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Posted: 10/23/2013 9:46:57 PM EDT
I have an 870 tactical with the XS ghost ring setup and am wondering if it is worth the $100 bucks to buy an 870P/wingmaster trigger assembly (aluminum housing) for it.

As far as I understand, the only difference in parts in them is the housing material, sear spring, and shell lifter spring (I forget the real name for it).  So my question is: is having the aluminum housing worth the extra money, or is it even better at all?  For those of you who hang out on the AR15 side, you probably remember seeing the BUIS drop tests that conclude that the magpul polymer sights are superior to the more expensive aluminum sets as they have more give and are less prone to flex (think snap when it comes to aluminum) or bend permanently when dropped.  Does the same hold true for the 2 different trigger assemblies?  I have no problem swapping out the two springs to make it so all of the internals are the same as the police trigger assembly, but I want to have a very good reason if I'm going to spend $100 to simply upgrade to an aluminum trigger housing.

Thanks for the responses in advance
Link Posted: 10/24/2013 12:14:52 PM EDT
[#1]
The aluminum trigger assemblies are made of powdered compressed aluminum.
Doesn't sound quite as nice as "aluminum" does it?

The plastic assemblies actually have some advantages.
They don't have a finish to wear off and get ratty looking.
Plastic will bend and flex and return to shape if hit, powdered aluminum breaks.
The plastic is self lubricating and requires less lube on most parts.

In actual use, plastic has proven to stand up as well as the aluminum units and some Police guns have shipped with plastic.
People complain about the Remington plastic guard, but own Glock and other plastic guns and think they're great.

If you want the stronger springs of the Police gun, just buy and install a "carrier dog" (shell lifter) spring, and install it.  The other trigger group Police spring is the trigger-sear spring, which is a heavier spring to help prevent accidental discharges.  You may or may not want that.

Bottom line, it comes down to whatever you want, neither one is superior to the other.
With that said, I'm old fashioned, I still want the powdered compressed aluminum guard, just because.
Link Posted: 10/24/2013 10:32:48 PM EDT
[#2]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
The aluminum trigger assemblies are made of powdered compressed aluminum.
Doesn't sound quite as nice as "aluminum" does it?

The plastic assemblies actually have some advantages.
They don't have a finish to wear off and get ratty looking.
Plastic will bend and flex and return to shape if hit, powdered aluminum breaks.
The plastic is self lubricating and requires less lube on most parts.

In actual use, plastic has proven to stand up as well as the aluminum units and some Police guns have shipped with plastic.
People complain about the Remington plastic guard, but own Glock and other plastic guns and think they're great.

If you want the stronger springs of the Police gun, just buy and install a "carrier dog" (shell lifter) spring, and install it.  The other trigger group Police spring is the trigger-sear spring, which is a heavier spring to help prevent accidental discharges.  You may or may not want that.

Bottom line, it comes down to whatever you want, neither one is superior to the other.
With that said, I'm old fashioned, I still want the powdered compressed aluminum guard, just because.
View Quote


even though i'm not a huge fan of glocks, i don't have anything against polymer framed handguns at all, but i'd be surprised if remington put as much thought into the exact formula of polymer as glock put into their handgun frames on a part as simple as a trigger guard.  obviously there are many different kinds of plastic, so they're not necessarily the same.  I wish somebody would put together a test to discover the true difference in strength between the polymer and aluminum trigger guards for the 870.

also, i really want an aluminum guard for the same reason as you, but i'm not willing to fork over the extra cash if the polymer version is in any way superior in terms of strength


Link Posted: 10/25/2013 7:34:38 AM EDT
[#3]
FWIW- I own both a factory 870P with the sintered aluminum trigger group and the cheapest EXPRESS model ever offered with the plastic trigger group. Both function flawlessly without any issue. The paint on the aluminum trigger guard is flaking off in places. The plastic trigger guard has a few scrapes in it. The 870P is basically a safe queen (I guess because so many people put a premium on them). The EXPRESS is my beater gun for the truck (120+ in Summer to <0 in the Winter) and volunteers anytime I need a shotgun in the rain, snow, dirt or mud (which is more often than you would expect).

I always love how often the same people who deride the plastic trigger guard on an 870 consider the MAGPUL trigger guard on an AR to be a "tactical upgrade"
Link Posted: 10/25/2013 8:10:08 AM EDT
[#4]
I bought my 870P a little over a year ago, very happy with the purchase. If I were in the OP's shoes, I'd see about upgrading those internals and not worry about the trigger guard. I'm glad that mine came with the aluminum, but I don't think I'd go out of my way to replace that particular part if it was polymer.
Link Posted: 10/25/2013 12:45:54 PM EDT
[#5]
A few years ago, possibly on this forum, someone started a thread for people to post cases of broken plastic shotgun parts.

A few people posted cases of the Remington magazine follower either breaking or deforming, and a fair number of people who had broken Mossberg safety buttons.
Other than that, there wasn't much
I think there was one case of a damaged Remington plastic trigger group and it was badly deformed in a catastrophic situation where it was run over by a truck.

I know personally of a few cases of broken Remington 870 trigger groups, but those too were rare cases where the gun hit, or was hit, with a good amount of force on something and broke the actual guard.
Most quality gun makers use pretty much very similar formulas of glass fiber-bearing nylon plastics.  I'd think that Remington uses a very similar plastic for their trigger guards that Glock and S&W use on their pistols.

Again, I'm old fashioned and if I had a choice, I'd have a steel trigger group on an 870.
Link Posted: 10/26/2013 7:00:13 PM EDT
[#6]
I've got both.  Aluminum on the P and plastic on the Marine Mag.  You have to look real close to see a difference visually.  Functionally, the plastic guard is pretty robust and  I doubt will ever be an issue.

Regards,

-Coop
Link Posted: 10/27/2013 1:41:34 PM EDT
[#7]
In the words of magpul "polymer is progress!"

The extra $ can buy lots of ammo, or a sling, or a bigger safety or a magpul stock set!!
Link Posted: 10/27/2013 7:57:46 PM EDT
[#8]
Modern Police models are Plastic, and not metal.
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