Remington 870 or ?

I am looking to purchase a rem 870 or something in that price range. If I do end up with the 870.. I have a couple options. Barrel length? Finish- camo or black synthetic ? 3" or 3 1/2" ( I was told at a gun shop to go with the 3" because unless I reload my own shells the amount of powder they put in the 3.5" shells is equivelant to 3"? I am going to be using this gun mainly for ducks and pheasant. It will be used in salt water most of the time. I was also leaning toward the Benelli Nova. But then again had heard bad things about these from a duck hunting friend. Is there any comparable gun for the price of an 870 that I should be looking. There is currently a black 870 in 3" with 26" barrel for sale at a local shop for $320. I was leaning toward this gun.

I know there are a lot of questions there lol.. but I would like to buy my duck gun and keep it for many years. Thanks in advance for any help!

Rem 870 is really the best choice among the pump guns. I mean you could use that thing as a kayak paddle and shoot ducks while doing it. I would look at 3" chamber with a 28" or 26" barrel. Barrel length is really more a preference. The difference in range between the 28 and 26" barrels are pretty much nil. My first pump gun was an 870 that my Dad hunted with when he was a kid. The gun was about 20yrs when I started with it. I shoot a Benelli now, but that good old 870 is still in shooting condition.

Davey, you shoot a benelli nova or supernova? How do you compare them to the 870..

I bought an 870 last year and rigged it up for Turkeys. I put a Aluminum trigger assembly, Timney Trigger, Vang safety, Speed bead on it. Polished the chamber and the bore. 3 for 3 on Turkeys. I like it. Dont think I could shoot ducks with it. Only because Ive not shot a pump before and I cant remember to pump.

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I started out with an 870 Express, not a bad choice at all. I also have a friend who had issues with Nova.

He has since joined me on the M2 side.

Remy0284 wrote:Davey, you shoot a benelli nova or supernova? How do you compare them to the 870..

I've been shooting a Benelli M1 and have never looked back. For ducks, autoloaders are simply awesome, especially the Benelli's. But if its a pump you want, then the 870 hands down.

Can't go wrong with the 870! I use a flat matte black one as my slug gun and used one for turkey and ducks before I went over to the Benelli side!

another vote for the 870 It was my first duck gun and I used it for about 12years. An 870 is geat because you cfan do so much with it there are so many ways to cahange it to the way you like it. I would go with camo though better protection in the salt

The 870 is a great choice. I know most folks like a 28" barrell but I had mine cut down to 22". It swings better for me and is easier to store in a kayak or sneakboat. One thing is if you hunt in the salt get one with a coating on it and synthetic stock for protection. Mine rusts after 15 minutes in the boat. One thing that helps with the 870s, or any other gun, are the waterproof/PVC gun cases like from Watershed or SeaLine. They really help a lot too. Otherwise the 870 is easy to clean with only a couple of parts to take off/out and clean. I also have stoeger condor, a nice starter O/U and very easy to clean.

thanks for the replies everyone. So it looks like I'm in line to get an 870 26" barrel up to 3 1/2 shells. Does the finish really matter between the black and the camo ? Both have no reflection. Does the camo finish have an additional layer of protection or am I just paying for a fancy finish?

Remy0284 wrote:thanks for the replies everyone. So it looks like I'm in line to get an 870 26" barrel up to 3 1/2 shells. Does the finish really matter between the black and the camo ? Both have no reflection. Does the camo finish have an additional layer of protection or am I just paying for a fancy finish?

Its a difference of night and day as far as protection from salt. As mine got older it would blow salt air and I would get surface rust. Go with camo its worth it.

I'm pretty late in throwing my .02 as I just registered yesterday but will. I'm an 870 fan. I've been using the same one for 10 years now and never had a mechanical issue, operator issue yes.
Used it as a paddle, and once to help get myself out of some nasty mud. As mentioned above though get one thats coated or have it done mine will show rust in very short order. As far as barrel length goes I'd go with a 26 but that would depend mainly on how you hunt. I hunt from a small marsh boat and would like to switch mine out to a 26" some day.

I hadn't noticed this thread either till it was brought back up. I've used an 870 since 1974, still have that one, but with no vent rib and can't shoot 3 inch shells. The three inch chamber wasn't that big of a deal in the lead shot days, but seemed pretty inadequate when the poor grade of steel shot came into play, so I got an 870 express. I have also owned a super X, an 1100, Browning B2000, and a Browning lightning. I never shot anything very well other than the 870 express and went back to it. I kind of felt like the prodigal son for having left the 870 in the first place. For anyone purchasing any shotgun, the greatest concern will be if it fits or not. You can't shoot a gun well that doesn't fit. My wood stock express was the first 870 express I had and I shot it very well, but my wife had heard me talking about how much I liked it and decided to buy me another one for my birthday when she found them on sale when she worked at Cabelas. It was a black synthetic stock, when I shouldered it, I knew something was wrong immediately and stood it up against the wall with the wood stocked 870, the stock was a full inch higher on the synthetic, it shouldered so that it was feet over the target at 30 yards. I had to work way too hard to get the gun in the right position, so I removed the stock and put my old one on the new gun and everything was fine. The lesson learned is and 870 is not an 870 is not an870. Check the fit, you should be able to shoulder a gun with your eyes closed and be able open them right down the barrel where the gun should be, if not, check the fit. I did have tremendous rust issues and got some hoppe's gun conditioner and it cured that problem, I suspect things like barricade will do the same.