The beginning of the story
The most common weapon in the world is, of course, the Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Marketers proudly report: the total number of all modifications released is more than one hundred million units! It is believed that an order of magnitude fewer M16 rifles were produced - about eight million (although this does not include semi-automatic versions, which only the lazy do not produce these days). But when it comes to guns, everything immediately becomes clear. The Remington 870 is perhaps one of the most famous models of American pump-action shotguns in the world. In 2020, it celebrates its anniversary: the gun was first presented to the public in 1950, that is, 70 years ago, and since then, about 12 million units of this shotgun have been produced in a variety of modifications - an absolute record among guns.
The group of engineers who created the Remington 870 set a kind of standard for world manufacturers for many years to come: there are two windows in the receiver - for loading and ejecting the cartridge case, a forend with two rods, locking the barrel using a movable liner located in the bolt, a lower tray feeding a cartridge from the magazine.
The trigger is very interesting: with minor changes, it was used not only on pump-action, but also on the company’s semi-automatic shotguns, as well as on self-loading and pump-action rifled weapons.
The trigger mechanism of the Remington 7600 pump-action rifles is not much different from the Remington 870 trigger
Many believe that the pump-action gun was originally intended as a police and military weapon. Not at all: 70 years ago it was produced specifically as a hunting weapon. The model was called "Wingmaster" and was distinguished by its excellent finishing quality. As the name suggests, the shotgun was positioned as a weapon for hunting game birds.
Classic - Remington 870 Wingmaster 12 gauge
At the same time, the 870 was relatively inexpensive and successfully competed with pump-action engines. The weapon was produced in almost all “smooth” calibers known at that time - from the 12th Magnum to the 410th; It was offered in a variety of versions - including a police version, with a folding stock. The magazine capacity was usually four rounds, less often - three (only for the Special Field model).
Remington 870 Special Field - three-round magazine and straight stock neck
In 1966, several events happened at once: firstly, the one and a half century anniversary of the birth of the company’s founder, Eliphalet Remington, was celebrated. Secondly, the millionth copy of the 870 was released. And finally, this shotgun was adopted by the US Marine Corps.
NAVY SEAL fighter with Remington 870
The experience of use was so successful that the rest of the military drew attention to the gun. The fact is that after World War II, the US Army used a variety of pump-action shotguns - “Itakas”, “Winchesters”, “Stevens”, “Remingtons” of the 10th and 31st models; Due to the shortage of pump-action engines during the war, they even organized their purchase from the population. All this confusion had to be streamlined somehow. The military's gaze fell on 870th.
True, the magazine capacity did not suit them too much, and it would have been nice to have a bayonet attached to the barrel. The company enthusiastically set out to make simple changes to the design, since government orders are a tasty thing.
"Military" Remington 870/Mk 1 with bayonet mount
The first “military” 870s were tested during the Vietnam campaign - and quite successfully, which was reported to the general public. And after such advertising, police departments throughout the country began active procurement.
Remington 870 - police model with folding stock
Other security agencies, from the Secret Service to the Coast Guard, have not been left out. In addition to the United States, the shotgun was in service in 34 countries around the world, but the main sales still came from the civilian market.
Locking with a cranked pair of levers (crank). Machine guns "Vickers" and "Maxim"
"Vickers" is an English version of the Maxim heavy machine gun. The operation of this weapon is based on automatic recoil (short stroke). As the shot is fired, the powder gases send the barrel back, thereby the reloading mechanism begins to work - it removes the cartridge from the fabric cartridge belt, sends it into the breech and at the same time cocks the bolt. After firing the shot, the operation is repeated again.
Dawn and sunset
The development of the Rem-870 reached its apogee in 1986: replaceable choke constrictions appeared (now it was possible not to buy two or more barrels, but to be content with one, changing the chokes to the desired size if necessary). Thanks to the modified shape of the feed tray, it was possible to get rid of problems with feeding cartridges. The steel receiver ensured remarkable survivability: the gun could easily withstand several tens of thousands of shots.
Hunting and self-defense experts responsibly stated: the 870 is one of the best examples of pump-action weapons in the world.
Instructor shooter Chris Costa with the "tactical" version of the Remington 870
The quality remained high, sales went up by leaps and bounds: the mark of two million guns produced was passed back in 1973, three million in ’83. It was almost impossible to make the gun even better, except perhaps to redo the cartridge ejection system, but the company never did this.
Luxury: Remington 870 Wingmaster Deluxe Brushmaster Slug
It is very difficult to list all the modifications of this shotgun. However, this is not necessary: there were no serious differences between them: yes, different sights, external decoration, body kit, barrel length, but the base (receiver) and seats remained the same. Attribution is also complicated by the fact that dozens of companies produced various body kits for the Remington.
