When you say “shotgun” I’ll bet that most people will visualize the popular Remington 870. There are good reasons for that. Since its introduction in 1950, year after year, it’s been a best seller. It is now arguably the best-selling shotgun of all time. It configures easily for just about any task. Change out barrels, stocks and accessories and you can have an upland bird gun, a duck gun, a skeet gun, a trap gun, a riot gun, or a tactical defense gun. It’s simple. It looks good. It’s reliable. It’s easy to maintain. I’ve heard it said that one can never have too many Remington 870s. It’s that good.

Still, in spite of its immense popularity for over 60 years, few people actually know how the enduring design came to be. So here’s a little history. After World War II, Remington designers were working on a family of shotguns to offer the public. The first to hit the market was the 11-48 semiauto in 1948. It was decided that many of the parts of the 11-48 could also be applied to a pump-operated counterpart. Four Remington engineers were assigned the task of developing that pump gun. They were Ray Crittendon, Phillip Haskell, Ellis Hailston, and G.E. Pinckney.

These skilled men went to work with the 11-48 design as the core of the gun. They used the receiver, trigger housing group, and a number of other common parts. While the gun was a quality piece, it was also economical, first because it used many of the same parts as the 11-48, but also because most of the parts were easy to manufacture. The receiver, the bolt and the barrel were made of the finest steel. There were a number of stamped parts that were easy to make in the trigger housing group. The twin action bars were also stamped parts. Using two bars instead of one made for reliability, with no problems of twisting or binding inherent in a single-bar design. It was lighter than most shotguns, because the design team chose the 16-gauge receiver of the 11-48 to work with 12-gauge components. That also made the new gun a bit slimmer than the 11-48 12-gauge. The push-button trigger-blocking safety behind the trigger was carried over from the semiautomatic gun and a bolt-release lever forward of the trigger guard was incorporated into the trigger housing group. The bolt has a cammed locking block that fits into an extension on the barrel to lock these units together in the forward position.

Barrels could be easily interchanged without fitting by simply removing the magazine cap and slipping them on and off. The standard stock fit almost everybody. When the gun was announced in January 1950 as the model 870 “Wingmaster,” it became an immediate hit. The only alloy part was the non-stressed trigger housing, which was anodized to match the bluing on most of the steel parts. The older Remington Model 31 needed over 580 machining operations to produce it, while the 870 needed only about 150. These cost savings could be passed on to the customers, and the 870 was never a particularly expensive item. As a matter of interest, although there have been some cosmetic changes depending on the intended use of the various iterations of the gun, it has remained mechanically the same since its introduction. That’s a real tribute to its excellence.

The reliability of the 870 action is legendary. This fact has not been lost on police departments in the United States, and 870 riot guns can be found almost universally with them. It’s a rare police cruiser that doesn’t have one on board. The intimidating metallic “shuck-shuck” sound of a round being chambered is usually enough to settle any disagreement without a shot being fired. Officers who are trained with the gun are instructed to operate the action vigorously. As with most pump actions, not pulling the forearm all the way back (a “short stroke”) can induce a hangup. A round in the 870 can then jam halfway out of the magazine, back over the lifter. For this reason, many departments have modified the lifter with a central longitudinal slot. This enables pushing a jammed round back into the magazine with a key, a pen, or a knife, putting the gun back into action easily. Home defense guns can be modified similarly; it’s easy enough to do with a Dremel® or similar tool and a cutoff wheel. Current 12-gauge guns have a “Flexi-tab” lifter with a U-shaped slot that alleviates the problem.

Various configurations have been offered by the factory over the years. Almost standard among outdoor sportsmen are the 28-inch-barrel field models with a ventilated rib and a modified choke. In recent years, “Rem-choke” barrels have become available; these have interchangeable choke tubes which screw into the muzzle of the barrel. This arrangement allows selection of an open, improved, modified or full choke in just a few moments. Many older barrels were custom equipped with adjustable chokes and/or compensators such as the Cutts models.

Riot guns with shorter barrels (usually 18” or 20”) and with more mundane metal and stock finishes are considered ideal for police and home defense work. The 870 is easily adaptable to allow different stocks, barrels with rifle sights, extended magazines, extra ammo brackets, etc. Custom-configured “tactical” models are easy enough to put together for those interested in doing so. There are even forearms with built-in high intensity flashlights for use in the dark or low light environments. Aftermarket polymer stocks and folding or collapsible stocks are also available. Guns without shoulder stocks and using just pistol grips make for handiness in confined areas, but are not for the recoil-sensitive.

