The Remington Model 870 is a pump action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, LLC. This model of weapon was introduced to the public in 1950 and has since become one of the most popular military universal shotguns in the United States. In the early 1950s, the Remington 870 was approved by the US military and in 1966 the US Marine Corps purchased several thousand Remington 870 Mk.1., which, along with the Mossberg 590 and Winchester 1200, formed the core of the USMC smoothbore strike weapons.
The Remington 870 is also a very popular weapon for police and various security services. It is also extremely popular in the civilian market due to its reliability and brutal appearance.
Story
The Remington 870 is the fourth popular pump-action shotgun model developed by Remington. John Pedersen developed the Remington Model 10 (later improved as the Model 29). John Browning developed the Model 17 (a design later used in the Ithaca 37 shotgun).
It was these decisions that became the basis for the Remington 31. The Model 31 became quite widespread, but still gave way to the Winchester 1200 on the market. The Remington company sought to correct the situation and in 1949 introduced an improved, reliable and relatively affordable Remington 870.
The 870 showed more stable sales than its predecessors. In 1973, sales reached 2 million units, which is 10 times more than the Model 31. Thanks to the appearance on the market of the Express model, which was cheaper due to the use of carbon steel and other materials in the construction, an analogue of the original Wingmaster, sales reached 7 000,000 units.
On April 13, 2009, the ten millionth Remington Model 870 shotgun was sold, setting a new sales record.
To date, the number of officially sold guns of this model exceeds 11 million units.
Military samples were produced with magazines for 7 or 8 rounds. Police versions were available with fixed or folding stocks, or shortened models without them, but with pistol grips.
Civilian models are supplied in a legally permitted configuration, a folding or full-bodied fixed stock, a short magazine with or without the ability to install an extension.
Choosing a gun when purchasing
A guaranteed serviceable gun can only be purchased in specialized stores if you have the necessary documents. When purchasing a used copy, you should pay attention to the appearance: the gun should not have any damage, the forend and bolt should slide without jamming, clearly and with little effort. The trunk must be perfectly mirror-like, without shells or chips. A small amount of rust is allowed. It is necessary to check the operation of the firing pin: you should carry out several test shots and make sure that the trigger mechanism is in full working order.
Basic design
The Remington 870 model shotgun is a weapon with a tubular under-barrel magazine, its capacity is 7+1 rounds, in the hunting version up to four rounds. An extension can be installed; recent Remington examples have an easily removable plug at the end of the magazine tube.
The reloading mechanics are completely manual, using a movable forend, the so-called “pump-action” circuit.
Locking the barrel with two lugs.
One of the advantages of the company was its rejection of the fashionable trends at that time to reduce the cost of weapons through the use of cheap materials and composites. As a result, all shotguns of this model have steel mechanisms, receivers and other parts. This increased the weight, but along with it the reliability of the weapon also increased.
Description of the structural parts of the shotgun
The receiver of the gun is made of high quality steel. The magazine has a tubular design, that is, equipment is loaded through a special window located at the bottom of the receiver, one cartridge at a time. The stock can have a classic hunting look, namely: a fixed butt and a semi-pistol neck; but it can also be modified - the butt and pistol grip are made separately. In the first version, wood is used as a material, and in the second, polymers are used. In addition, the stock may be either folding or absent altogether. In this case, only the pistol grip is installed. On some models, an additional pistol grip is installed on the lower part of the forend. Various modifications of the pump-action shotgun in question use barrels of different drill sizes (0.0 - cylindrical, 0.15-0.25 - cylindrical with pressure) and lengths.
Modifications
There are many variants of the Remington 870 chambered in various gauges: 12, 16, 20, 28, and .410. In 1969, Remington introduced 28- and .410-caliber versions that featured a lighter receiver. In 1972, a 20 gauge model with the same receiver was introduced.
Since then, all small-caliber shotguns have the same receiver.
From the beginning, Remington offered fifteen models. Now the company offers dozens of different models, which can be divided into the following series:
- Express series , designed primarily for the civilian market, matte, metal parts, painted blue or black;
- Marine line , these guns are designed for use in high humidity conditions, the steel surfaces are nickel plated, there is no wood in the construction, only high-strength plastic;
- Mark I , an army shotgun, does not have a series as such, one gauge - 12. Since the 60s, it has been in service with the USMC. The barrel is 2 inches, with a lug underneath for mounting an M7 bayonet or any other NATO standard;
- MCS (English: Modular Combat Shotgun) is a new fashionable trend, this is a construction set, used mainly by the police or in its special units. Found on the civilian market;
- Police - a line intended for purchase by police departments, average price category, simplified finishing, maximum phosphaluting of steel surfaces, or even just protective spraying. Possibility of choosing the material for the manufacture of the fore-end and butt;
- SuperMag , a one-off 12-gauge weapon chambered for a supermagnum cartridge, 89 mm long;
- Wingmaster is the basic line of the 870 series, the steel is blued, the butt and fore-end are made only of durable wood, covered with a universal varnish coating. Configurations were offered for clay pigeon shooting and hunting. The chamber is designed for 70 mm cartridges, later universal samples appeared, with a 76 mm Magnus chamber, with the ability to fire cartridges with a short sleeve. Before the advent of the 870 "police" series of shotguns, models modified to accept the Wingmaster magnum were common among law enforcement officers.
Also, the guns that were intended for special operations forces had barrel attachments and a bayonet lug/mount to fire special purpose ammunition (tear gas grenades, non-lethal rubber bullets, etc.).
