A local blogger walked into Vance Outdoors in Columbus and found a cart o' shotties filled with Ohio State Highway Patrol Remington 870's. You can see his story here: Huey's Gunsight: Another 870 finds its way to the gun vault...

I've wanted to add to my shotgun collection lately, so I thought I'd buy one or two of these. I thought "Chuck, you should call ahead to see if they have any." I didn't, and I went anyway to find the cart o' shotties nowhere in sight. When I inquired at the gun counter, I was informed that the cart sold out very quickly but that they were taking orders because they expect to receive at least 1000 more of them as trade-ins on new shotguns. The advertised price (you can see the gun and it's price if you go to the Vance website and download the flyer) is $270 each. I ordered two.

If anybody in the central Ohio area is interested in this, you may wish to consider placing an order or just waiting until they have more in stock. I don't know how many orders they've already taken so I don't know when/if they will have any in stock.

I asked the gun counter clerk if he knew with what these 870's would be replaced. He said they were police 870's with 14" barrels. I have been unable to confirm his information, but if true, it's good to see that the law about barrel length applies equally to all of us.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Vance though I have been a frequent customer.

Vance had a Shield 40 in the display case. Niiiiiiiiiiice. I like and I want. They said they've delivered 70 of them but they have sufficient orders placed that they expect to have no free stock in the foreseeable future.

I'm feeling a sudden urge to run up to Vance's and pick up a shotgun, I may have to lie down until those feelings go away and then drive up there.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

If they are 14 inch barrels they are NFA items. I would say they are 18s and the "clerk" didn't know what he was saying.

The trade ins that Vance's are selling are 20 inch barrels with 3 shot extensions. Ohio State Patrol are receiving new 14 inch 870's.

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Go Big Blue

20 inch, 8 Shot, Rifle Sights, $269.99.

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NRA Pistol/Rifle Inst. RSO

I've got a 870 that has a 12" barrel. The stamp cost me $5.00. I bought to carry in my patrol car. I'm retiring in December and it goes home with me. You can have a short barrel shotgun or machine gun just like the LEO folks. Unfortunately you have to pay extra for it.

I was told the same thing. May have been the same clerk but he confirmed it with another older guy in a cowboy hat who seems to be the chief wrangler there 'bouts.

Too many of us in Columbus not to have a gathering, eh? Anyone with organizational skills want to take this on? (Blujax puts thumb to forehead) *Not it*.

On Friday I went to Vance Outdoors and took possession of both of my new (to me) OSHP Remington 870's. They look like duty weapons that have been thrown into a car a few times. Their actions are smooth and I look forward to shooting them.

Since I've never purchased more than one gun at a time, I didn't know that NICS would require me to answer "Why are you buying more than one gun?" Say what? My answer was simple: "These are inexpensive." Apparently the wonk at NICS was satisifed with the answer because I walked out of the store with a shotgun in each hand.

I inquired as to how many they had received, and the answer was fewer than two dozen. The clerk assisting me said they'd heard that the OSHP was having trouble with the new guns so they were holding on to the old guns until the problems were resolved. They expected to get more of them (hundreds, at least) but they don't know when. If anybody has an order, be patient.

After running multiple searches looking for LE 870P trade-in's, I stumbled across the same Blog and now have a few of these on order - that's a smokin' deal on a great weapon.

tp

That's how I got one of my 870's. 20" barrel with the extended magazine, sling and shot-shell carrier attached; used to ride around in a Clark County WA Sheriff's car. He had a dozen of them, and let me look all of them over. I took the one with the smoothest action. It isn't that pretty, but at $250 out the door I wasn't going to complain.