There are so many factory configurations that they are impossible to list in this short article. There are left-handed actions, a wide variety of stock materials, many different gauges and chamber lengths, youth models, sighted barrels, moisture resistant and camouflage finishes, and special guns made for competition such as skeet and trap.

The gun illustrated here is my old 12-gauge 870 TB trap model. It’s equipped with a 30” ribbed barrel featuring two "stack 'em" beads. By the standard Remington date code on the barrel, it was made in February of 1969. I've put thousands of rounds through it and it's still as good as new. If you’re wondering about the pieces of red and blue tape on the forearm, they were put there to distinguish my gun from all the others in the racks at the trap range – it seems almost everyone where I competed had one a lot like it. With practice and this fine gun, I was able to hit 50 straight pretty regularly before my interests wandered to other endeavors. The trap and skeet models typically had premium wood, finely figured and finished. This old gun is no exception. It’s a beautiful piece.

Over 10 million 870s have been built and sold from 1950 to 2010, and this shotgun shows no signs of any decline in popularity. Parts and accessories are available almost anywhere and on the internet. Sportsmen, police, the military, shooting competitors and those just wanting effective self protection all think the world of it. If you don’t have one, well – why not?


John

(c) JLM

__________________
- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Where would the 870 be in popularity if the Winchester Model 12 had not been discontinued? Number 2 I'll bet.

From Wikipedia "From 1912 until first discontinued by Winchester in 1963, nearly two million Model 12 shotguns were produced in various grades and barrel lengths 51 years of production. The ultimate reason for discontinuation in 1963 was that it was too expensive to produce at a competitive price.

from 1949 Sales of the 870 have been steady. They reached 2 million guns by 1973 24 years of production.

On April 13, 2009 the ten millionth Model 870 was produced, and the 870 holds the record for best-selling shotgun in history"
Both are great shotguns and only speculation now as which could have out sold the other. But number look to be in favor of Remington as staying number 1. They both have a place in history.

And I would like to have a Winchester Model 12 trench gun to keep my 870 company.

John,

I wouldn't challenge that the 870 as #1. However, if someone came up with a number that put the Browning Auto-5 and its variants (Rem. M-11) at the top that wouldn't surprise me either.

There was a great program on the military use of shotguns last week on the History Channel. Started with the blunderbuss, the 1886 lever action, the 1898 Winchester pump, the Auto-5, the Mossberg 500 & 590, etc. It ended with various modern versions, one of which mounts under the M-16 like a grenade launcher.

Bob

I agree that its the most popular. I didn't say best, but most popular.

There are plenty of better shotguns but not in the price range of the 870. Its well made, its reliable, and moderately priced. Its no wonder its the most popular.

I like the 870, but its not in the same class as the Model 12, and you can't make a model 12 fore what it cost to make an 870.

Its no match for my Ithaca double either, but then I was offered three times the price I paid for my 870 just for the stock on my Ithaca.

Still the Rem 870 is a great gun.

Brownign A5 2.7 million produced world wide Remington Model 11 (which I have and is a nice gun) Approximately 850,000 even adding Savage Model 720 and Model 745 I doubt they could equal 870 sales because of price.

Model 12 has always been number one with me but as mentioned cannot be built for the same money as the 870. I think the Remington, with it's steel receiver gives you the best bang for your buck in pump guns and that may not change.

Although I dont really have much intrest in shotguns (I can't hit anything with them), I found this a most interesting read. Thanks for posting it.

My sons first firearm was a Remington 870 Express in 20 gauge. He second was an 1100 in 12 gauge. I don't expect that those will be his only two as he's fallen in love with skeet and trap.

I have an ancient 870 in 12 gauge that was a police gun. Like most of those, it spent most of it's life in the trunk of a cruiser. When I got it, the metal was fine, but the wood needed work. It's now in my gun safe as one of my three home defense suitable shot guns.

To me, it's the Ruger 10/22 of shotguns. No gun owner should be without at least one.

Some years ago, I published an article on the M-870 in, "Gun Week." It was a good item, longer than this and with more photos. I enjoyed researching it.

But you have summed up the gun in as many words as I suppose the editor granted you, and the gun shown is typical.

I like the 870. My present one has factory engraving that is surely done by machine, but looks almost hand cut. It is far better than the machine engraving on the Model 1100. I think they did this for only a year or two. i really need to ask Remington, although I've lost touch with their PR people. I think I bought the gun in 2004, and it was new.

