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The Remington Model 870 is a
pump-action shotgun Pump action or slide action is a repeating firearm action that is operated manually by moving a sliding handguard on the gun's forestock. When shooting, the sliding forend is pulled rearward to eject any expended cartridge and typically to co ...
manufactured by Remington Arms Company, LLC. It is widely used by the public for
shooting sports Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such ...
, hunting and self-defense, as well as by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide.


Development

The Remington 870 was the fourth major design in a series of Remington pump shotguns. John Pedersen designed the fragile
Remington Model 10 The Remington Model 10 is a pump-action shotgun designed by John Pedersen for Remington Arms. It has an internal striker within the bolt and a tube magazine which loaded and ejected from a port in the bottom of the receiver.Bruce N. Canfield "Gi ...
(and later the improved Remington Model 29). John Browning designed the Remington Model 17 (which was later adapted by
Ithaca Ithaca most commonly refers to: *Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey'' *Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca *Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College Ithaca, Ithaka ...
into the Ithaca 37), which served as the basis for the Remington 31. The Model 31 was marketed as the “ball-bearing repeater” and was well-received, but its many machined and handfitted parts made the gun expensive to manufacture. Consequently, it struggled in sales compared to the
Winchester Model 12 The Winchester Model 1912 (also commonly known as the Model 12, or M12) is an internal-hammer pump-action shotgun with an external tube magazine. Popularly named the ''Perfect Repeater'' at its introduction, it largely set the standard for pump- ...
. To achieve better sales, Remington produced the Model 870 in 1950, which was more modern and reliable in its construction, easy to take apart and maintain, and relatively inexpensive. The 870 was a commercial success. Remington sold two million guns by 1973 (ten times the number of Model 31 shotguns it replaced). As of 1983, the 870 held the record for the best-selling shotgun in history, with three million sold.Wallack, LR. "Sixty Million Guns". 1983. In ''Gun Digest Treasury'', Harold A. Murtz, editor, DBI Books. 1994 p.193 By 1996, spurred by sales of the basic "Express" models, which were added as a lower-cost alternative to the original Wingmaster line, sales topped seven million guns. On April 13, 2009, the ten millionth Model 870 was produced.


Design details

The 870 features a bottom-loading, side ejecting receiver and a tubular magazine under the barrel. The gun comes with a plug for migratory bird hunting which reduces the magazine's capacity to two rounds. It has dual action bars, internal hammer, and a bolt which locks into an extension in the barrel. The action, receiver, fire control group, safety catch and slide release catch of the Remington Model 870 shotgun are similar to those used on the
Remington Model 7600 The Remington Model 7600 is a series of pump-action centerfire rifles made by Remington Arms. The Model 7600 is a progression from the original Model 760 pump-action rifle which Remington produced from 1952 to 1981. Production of the Model Six be ...
series pump-action centerfire rifles and carbines. The basic fire control group design was first used in the automatic 11–48. Twelve gauge stocks will also interchange on the older 12-gauge-sized 20-gauge receivers, although modification is needed to fit the smaller sized 20-gauge receivers employed since the late 1970s. Several parts of the 870, such as buttstocks and magazine tubes, will interchange with the semi-automatic
Remington 1100 The Remington 1100 is a gas-operated semi-automatic shotgun introduced by Remington Arms in 1963. History Designed by Wayne Leek and Robert Kelley, the Remington Model 1100 was introduced in 1963 as a successor to the Model 58 and Model 878 g ...
and 11–87. The original 870 models were offered with fixed
chokes Choking, also known as foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO), is a phenomenon that occurs when breathing is impeded by a blockage inside of the respiratory tract. An obstruction that prevents oxygen from entering the lungs results in oxygen dep ...
. In 1986 Remington introduced the new Remington "Rem Choke" system of screw-in chokes (also fitted to Remington model 1100 auto-loading shotguns at the same time). Initially, the Rem Chokes were offered only in 12 gauge in barrel lengths of 21", 26", and 28". The following year the availability was expanded to the 20 gauge and included other barrel lengths. The 870's production for over 30 years had a design whereby a user could fail to press a shell all the way into the magazine when loading - so that the shell latch did not engage the shell - which could result in tying up the gun. This was caused by the shell slipping out of the magazine under the bolt in the receiver to bind the action, requiring rough treatment of the action or even disassembly. The potential issue was resolved with the introduction of the "Flexi Tab" carrier. Guns with this modification can be identified by the "U"-shaped cut-out on the carrier, visible from below the gun. The cut-out, combined with a modified machining on the underside of the slide assembly, allows the action to be opened with a shell on the carrier.


