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Thread: Turning Point for Remington 870

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Slater View Post
    From what I've heard, polishing the chamber will cure some of the 870 Express issues.
    I have done that multiple times, after investing in a set of the proper hones, oil and a low-speed cordless drill. It does help a great deal.

    People tend to shoot crappy ammo in a rough chamber, and never clean it. That frequently leads to extraction woes.

    Polishing the chamber helps a great deal, as well as not shooting crappy ammo. I switched over to the Winchester AA loads for classes. It goes on sale for around $80 a case during bird season, and I grab a few cases then.

    I've got two Wingmasters, two Police Magnums, and an Express that has been basically torn apart and rebuilt into a Wingmaster. The Express was free to me.

    I'd never buy an Express when you can find a used Wingmaster or Police Magnum for under $300 if you look around just a little. I only buy used Remington Police Magnums or Wingmasters these days.

    Hope that helps.

  2. #12
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    Is there a way to tell age? I own two police traded Police Magnums. I got them both for a great price and shotguns are low on my priority list. I may have shot a few boxes in the last few years but it would be nice to know the manufacturer date

    Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
    Last edited by Arik; 08-03-17 at 18:05.

  3. #13
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    I believe you can do a serial number search.

    I shall consult The Google.

  4. #14
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    My search fu is mighty today, I found this:

    DECODING REMINGTON SERIAL NUMBERS
    Model 870 LETTER PREFIX
    1950 TO APPROX 1968: NO SERIAL NUMBER PREFIX
    1968 TO PRESENT: LETTERS USED (IN SEQUENCE)
    S-68, T-74, V-78, W-84, X-90, A-91, B-94, C-97, D-01, AB-05

    Model 870 LETTER SUFFIX (DESIGNATES GAUGE)
    V 12 GA. (2 3/4”)
    M 12 GA. MAGNUM (3”)
    A 12 GA. “SUPER” MAGNUM (3 ½”)
    W 16 GA. ( 2 ¾” )
    X 20 GA. “HEAVY FRAME” (DISCONTINUED)
    N 20 GA. “HEAVY FRAME MAGNUM” (DISCONTINUED)
    K 20 GA. “LIGHT WEIGHT” (“LW”) (ALSO INCLUDES M/1100 “LT”)
    U 20 GA. LW MAGNUM (ALSO INCLUDES M/1100 “LT”)
    J 28 GA.
    H .410 BORE (2 ½” OR 3”)

    Model 1100 LETTER PREFIX
    1963 TO APPROX. 1968: NO SERIAL NUMBER PREFIX
    1968 TO PRESENT: LETTERS USED (IN SEQUENCE)
    L-68, M-74, N-78, P-85, R-90

    Model 1100 LETTER SUFFIX
    SAME STRUCTURE AS THE Model 870

    Model 1187 LETTER PREFIX
    1987 TO PRESENT: “PC” 12 GA., 1999 “TL“ 20 GA.,
    2000 “SM” SUPER MAG.

    LETTER SUFFIX
    NO LETTER SUFFIX ON THIS MODEL

    Then look on the left side of the barrel near the receiver and look for a two letter date code stamp and follow this chart with the first letter being the month and the second being the year the barrel was made;
    Month
    B - Jan L - Feb A - Mar C - Apr K - May P - Jun
    O - Jul W - Aug D - Sep E - Oct R - Nov X - Dec

    Year
    M - 1921 N - 1922 P - 1923 R - 1924 S - 1925
    T - 1926 U - 1927 W - 1928 X - 1929 Y - 1930
    Z - 1931 A - 1932 B - 1933 C - 1934 D - 1935
    E - 1936 F - 1937 G - 1938 H - 1939 J - 1940
    K - 1941 L - 1942 MM - 1943 NN - 1944 PP - 1945
    RR - 1946 SS - 1947 TT - 1948 UU - 1949 WW - 1950
    XX - 1951 YY - 1952 ZZ - 1953 A - 1954 B - 1955
    C - 1956 D - 1957 E - 1958 F - 1959 G - 1960
    H - 1961 J - 1962 K - 1963 L - 1964 M - 1965
    N - 1966 P - 1967 R - 1968 S - 1969 T - 1970
    U - 1971 W - 1972 X - 1973 Y - 1974 Z - 1975
    I - 1976 O - 1977 Q - 1978 V - 1979 A - 1980
    B - 1981 C - 1982 D - 1983 E - 1984 F - 1985
    G - 1986 H - 1987 I - 1988 J - 1989 K - 1990
    L - 1991 M - 1992 N - 1993 O - 1994 P - 1995
    Q - 1996 R - 1997 S - 1998 T - 1999 (*) U - 2000 (*)
    V - 2001 (*) W - 2002 X - 2003 Y - 2004 Z - 2005
    A - 2006 B - 2007 C - 2008 D - 2009 E - 2010
    F - 2011 G - 2012 H - 2013



    And this:


    http://www.rem870.com/2012/01/19/rem...number-lookup/

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by SeriousStudent View Post
    I have done that multiple times, after investing in a set of the proper hones, oil and a low-speed cordless drill. It does help a great deal.

    People tend to shoot crappy ammo in a rough chamber, and never clean it. That frequently leads to extraction woes.

    Polishing the chamber helps a great deal, as well as not shooting crappy ammo. I switched over to the Winchester AA loads for classes. It goes on sale for around $80 a case during bird season, and I grab a few cases then.

    I've got two Wingmasters, two Police Magnums, and an Express that has been basically torn apart and rebuilt into a Wingmaster. The Express was free to me.

    I'd never buy an Express when you can find a used Wingmaster or Police Magnum for under $300 if you look around just a little. I only buy used Remington Police Magnums or Wingmasters these days.

    Hope that helps.

    I know one guy that used oiled 0000 steel wool wrapped around a long drill bit to polish an 870 Express chamber. Sounds crude but he claimed it did the trick.

  6. #16
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    Thank you! Where do I send the beer?

    1st one is 1984 Police Magnum



    2nd is 1979 Wingmaster 12G 2 3/4


    Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
    Last edited by Arik; 08-03-17 at 18:27.

  7. #17
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    I am thinking it likely would. I would be very careful to check the uniformity afterwards.

    I went with these from Brownell's:

    http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-to...--prod647.aspx

    I got the 12 gauge medium and the 12 gauge fine hones, along with a quart of their oil.

    http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-to...prod25280.aspx

    Then I made a point of very carefully cleaning the barrel several times, to make sure no grit remained to affect the trigger pack or action bars.

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Arik View Post
    Thank you! Where do I send the beer?

    1st one is 1984 Police Magnum



    2nd is 1979 Wingmaster 12G 2 3/4


    Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
    No worries, glad to be of assistance. It sounds like you have a very nice pair of shotguns there.

  9. #19
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    pretty much everything I've handled, shot, or dealt with over the past couple years has been crap from Remington. I would pursue a mid 90's wingmaster before I thought about buying a new one. One of my buddys has an 870 express that would jam and have light primer strikes which I have never seen before in a shotgun. Makes for a real pain in the ass when hunting. I would steer clear.

  10. #20
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    Did anyone take the firing pin out and look at the firing pin spring. When we have had light firing pin strikes or failure to fire I pull the spring out. Most of the time the spring has broken in as much as four places which places the firing pin in a bind.

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