Does anyone here know about that engraved version, and for how long it was made?

Dealers here almost never have a Wingmaster grade in stock. They figure that those with money will buy autoloaders, and pumps sell only to those with a budget mentality, so they stock the Express grade. I was lucky to find my Wingmaster when i did.

The late Don Zutz was a shotgun expert of high marque. He was also one of the few who didn't like the 870, which he considered to be too much a cheap machine-made item. He liked the M-31 that preceded it, preferring its smooth action even over that of the Winchester Model 12. He told me that the M-31 action seemd to run on ball bearings. When his father offered to get him a shotgun in his tens, he selected the M-31 over the M-12 and never changed his mind.

But most like the 870, and Elmer Keith gave it high accolades in his book, "Shotguns", first published in 1950. The revised edition remained unchanged in his appreciaten for the gun. He correctly predicted that the M-870 would run every traditional pump gun off the market, which it has. Ithaca survives as a small enterprise, making quite expensive M-37's.

Unfortunately, short-stroking the action does happen, and current 12 ga. guns have a slot in the floorplate, to allow using a tool to push jammed shells back into the magazine. They need to have that on all gauges. It is also important to be sure that the shell heads have been properly engaged by the shellholders when loading the magazine. I think current Remington guns sometimes lack the polish that older ones had, and it takes the action longer to wear-in to real smoothness.

The former barrels made of marraging steel (whatever that is) sometimes burst when obstructed. There was a class action lawsuit and Remington suposedly went to a stronger steel. To be sure, even barrels of the best steel can burst if the muzzle is plugged with snow or other debris.
But on the whole, the 870 is a great gun and it's good to see a new article on it. I take it that this is for Dillon's Blue Press?

Thank you for the great write up. The 870 is the only shotgun that I own.
Purchased from a neighbor when I was young I used it for all my hunting in the sixties. The stock was cut down to fit my small child's body.

Still in the sixties it was sent to Herters for a full vent rib, reblue and a new stock and forearm.

It remained this way and was used for trap shooting for many years.

A couple of years ago I found a nice set of wood on GB. I replaced the stock and forearm with a nice factory set. The gun has never looked better.

The Herters rib goes straight from the barrel down the receiver.

This makes it a great trap gun as the visual plane is unbroken.

I will never sell it as it has been with me a long time and has many memories attached to it.

Bruce

Yep. This or something like it should appear there in the future. I enjoy giving you guys a preview and a chance to comment before I put it to bed. It's usually very helpful!

John

__________________
- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

I bought an 870 because my department demanded proficiency with the "company shotgun". I became proficient, and then some. I haven't fired it in over 10 years, but, if a pop-quiz were to present itself, we'd pass with flying colors.

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Why, I aughta.....

Putting a slot in the lifter is pretty easy to do on the older ones. Here's the rather crude modification I did on my "tactical" model with a Dremel tool and a cutoff wheel. It's nice to know that an inadvertent short-shuck won't put you out of action for long!

John

__________________
- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Nice write up but I don't believe you mention their Marine Magnum. Besides an old Wingmaster I bought a Marine Magnum for use on my boat. Nice guns with some weather protection.
My favorite pump is the Browning BPS but for the money you can't beat an 870.

Thanks - John. Always top notch.

__________________
Living a dream - S&WCA #2364

I till have my 870 with its 18.5" pipe from the early 70s.

I shot single barrels until I was twelve. I got my first 870 then. By the time I went to a LEO academy I had fired thousands of rounds and most anything that ran or flew. I was the top shotgun shooter at the academy. We had to have a riot gun so I found a barrel and stuck it on my well broken in 870. I've still got the first one even though I loaned it to my SIL. I've picked up five more since then, one with a pistol grip and 12" barrel. I had to get a $5.00 federal stamp for that one. In 43 1/2 years of law enforcement the only time I didn't have one in the cruiser was the few years I carried a Ithaca 37. I've seen many situations defused by jacking a shell into the barrel.

Started with Dads Mod. 12 at 10. Got a 870 Express a few years back with a Turkey BBL on it. Got a new LEO BBL from Numchucks. That had the nicest curly maple stock on it. PB won't let me post a pic and she was lost in that tragic Antarctic Kayak rollover.

I have to agree, the 870 is the piece de resistance when it comes to 12 guage shotguns...