To recognize this “tactical” monster as a Remington 870, you need to try really hard
But I wanted more money, and the competitors were not sleeping: Mossberg 500 and Winchester 1300 also held the brand of “the best pump-action shotguns in the world.” And then the company decided to reduce the quality of its products - it released the Express model, which is by far the most popular.
The surface of the barrel and receiver was no longer polished, this process was replaced by sandblasting, and deep bluing was replaced by a simple, unstable oxidation. The only definite “leap upward” was the nickel-plated Marine Magnum Security, which was released in 1992 - it was the first to use a plastic stock and forend. The “target audience” of this model was not the Marine Corps, but the US Coast Guard.
Remington 870 Marine Magnum Security - not only beautiful, but also does not rust
Subsequently, production continued to be made cheaper: the aluminum base of the trigger guard was replaced with plastic, and plywood began to be used instead of solid wood. In principle, this was normal: technologically, the company clearly won. But at the end of the 90s, the company’s management made a number of dubious decisions to further reduce the cost: control over product quality also decreased noticeably. Traces of a cutting tool on parts and in the bore, as well as crooked threads for replaceable chokes, became common.
Due to carelessly cut threads, the choke is not aligned with the barrel
Such jambs were unacceptable just a few years ago. The famous reliability also suffered. As a result, in the 21st century, the rate of sales of the 870 has dropped significantly - and this is not only due to competitors from the USA, Italy, China and Turkey, who flooded the market with cheaper and quite high-quality products.
In 2020, it was declared bankrupt - this also did not benefit the most common shotgun in the world.
The gun is still in production; the company's marketers are trying to combine existing models with body kits from third-party manufacturers, coming up with new names and passing off this process as updating the model range. One of the latest attempts to increase sales was the fashionable theme of replacing the under-barrel tubular magazine with a detachable box magazine.
Remington 870DM with Magpul body kit
But alas, the star of 870 has set, no matter how offensive it may be. The American Marines and the Army turned their attention first to the Mossberg 500/590, and then to the Italian Benelli M4. Only Masterkey systems for opening doors and knocking out locks are in some demand...
Masterkey - Remington 870 sawn-off shotgun mounted on an M4A1 carbine
The latest event presented by the company with great fanfare, excuse the pun, was the purchase in 2012: the Mississippi Highway Patrol (that is, the Mississippi Highway Police) once again adopted the Remington Model 870 Police Magnum as its standard shotgun. But that's all, actually.
I wouldn’t recommend anyone to buy Remington’s “remakes” of the 21st century - if you are an avid fan of the brand, look for small-fired examples of “express” models produced in the early 90s, there are quite a lot of them on the Russian market.
Locking the barrel bore by tilting the bolt. Rifle StG 44
Sturmgewehr 44 - assault rifle from 1944. When locked at an angle, the bolt frame at the extreme front point moves the entire body of the bolt in the longitudinal plane (while when locked by rotating the bolt, it moves in the transverse plane), while the rear end of the bolt extends beyond the reference plane of the receiver. After locking, the shutter mirror takes a position perpendicular to the bore and, accordingly, to the bottom of the sleeve.
The most important of the arts is...
Separately, it is worth mentioning the role of this shotgun in world culture. Twelve million “trunks” produced guarantee that sooner or later your creation will end up in movies, on television screens, on the pages of books and in computer toys. And so it happened - pump-action Remingtons of various modifications appeared in about two hundred films, a hundred TV series and about 70 games. And you know what's the funniest thing? The gun, which is considered quintessentially American, first appeared on movie screens in 1964 in Soviet director Mikhail Kalatozov's film I Am Cuba, which has now become a cinematic classic. Take a closer look - the long-barreled hunting Wingmaster is in the frame.
Later, Hollywood corrected itself. The most memorable moments with the participation of the 870 are familiar to everyone - and there is hardly a single popular action actor who is not featured in the frame with this pump-action gun.
Sarah Connor from Terminator 2 and M4A1 Pulse Rifle from Aliens (under-barrel grenade launcher - camouflaged sawed-off Remington 870)
Unfortunately, not a single worthy book telling about the history of this wonderful gun has yet been written. Those that exist are nothing more than manuals, selections of illustrations from old Remington catalogs and reviews of various body kits. It’s a pity - I would like the information on it to be collected together. It fully deserves it - if not as the best shotgun in the world, then at least as the most common.