The M870 can be equipped with red dot sights, as well as tactical flashlights, laser designators mounted on a Picatinny rail or similar interfaces - keymod, weaver, etc.
| Type | Gun |
| Term of use | 1951 - now |
| Constructor | L. Ray Crittendon, Phillip Haskell, Ellis Hailston, G. E. Pinckney |
| Designed by | 1951 |
| Manufacturer | Remington Arms |
| Quantity | more than 11 million |
| Options | Wingmaster, Express, Marine, SPS, SPS-T, XCS, TAC, Super Mag, MCS |
| Weight | 3.2 kg to 3.6 kg |
| Length | 946 mm to 1280 mm |
| Barrel length | 460 mm to 760 mm |
| Ammunition type | 12, 16, 20, 28, .410 caliber |
| Mechanism | Pump-action shotgun |
| Ammunition type | from 4 + 1 to 7 + 1 tubular magazine |
| Aim | various open, diopter and other types of sights |
general information
The Remington 870 is a pump-action weapon with smooth barrels. The magazine is made like a tubular one and is placed under the barrel. The most common version is adapted for 12-gauge ammunition; other varieties require the use of other calibers.
The weapon is used to arm the security forces of various countries, as well as to hunt animals of different sizes. In the 70s of the last century, a military version of the shotgun appeared, which was distinguished by a 7-round magazine, a mounted bayonet, and pads to prevent burns to the owner. The metal parts on the outside are protected with a matte coating, which eliminates the possibility of glare and corrosion.
There are models for police departments and security organizations. They are produced with two barrel options: 355 or 475 millimeters. Drilling of trunks is made using a cylindrical type or a cylinder with pressure. It is powered by charges for various purposes: buckshot, bullets, gas grenades, signal flares and many others.
The gun is widespread in many countries except the USA:
Austria - used by the police special forces unit EKO Cobra and the military special forces unit Jagdkommando; Belgium - used by the SIE police detachment involved in high-security operations; Great Britain - in service with state special forces L74A1; Greece - operated by the EKAM police unit, which is responsible for the security of members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; Ireland - used by Army Rangers; Spain - Operated by naval companies that are sent to carry out high-priority operations.
Chinese versions
Chinese gun manufacturer Norinco is producing unlicensed copies of the Remington 870 because the patents on the gun have expired. The most common of them are Norinco HP9-1 and M-98.
They differ in barrel length: the first is 12.5 or 14 inches, and the second is 18.5 inches.
In the United States, where most Norinco products are subject to an import ban, these shotguns are imported and sold under the names Norinco Hawk 982 and Interstate Hawk 982.
Weapon care and storage rules
In order for the gun to last longer, it must be maintained, that is, periodically, at least once a week, cleaning and lubrication. And when hunting, it must be cleaned every time after use with special gun oil. The weapon should be stored in a special metal safe under lock and key, since this is established by law and violation of this requirement can lead to bad consequences.
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Advantages and Disadvantages of the Remington 870
Advantages
A distinctive feature of this weapon is that there is an almost unlimited list of weapon accessories, various tuning options and technical improvements.
An extensive selection of accessories and components means that this gun can be adjusted for effective and comfortable shooting for almost any anthropometry, for example by selecting the stock of the required length.
For the Remington 870 shotgun, you can always find a variety of stocks (including recoil-compensated ones), forends, sights, slings, mounts for cartridges on the receiver and many other accessories.
Flaws
- When using cheap domestic or Chinese cartridges, the cartridge often becomes wedged in the magazine or the cartridge sticks into the chamber when reloading and the cartridge case becomes crushed;
- Due to the widespread use of steel in mechanisms, the gun is relatively heavy;
- Inconvenient fuse placement.
Now let's look at some of the pros and cons depending on the gun's loading system. A person who decides to get a shotgun must choose between a pump-action and a semi-automatic shotgun.
Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of each type of shotgun.
Advantages of hand shotguns:
- More reliable, sticking of cheap cartridges occurs less frequently;
- Simpler and more reliable design, which makes them a good choice for self-defense;
- Handheld shotguns are inexpensive;
- They are easier to clean and repair.
Disadvantages of hand shotguns:
- Manual reloading takes practice if you want to do it quickly;
- It is difficult but possible to use a pump shotgun if one arm is injured. For example, in 1986, an FBI Miami SWAT officer reloaded his Remington 870 with one hand, holding it between his knees;
Advantages of semi-automatic shotguns:
- Can only be used with one hand. This is one of the important advantages in a home defense situation;
- A trained shooter can shoot faster using a semi-automatic weapon than a pump-action shotgun.
Disadvantages of semi-automatic shotguns:
- Semi-automatic machines are demanding on cartridges;
- They are not as reliable as pump action shotguns.
Various tuning options
Unlike domestic models, for which you have to buy tuning elements yourself, the Remington-870 can be immediately ordered with a full body kit and tuning. These improvements will affect almost all components of the weapon:
- You can order a stock of any type, even a specialized one that compensates for recoil;
- Handguard of almost any type and made of any material;
- Adjust the sear spring force according to your needs. For a hunter, it is better to reduce the force to a minimum, and in security or self-defense versions it is better to increase it, otherwise the owner will not be protected from an accidental shot;
- As a sight, you can use both standard open-type sighting devices and various optics, laser and collimator sights;
- You can order a pistol grip instead of the standard one, and also replace the standard coating, which is not very reliable, with a blued one;
- Using a Picatinny rail, which is not included, you can equip the Remington-870 with a wide range of different under-barrel lights.