Variants

There are hundreds of variations of the Remington 870 in 12, 16, 20, 28 gauges and .410 bore. In 1969 Remington introduced 28 gauge and .410 bore models on a new scaled-down receiver size, and in 1972 a 20 gauge Lightweight ("LW") version was introduced on the same sized receiver, and all of the smaller gauges today are produced on that size receiver. From the original fifteen models offered, Remington currently produces dozens of models for civilian, law enforcement, and military sales. 870 variants can be grouped into: * Express – Matte blue/black bead-blasted with hardwood, laminated hardwood or synthetic stocks and chambered for 2 3/4" and 3" 12 or 20 gauge shot shells. All Expresses have been chambered in 3" in 12 and 20 gauge, but markings have varied. *Express Tactical – Matte blue/black bead-blasted with a synthetic stock and chambered for 2 3/4", 3", or 3 1/2" 12 gauge shot shells. * FieldMaster – Matte blue/black with walnut stock and chambered for 2 3/4" and 3" 12 or 20 gauge shot shells. * Mark 1 – adopted by the United States Marine Corps in the late 1960s and saw service into the 21st century. The Model 870 Mark 1 has a 21-inch (53 cm) barrel with an extended magazine increasing total capacity to 8 rounds, and was fitted with an adapter allowing use of the standard
M7 bayonet The M7 bayonet (NSN 1095-00-017-9701) is a bayonet that was used by the U.S. military for the M16 rifle, it can also be used with the M4 carbine as well as many other assault rifles, carbines and combat shotguns. It can be used as a fighting kni ...
for the M16 rifle.Canfield, Bruce N. "Combat Shotguns of the Vietnam War" ''
American Rifleman ''American Rifleman'' is a United States-based monthly shooting and firearms interest publication, owned by the National Rifle Association (NRA). It is the 33rd-most-widely-distributed consumer magazine and the NRA's primary magazine. The magaz ...
'' March 2002 pp.44–47&92–95
* MCS (Modular Combat Shotgun) – A new modular variant of the Model 870 which can be quickly modified with different barrels, magazine tubes, and stocks for different purposes, such as urban combat and door breaching. *Police Magnum – The law enforcement version of the Model 870, the Police Magnum, is chambered in 12 gauge 3" magnum. It can be ordered with two options: a blued or
Parkerized Phosphate conversion coating is a chemical treatment applied to steel parts that creates a thin adhering layer of iron, zinc, or manganese phosphates, to achieve corrosion resistance, lubrication, or as a foundation for subsequent coatings or p ...
steel finish. These models feature a sturdier sear spring, carrier latch spring, and a forged steel extractor (as opposed to the metal injection molded extractor used on the 870 Express variants). The receivers are stamped with the insignia "Remington 870 Police Magnum" beginning 2014. They are equipped with Police Magnum-specific walnut hardwood or polymer stocks which are fitted with sling mounts. The walnut stocks omit the checkering that is present on the Express/Wingmaster variants. 870 Police Magnum models come with matching walnut or polymer pumps that are decreased in length to prevent interference with most vehicle-mounted rack systems. The shortened pump also allows quick visual inspection of the internal magazine regardless of what position the pump is in, whereas the optional lengthened sport-type pump on other models partially blocks the loading port when it is pulled to the rear position. Police Magnum models are available with 18" or 20" barrels, with or without iron rifle sights, and have a standard magazine tube capacity of four rounds. They can be ordered with a two or three round extended magazine tube from the factory, bringing total capacity to 7 (+1) shotshells (18" barrel) or 8 (+1) shotshells (20" barrel). All Police Magnum barrels come with an improved cylinder choke unless specially ordered to fit the user's needs. * Special Purpose Marine Magnum – Corrosion resistant nickel-plating covering all internal and external metal parts with black synthetic furniture. * Special Purpose Waterfowl - Matte, Parkerized finish on barrel and receiver, satin-finished American walnut stock and forearm with cut(not pressed)checkering, sling swivels, a camo sling were standard. It was a 3" gun. This model is sometimes confused with the Express, but it was more closely related to the Wingmaster line, with a commensurate price tag. * Sportsman 12 – Made between 1984 and 1986 as a cheaper alternative to the Wingmaster, prior to the release of the Express. Lesser quality wood, but otherwise identical. * Super Mag – Chambered for 3½" 12 gauge shotshells and has a spring loaded dust cover on the bolt to allow for a larger opening while keeping the receiver the same length. * Tac-14 –
Black oxide Black oxide or blackening is a conversion coating for ferrous materials, stainless steel, copper and copper based alloys, zinc, powdered metals, and silver solder. It is used to add mild corrosion resistance, for appearance, and to minimize ligh ...
receiver finish, with a synthetic stock. The Tac-14 is extremely compact by design, but retains the reliability and stopping power of previous models. It is chambered in 12 gauge, with a 14" barrel and a capacity of 4+1. Owing to its unique design, the Tac-14 is not designated a shotgun, but a firearm. Since it comes from the factory without a stock, and its overall length being over 26", it is not considered an NFA AOW (National Firearms Act
Any Other Weapon Title II weapons, or NFA firearms, are designations of certain weapons under the United States National Firearms Act (NFA). These are weapons requiring a Type 01 Federal Firearms License (FFL) as well as a Class 3 Special Occupation Tax (SOT) t ...
). It is marketed and sold with a black synthetic Raptor "pistol grip" and Magpul
M-LOK M-LOK, for Modular Lock, is a firearm rail interface system developed and patented by Magpul Industries. The license is free-of-charge, but subject to an approval process. M-LOK allows for direct accessory attachment onto the "negative s ...
forend. * Tac-14 DM - Tac-14, featuring an external box magazine rather than the internal tube magazine in other models. This allows for the size of the Tac-14, but a capacity of 6+1. * Tac-14 Marine Magnum - Identical form and function as the standard Tac-14 but with the same nickel plating on all metal parts as the Special Purpose Marine Magnum. *Wilson Arms Executive Protection - Ultra short model. Sawed-off barrel, with pistol grip and vertical fore grip. *Wingmaster – Blued steel with high gloss or satin walnut stocks. They have been offered in Skeet, Trap, and field configurations. Originally the basic Wingmaster was chambered for 2 3/4" rounds and came with a fixed choke, and the 3" chambered versions were designated Magnum models. Models built after 1986 offer the RemChoke Interchangeable choke tube system, and the 12 and 20 gauge versions are chambered in 3" for either 2 3/4" or 3" shells. Prior to the introduction of the "Police Magnum" model 870, altered Wingmasters were popular among law enforcement. *870 DM - Matte Blue receiver finish with a synthetic stock. Differs from other 870 models with an external box magazine, similarly to the Tac-14 DM, allowing a capacity of 6+1. * 200th Anniversary Edition – To celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Remington, two models were designed. One was a Wingmaster with some styling in the wood and a golden emblem on the bottom of the stock. The second was a limited edition Wingmaster that stopped production after 2016, with the same styling, but extended across the entirety of the stock and pump, and also extends to the receiver and barrel, with a golden ring on the end of the barrel. The emblem on the bottom is also a richer gold, possibly real gold, and there is a golden ribbon under the shell ejection reading "1816 Bicentennial 2016" along with a golden trigger, and a golden symbol of a hunter with a firearm in hand walking.


