HI, im new to this forum so if i ask a prediscused question please just redirect me to the original topic.

my grampa used to have an old remington 870 that he used to hunt with and im turning 18 in 5 mounths and have been saving up to get my own shotgun.

i pland on folowing old gramps foot steps and getting a remington.the question i have is "are the new 870's just as good as the old ones or has there quality deminished like most stuff nowadays.

Go ahead and get the 870 its just as good today as it was back then, you won't be disappointed.

I am a bias Remington 870 man so I too say go ahead and get the 870 but I can't go along with all 870's are as good today as they were when your grampa bought his. Back when your grampa bought his all they made were 870 Wingmasters but now they make the Express model and although the 870 Express is a good dependable pump shot gun it is not a Wingmaster. If you want one as good as your grampa bought then buy one of the Remington 870 Wingmastermodels they make today.

Absolutely. The 870 Express is definitely not the fanciest 12 g. pump out there but there few, if any, forthe similar price that are as dependable. For a few more bucks you could go to the Browning BPS.

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.

The 870 is a proven reliable gun. If it were me I would go with an Ithaca 37 or a Browning BPS, but if you get the 870 it is probably the only shotgun that you will ever need.
Good luck, and have fun with it!

I agree... You gotta go with the Rem 870.I think there's some kind of law where every gun safe has to have an 870! [8D]

The 870 is built like a tank. You can drop it in the mud, pick it up,and it'll still shoot just like it did right out of the box. I know an old duck hunter who has a 1956 Remington 870. This old shotgun isdinged up, scratched up, and has a little rust here and there, but it still slays the ducks and geese, and anything else it is pointed at.

IMHO the Browning BPS is a stronger built shotgun andit points a little better for me. However the Remington 870 is an excellent choice andhas beenproven reliable.

I think you are getting good advice on the Wingmaster versus the express. I bought an Express for a good reason. I was planning to use it for duck hunting where I figured it would be exposed to splashed water as well as possibly rain. I wanted a gun that was cheap enough that I wouldn't fret about possibly damaging or marring the gun. At $280invested, I don't worry a lick about what I do to this gun. I do take good care of the gun, cleaning it frequently while hunting (every night while out on duck hunting weekends). I take especial care to put oil on the exerior black parts, as I have read that the "parkerized" finish of these guns is exteremely susceptible to rust. When the day comes that the gun gets too ugly or doesn't work right, I'll throw it away and buy another. Notwithstanding, the gun is now 4 years old, works execellently, and does not appear to show any exterior blemishes.

If you want a good looking, wood stocked shotgun that is really nice to look at, then maybe the Express is not for you. I certainly think wood stocked guns look nicer. I just know if my duck hunting shotgun was too pretty I would get bent out of shape if I splashed water on it or it started to rain while I was out in the marsh or if I tripped and punched the butt of the stock through the ice walking in to the slough in the morning.

I've had a couple 870's for years.One was stolen but the other one has been a gem.By all means go with a Remington 870. I just remembered I have a like new 870 in 20 ga also. It's only been used a couple times in the 25 years I've owned it. Just like the 12ga's it well made and very reliable.You won't go wrong with a 870.