The first time I saw an 870 was on a trap field in the '50's. Back then the most popular trap guns were the Winchester Model 12, and for the well heeled, the Ithaca single. My opinion (and that of most others) of the 870 was "What a tin can. It will never hold up." Since then I have eaten my words many times. I have known 870's that havefired hundreds of thousands of rounds without a malfunction or major repair. The man who designed that gun was an absolute genius.