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Recently picked up a '56 Wingmaster. Good gun then, still a good gun for the money spent. Great sound effect also!

For those that claim superiority of the M12 over the 870 please inform us as to why. I've shot both models and though I did notice minor handling differences I didn't notice any mechanical superiority for either model. I would shade the handling to the Winchester side, but not by much.
Will a model 12 outlast an 870? What in your opinion makes it better?

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Regards, Ron
USASA 1965/69

Warren Page once wrote an article in Field & Stream about the Browning A-5 and the M-12. He noted that M-12's that have been shot extensively have to be adjusted to compensate for wear.

Because the 870 bolt locks into the barrel, it avoids problems like that. But the M-12 has an adjustment to compensate, I think. Still, Remington used to make a point of that solid lockup, with a PR photo showing how the bolt locked into the barrel. I think I saw that in one of Jack O'Connor's books.

I find the M-12 less liable to short-shucking than the 870, but that may just be me or the fact that M-12's I've shot were well worn-in. I've never handled the Remington M-31 but was very impressed that Don Zutz liked it so well.

I do like the position of the slide release on the Ithaca M-37. It's very handy. I find it a nuisance to turn the M-870 over to get at the slide release. But it'd hurt the gun's looks to have it elsewhere.

Overall, the Wingmaster is probably going to go down in history as the greatest pump gun, ever. Beretta and SKB/S&W have tried to beat it, but to no avail.

It's like the .270 Winchester rifle ctg. It does so well what it's designed to do, sans excess muss and fuss, that it just keeps on enduring.

I have a 20 ga. made in 1951...got the original owners manual / parts list with it. Back then, the 12, 16 and 20 were all built on the same receiver.

I love my 870's I own two. Both are set up for HD.

I believe the technical term is: "Don't pussy-rack it, ********!" Least that's what I recall them yelling at the range....

Huh? Why do you have to turn it over to get at the slide release?

I will concede that the 870 is a fine pump shotgun, but it just doesn't have the "cool" factor of a Model 12. The Model 12 was probably the most precisely machined from the best materials, closely inspected, and in some cases, hand fitted pump gun ever made. They dominated the trap and skeet scene for years. I guess there are still a bunch of old geezers like me who are still pissed off at Winchester for exterminating a lot of fine guns in that horrible year, 1964.

Another great article, thanks, John.
I've only had one 870, nothing wrong with it, but I am drawn
to the Mossberg 500 and the Rem/A5 guns. But that's just me...
TACC1

Its pretty hard to beat a Wingmaster.

Wingmaster

The Rem 870 is far from my favorite Shotgun but I did buy one for home defense about 10 years ago. It's one of the Police models with the black synthetic stock, 7 round mag. and Parkerized finish. It is reliable, accurate, decently made, affordable and it just plain works. Certainly not the most comfortable shotgun to shoot, but for home defense it does ALL that I ask from it and would rely on it 100% for self defense.

I also agree that the Win M12 is probably a better gun, but it is discontinued and even if it were available it would likely be quite a bit more money. I would take the Rem 870 over the Mossberg 500 AND although I love the design (bottom feed & eject) and own an Ithaca M37 Featherweight, it's NOT fun to shoot with Buckshot - since the thin wood stock digs in to your shoulder when fired - - - OUCH!!!

If i can only have one gun it would be my 870. This is by far the most versatile gun I have ever or will ever own.

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Semper Fi

I really did try to like the Win 1200 Riot gun I was issued for a short time. Would rather have had the 97 Trench gun kept locked up in the armory. The Chief said no.

The 870s just seemed to withstand the abuse of being locked in a security rack in a patrol car better than anything else.

Part of the appeal of the Model 12 is that it represents an era of mass production in this country that won't (can't) be repeated. Everything on the gun is machined steel, including the lifter. No stampings anywhere including as far as I know the action bar. When I took my 16 ga. )made in 1915) apart for a cleaning after I got it, I found the lock as solid and nicely finished and put together as all but the highest end double guns. How they made a gun that nice requiring that much machining, even given a lower wage structure, is still baffling.

The 870 represents beginning of another era in manufacturing developed in response to the exigencies brought on by WWII, when the huge scale of production of arms, vehicles, etc. necessitated for one thing the perfection of stamping processes of high quality components. It also benefited from the collective knowledge of half of century of experience with pump guns--one reason for the two action rods.