Chinese imitations

Chinese arms company Norinco has made unlicensed copies of the Remington 870, as the design is no longer under patent protection. The most common of these designs are the
Norinco HP9-1 The Norinco HP9-1, also known as the Norinco N870-14.00 and Norinco M982, is a short pump action shotgun made by weapons manufacturer Norinco (North China Industries Corporation). Description This 12 gauge smoothbore firearm has a 14-inch (36 cm ...
and M-98, the difference being that the HP9-1 has either a 12.5" or 14" barrel, whereas the M-98 has an 18.5" barrel. In the United States, where most Norinco products are specifically non-importable, this shotgun was imported and sold under the names Norinco Hawk 982 and Interstate Hawk 982.


Users


See also

*
Combat shotgun A combat shotgun is a shotgun issued by militaries for warfare. The earliest shotguns specifically designed for combat were the trench guns or trench shotguns issued in World War I. While limited in range, the multiple projectiles typically ...
*
Knight's Armament Company Masterkey The Masterkey is a door breaching shotgun system manufactured by Knight's Armament Company. The Masterkey project was initiated during the 1980s to provide assault rifles with a potent built-in door breaching tool. Individual soldiers were ofte ...
*
List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces This is a list of weapons served individually by the United States armed forces. While the general understanding is that crew-served weapons require more than one person to operate them, there are important exceptions in the case of both squad a ...


References


External links


Remington page for 870

A guide to Collecting Remington 870 Shotguns from Remington Society

Remington page for 870 Tactical

Remington Military MCS page

Important differences between Remington 870 Police and 870 Express shotguns





Blog and forum about Remington 870
{{DEFAULTSORT:Remington Model 870 Cold War firearms of the United States Police weapons Pump-action shotguns Remington Arms firearms United States Marine Corps equipment Shotguns of the United States Military equipment introduced in the 1950s