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I haven’t seen it in person but a local guy has a 870 Express that Remington told me was made in 1989 .
Came with 2 barrels. 20” slug and a 28” vent rib. Like new with box for $350.00. Looks like matte blue finish.
Just wondering how the quality was on these older Express models ?
Thanks in advance.
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My 870 is from 1985-6. I was told many years ago that the Express shotguns of that era were made on the same line as the higher grade Wingmaster shotguns. Internal finish and polish etc were the same. The guns that became "Express" guns were finished via bead blasting and then parkerized. Mine runs as fast as a bullet, smooth as hell, and has never hiccupped on me. It easily has surpassed 3000-4000 rounds over the years.
I paid $300 iirc when I bought mine in 1987. I still use it all the time. I have multiple choke tubes so it sees bird hunting and the occasional round of trap and skeet for grins. Currently it is set up with the slug barrel with a set of Tru-Glo sights on it.
I dont think there is a better pump shotgun out there, in terms of parts (rarely needed), aftermarket support, and options for how ya want to "run" it, IF YOU CAN FIND A PRE FREEDOM GROUP MADE GUN. For $350 I would buy that in a second, assuming it's in very good shape.