The simplicity is the beauty of the 870.
I have no experience with the express or any of the newer variants. The older Wingmasters were ridiculously reliable and so easy to strip and clean I mastered it at the tender age of 15 when I got my first one.
The one bugaboo was the dreaded shell jump over the elevator. I learned really early the one and only cause in my case was not getting the last shell past the stop. Once I learned to insert the shell a little further the problem disappeared.
I guide bird hunters in the fall and get to see some truly stunning shotguns. My favorite though was an attorney from Alaska who showed up with his prosecutor buddy. The prosecutor was using a Holland and Holland SXS in 20 Ga. When the attorney uncased his gun, I know my mouth fell open. Without a doubt the most worn Wingmaster I have ever seen. He shot the thing like a magic wand. He told me it was the first gun he bought when in law school and it had followed him around the globe on hunts and adventures. Still my favorite “guest gun” to date.