the event that it is needed.

Stay tuned for disassembly videos, which will be uploaded to our YouTube page and embedded here within the next few months.  As always, we want to hear your input!  Leave us a comment here, on our Facebook page, or in an email.