Shotgun handling dynamics are critical to shooting flying and are individual and subjective. Some prefer the 12, some the 870. I've shot 870s, in 12 and 20, a fair amount. Neither sings to me like my 16 ga. Model 12. I really think they hit the sweet spot with the 16, especially the older ones with the corn cob fore end. I've got a pretty nice english form SxS with excellent balance and handling qualities, and the old M12 handles just as nicely. This is a gun used for upland hunting--handling qualities, balance, would be different on a target or duck gun.

The trend for the last 20 years in the upland community has been toward lighter more dynamically handling guns, and the sub gage model 12s and 37s are very popular now.

So to some degree the 870 vs. 12 debate is a matter of nostalgia and aesthetics, to some degree a matter of where you approach the issue as far as intended use of the gun.

I have two 870's and love them. Pic is my 30" 12 gauge...made in 1980.

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Agree. The 870 is ONE OF the worlds greatest shotguns; the other being it's brother, the 1100

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John

I would tend to agree.



(That's all of them but a couple of old bird guns, a recent bullpup conversion, and a Serbu Super Shorty still waiting on its stamp... )

Cut my teeth on an 870 - it was my first 'good' gun, replacing a very used Iver Johnson single shot that kicked like a mule.

When I started on the PD, the issue shotguns were a mix of High Standards and Win. 1200's. The High Standards were MUCH smoother than the sorta-chintzy, rotating bolt 1200's.
The High Standards and Win. 1200's were eventually replaced with a mix of S&W 916's (?) and Rem. 870's.
The Remingtons held up MUCH better.
Eventually, the 870 was the only issued shotgun, and still is. They're all equipped with a Blackhawk forend that houses a high-intensity LED light activated by a pressure switch under the fingertips. Great setup.

My HD shotgun is the 870 Marine Magnum. Have put about 300 rounds through it and it's barely starting to get broken in.
Somehow I came to accumulate a very impressive supply of 00 Buck and slug loads.

__________________
Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

That Blackhawk forend seemed like it would be a pretty nifty widget for my tactical 870 but I can't find it on the Blackhawk website. Is it for LEO use only?

If you are talking about the weapon-light forends on some of mine above, they are made by Surefire, not Blackhawk.

Shotgun Forend WeaponLights

Not cheap, but they are available to all (not just LEO/MIL) and can occasionally be found used at good prices. Momentary control in a natural/comfortable location and no tapes/wires/switches to get caught on anything -- I love them.

For detailed information about your engraved 870 try The Remington Society of America @remingtonsociety.com Dan

I only have 2 870s. The first one is an Express I bought new in about 1988- one of the first years for the Express. It has the aluminum trigger guard and no MIM parts. The early Express models are much smoother than the current run of Express 870s as the actions were still hand fitted. I couldn't afford a Wingmaster at the time. But even as I've acquired Berettas and Mirokus since, I've kept that Express. After some time as an upland gun it now is my HD gun with a 20 inch barrel and extended mag. It just works.

My second 870 is a 1990 produced Special Purpose Magnum I found last year in a gun shop. Back in the late 80s- early 90s the Special Purpose was a satin walnut stocked, Parkerized Wingmaster built either for duck (28") or turkey hunting (21"). Because of the Parkerizing the dealer thought it was "just an Express." But, rack the action once and you know the SP is no Express.

Now just looking for a nice old real Wingmaster!!

While we're talking about 870's, if anybody has a walnut butt stock for sale for a parked riot gun from the 70's I need one. Please send me a PM with what you have. I'm also gonna post this over in accessories.

Here's an older one, mounted on my "tactical" 870. This one is "grab and go" for just about any emergency situation, day or night. I've replaced the incandescent bulb with a high-output LED.

John

__________________
- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

I also have owned a 870 Wingmaster which was a great gun. Recently I was involved with a Winchester model 12 which had to be reblued and assembled. The re-blueing process was a nightmare as the steel is much harder then normal but a Hot re-blue finally worked on it. My 870 had the 30" barrel with full choke and I was suspended from every Turkey shoot I attended after either me or the gun won 3 times. It has been one of the best guns I have ever owned and is still faithful to the fellow I sold it to as well.

I have couple of 870 police magnums. I think they're probably my favorite police weapon for an urban environment. I always checked out an 870 to carry and I'd take one of those before an M-4 any day. Unless it was an M-4 with an 870 attached!

Thanks. This isn't like the somewhat garish "engraving" like on NRA and Nascar guns, etc. It's more like fine scroll on Brescia or London guns.

You even have to look carefully to realize that it isn't hand-cut.