Not trying to be disrespectful, but you do realize that ten's of thousand's of 870 have been in military and law enforcement use for a good many years and have been very reliable. The fact that your 1 particular gun had some loading/extraction issues does not mean that it "disqualifies them for anything other than plinking/bird hunting".
Military use is not a good excuse for poor design:Not trying to be disrespectful, but you do realize that ten's of thousand's of 870 have been in military and law enforcement use for a good many years and have been very reliable. The fact that your 1 particular gun had some loading/extraction issues does not mean that it "disqualifies them for anything other than plinking/bird hunting".
Military use is not a good excuse for poor design:
Safety has to be disengaged by trigger finger, and cannot be engaged without full dismount ... have to use left hand? well, that's really too bad.
Slide release has to be operated by trigger finger and can't be reached in "ready" position or operated by weak hand (really? that's what it says in the manual)
Load port blocked spring-loaded shell lifter is a thumb bitter.
I've never experienced it myself, but this is not the first time I hear about 870 FTE with heavy load - my guess single extractor just doesn't do it.
All these problems are there for 60 years. In good Remington tradition they keep giving deep discounts to military and keep floating on consumer loyalty and ignorance. Don't get me wrong, 870 is not a "bad" shotgun - and I can see where it has very few flaws in hunting or even assault situation; however it is superbly poorly suited for HD/SD - I'd go as far as to say I'd rather use SxS - checking to see if safety is off with finger off the trigger is just not my thing.
Oh, yeah, ever tried quail hunting with a 5 foot club? That's what 870 becomes when shell gets stuck under the lifter.... LOL great hunt.
I retreat my previous statement - 870 is just plain POS!!!!
Oh, yeah, ever tried quail hunting with a 5 foot club? That's what 870 becomes when shell gets stuck under the lifter.... LOL great hunt
I retreat my previous statement - 870 is just plain POS!!!!
870. Plain simple gets it done. I plan on buying an 1100 someday. just not high on my list of things to buy.
I have had 3 870s in the past. one Express managed to get the shell lodged under the bolt and above the lifter. It was either disassemble the shotgun to get it out or slam the butt stock on the ground while holding the forend. Option two resolved the problem and I kept shooting it through class.
Safety's on shotguns are nice to prevent the trigger from moving. However they aren't a drop safe design. So whats the point of using it. Keep the chamber empty until you are aready to shoot something and you won't have to worry about the safety.
The only 870 I own right now is my Short barrel Police Magnum. No magazine extension, no pistol grip, no lights, lasers, toasters, HAM radio receivers. Just a basic walnut stock with a 4 round magazine and a bead sight. If 4 rounds of buckshot won't resolve an issue in my house I picked the wrong neighborhood to live in.
We can tell you our opinion all day long. But an 870 if you don't like it odds are you can sell it here in a heart beat. Same with the 1100. Just put Tactical in the title and someone with a post count of 26 will PM you within a minute or two.
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