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Old 10-15-2018, 12:16 AM
Texas Star Texas Star is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BC38 View Post
Forgive me for a slight highjack, but...
I have a local fellow wanting to trade me a nearly new 870 Magnum Express 20 gauge with 3 chokes and some misc. ammo for a NIB unfired Bersa 380CC.

I know the little Bersa is a pretty decent little piece.
How are these Remington pump guns? Are they a pretty good shotgun?

Trying to decide whether to make the trade.
Assuming that you mean the standard Wingmaster, not the Express grade, they are the standard of the industry for slide-action shotguns. And have been since the early 1950's. But he's offering an Express grade, a cheaper made gun.

More police departments and hunters have used the M-870 than probably any other shotgun.

The M-870 has higher status as a shotgun than anything Bersa ever made does as a pistol!

That said, I have not examined this particular M-870 and it may have some flaw that is causing this fellow to be willing to trade. And it is the cheaper Express.

I suggest that you locate and buy a rev ed. of Elmer Keith's book, Shotguns and read it thoroughly. The rev. ed. includes the Rem. M-1100 and maybe a few other guns that appeared after the original 1950 edition.

The book is dated, but remains the best shotgun book I've seen.

My feeling is that you could trade about even, but I don't fully trust the Express gun to be all I'd want in an M-870. And Remington's quality control in recent years has been spotty, at best. I'd pass and try to buy a nice older Wingmaster grade. But you may have trouble trading a Bersa pistol for one.

If reasonably lucky, you might find a good M-870 for maybe $250-400, depending on where you live and how much the store needs the sale.

I personally wouldn't buy an Express grade, especially with Remington's current QC issues.

Last edited by Texas Star; 10-15-2018 at 12:31 AM.
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