The Remington 870 was the fourth major design in a series of Remington pump shotguns.
John Pedersen designed the fragile
Remington Model 10 (and later the improved Remington Model 29).
John Browning designed the
Remington Model 17 (which was later adapted by
Ithaca into the
Ithaca 37), which served as the basis for the
Remington 31. The Model 31 was marketed as the “ball-bearing repeater” and was well-received, but its many machined and handfitted parts made the gun expensive to manufacture. Consequently, it struggled in sales compared to the
Winchester Model 12. To achieve better sales, Remington produced the Model 870 in 1950, which was more modern and reliable in its construction, easy to take apart and maintain, and relatively inexpensive.[5][6]
The 870 was a commercial success. Remington sold two million guns by 1973 (ten times the number of Model 31 shotguns it replaced). As of 1983, the 870 held the record for the best-selling shotgun in history, with three million sold.[7] By 1996, spurred by sales of the basic "Express" models, which were added as a lower-cost alternative to the original Wingmaster line, sales topped seven million guns. On April 13, 2009, the ten millionth Model 870 was produced.[8]
Design details
The 870 features a bottom-loading, side ejecting
receiver and a tubular magazine under the barrel. The gun comes with a plug for migratory bird hunting which reduces the magazine's capacity to two[9] rounds. It has dual action bars, internal hammer, and a bolt which locks into an extension in the barrel. The action, receiver, fire control group, safety catch and slide release catch of the Remington Model 870 shotgun are similar to those used on the
Remington Model 7600 series pump-action centerfire
rifles and
carbines. The basic fire control group design was first used in the automatic
11–48.[10] Twelve gauge stocks will also interchange on the older 12-gauge-sized 20-gauge receivers, although modification is needed to fit the smaller sized 20-gauge receivers employed since the late 1970s. Several parts of the 870, such as buttstocks and magazine tubes, will interchange with the semi-automatic
Remington 1100 and
11–87.[11]
The original 870 models were offered with fixed
chokes. In 1986 Remington introduced the new Remington "Rem Choke" system of screw-in chokes (also fitted to Remington model 1100 auto-loading shotguns at the same time). Initially, the Rem Chokes were offered only in 12 gauge in barrel lengths of 21", 26", and 28". The following year the availability was expanded to the 20 gauge and included other barrel lengths.[12]
The 870's production for over 30 years had a design flaw whereby a user could fail to press a shell all the way into the magazine when loading - so that the shell latch did not engage the shell - which could result in tying up the gun. This was caused by the shell slipping out of the magazine under the bolt in the receiver to bind the action, requiring rough treatment of the action or even disassembly. The potential issue was resolved with the introduction of the "Flexi Tab" carrier. Guns with this modification can be identified by the U-shaped cut-out on the carrier, visible from below the gun. The cut-out, combined with modified machining on the underside of the slide assembly, allows the action to be opened with a shell on the carrier.
Variants
There are hundreds of variations of the Remington 870 in 12, 16, 20, 28 gauges and .410 bore. All Remington 870 versions are built on the same platform and receiver, but there are small differences that can be more than just cosmetic. In 1969, Remington introduced 28 gauge and .410 bore models on a new scaled-down receiver size, and in 1972, a 20-gauge Lightweight ("LW") version was introduced on the same sized receiver, and all of the smaller gauges today are produced on that size receiver. From the original fifteen models offered, Remington currently produces dozens of models for civilian, law enforcement, and military sales. 870 variants can be grouped into the following:
Model
Gauge
Barrel Length
Barrel Type
Description
FieldMaster Deer
12 gauge
20
Fully rifled
20-inch fully rifled barrel with adjustable rifle sights. Satin black finish with walnut stock and fore-end with rubber recoil pad.[13]
410 Turkey TSS
.410 bore
25
Vent Rib, Rem Choke
Extended full choke, TRUGLO rail system. Receiver milled for maximum strength and reliability.[13]
Turkey Camo
12 gauge
21
Vent Rib, Rem Choke
Pump action with full Rem Choke. Matte black finish on barrel and receiver. Synthetic stock. Shoots both 2 3/4" and 3".[13]
SPS Superslug
12 gauge
25 1/2
Fully rifled extra heavy (fluted)
Drilled and tapped sights, Matte black finish. Synthetic stock.[13]
Fieldmaster
12, 20 gauge
28, 26, 21, 18.75, 26" & 20
Vent rib Rem Choke and fully rifled
Bead and rifle sights, satin black carbon steel receiver finish, American walnut satin stock finish.[13]
Fieldmaster Synthetic
12, 20 gauge
28, 26, 21, 21 & 20
Vent rib Rem Choke and fully rifled
Bead and rifle sights, satin blue receiver finish, matte black synthetic stock finish.[13]
Special Purpose Marine Magnum
12 gauge
18 1/2
Cylinder Choke
Corrosion resistant utility gun with synthetic stock.[13]
SPS Super Mag Turkey Predator
12-gauge, 2 3/4", 3" and 3 1/2"
20
Rem Choke
Slide action with pistol grip stock and black overmolded grip panels.[13]
Super Magnum Flyaway
2 3/4", 3" and 3 1/2" 12-gauge
28
Vent rib, Rem Choke
Slide action with innovative bolt design keeps cycle stroke equal for all 3 lengths of shotshells.[14]
12 gauge 2 3/4" and 3", and 20 gauge, and .410 bore
25-28
Vent Rib, Rem Choke
Satin finish on stock and fore-end. American walnut woodwork. Receiver and barrel are polished blue.[16]
Fieldmaster Fully Rifled Cantilever
12 gauge
20
Fully rifled
Fully rifled barrel with black satin finish and walnut stock with fore-end rubber recoil pads.[14]
Norinco imitation
Chinese arms company
Norinco has made unlicensed copies of the Remington 870, as the design is no longer under patent protection. The most common of these designs are the
Norinco HP9-1 and M-98, the difference being that the HP9-1 has either a 12.5" or 14" barrel, whereas the M-98 has an 18.5" barrel.[17] In the United States, where most Norinco products are specifically non-importable,[18] this shotgun was imported and sold under the names Norinco Hawk 982 and Interstate Hawk 982.[19]
^The Handbook Of The SAS And Elite Forces. How The Professionals Fight And Win. Edited by Jon E. Lewis. p.47-Tactics And Techniques, American Army Special Forces. Robinson Publishing Ltd 1997. ISBN 1-85487-675-9
^"RHKR Equipment - Weapons". www.rhkr.org. The Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) Association.
Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
^Högkvarteret Informationsstaben (February 2011).
"Försvarsmakten". Högkvarteret Informationsstaben. Archived from
the original on 26 December 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2011.