Roller locking with automatic operation, working from the recoil of the barrel with a short stroke. F-42 rifle
Used in the Fallschirmjägergewehr 42, a 1942 model paratrooper rifle. The FG-42 was developed specifically for Luftwaffe paratroopers. The impact mechanism is a trigger type, powered by a reciprocating and additional spring. The machine gun bolt consists of two parts: the combat cylinder, on which the bolt mirror and guides for the rollers are made, and the bolt stem, in the front of which there is a wedge.
SIGHTS
Benelli Super Nova - depending on the version of the gun, you can purchase a barrel with either a bullet sighting device (diopter/front sight, rear sight/front sight) or with a classic rifle sighting device (high rib/front sight). Optional installation of “light-collecting” front sights of various configurations is available.
Super Nova is the only one on this list that has a modification with a high rib.
An advantage of the SLUG bullet barrel is the sight, which is slightly shifted back (compared to classic bullet sights), which increases the length of the aiming line and slightly improves aiming accuracy.
Score - 10 points.
Mossberg 590 and Remington 870 - depending on the version, you can purchase a barrel with both a bullet sighting device (rear sight/front sight) and a classic front sight. Optional installation of light-collecting front sights is possible, but the choice is limited.
Each score is 7 points.
Fabarm SDASS - Depending on the design, there may be barrels with a classic front sight or with a bullet sighting device (diopter/front sight, rear sight/front sight). Optional installation of light-collecting front sights is possible, but the choice is limited.
Score - 8 points.
Specialist's note: sights with a diopter (ghost ring) and a high front sight look, of course, very impressive to a person inexperienced in shooting. At first glance, this is justified from a shooting point of view. After all, the diopter gives higher accuracy when shooting a bullet. But there is one subtlety - since the sight and front sight are too large (this is especially noticeable on the Fabarm), their size overlaps the shooter’s field of view too much (especially in conditions of insufficient visibility - in twilight or darkness). It’s extremely difficult to call this a plus.
And they rarely shoot bullets from pumps, and their main purpose is buckshot/shot at distances of 5-35 meters. Obviously, a diopter is absolutely unnecessary at such distances. But the vertical bar will be optimal and will allow you to quickly transfer fire from target to target.
Benelli Super Nova
Each of these guns has its own “zest” and subtleties. Everyone has both strengths and hidden weaknesses. But how can an inexperienced shooter understand what these guns really are?
This article was written precisely to help Ukrainian shooters in this difficult, at first glance, choice. Let's take all the listed samples and find out whether they are as good as foreign marketers position them? And for clarity, we use a ten-point scale and evaluate their qualities (the maximum total score is 100, for 10 parameters).
Since all these guns are smooth-bore weapons with manual reloading with a longitudinally sliding fore-end, we will begin the comparison with its assessment.
COMFORTABLE ASSEMBLY/DISASSEMBLY OF WEAPONS
A very important nuance that novice shooters who are not yet experienced in the intricacies of working with weapons do not always think about. Meanwhile, it is precisely this factor that can become a pitfall that is inconspicuous at first glance.
Benelli Super Nova - showed itself very worthy in this comparison, showing the most comfortable disassembly/assembly. It is very easy to remove the trigger block and bolt body for cleaning. Disassembling the bolt itself also does not cause the slightest difficulty. We can confidently summarize that this will not cause the slightest problem for the owner.
Score - 10 points.
Fabarm SDASS — Disassembly/assembly of this Italian gun turned out to be quite simple, but the difficulty of disassembling the face was disappointing, which overall somewhat spoiled the impression.
Score - 8 points.
Mossberg 590 and Remington 870 - The level of disassembly/assembly of the gun can be assessed as average. But disassembling the shutter itself is quite difficult. It is worth noting that modifications of the Remington 870, which have a conventional phosphated coating, are very demanding in terms of constantly cleaning all metal surfaces from moisture and powder deposits. Otherwise, the gun may become spotted with spot rust within a few hours after shooting or being in unsuitable conditions.
Score: 7 points.
Ammunition
The question of which cartridges are best suited for self-defense tasks is very broad and controversial. It can be said that in the vast majority of cases, a shotgun intended for these tasks should have a 12 or at least 20 gauge. Despite the presence on sale of a number of .410 caliber shotguns designed specifically as self-defense weapons, this caliber still cannot be recommended as universal and suitable for any shooter. 20 gauge is a good compromise option for those shooters who do not tolerate recoil well.
In order to simplify the conversation as much as possible about which option for loading cartridges is the most preferable, it must be said that in most cases the optimal choice of ammunition for self-defense is buckshot. However, you shouldn’t get upset and rush headlong into the store if the only cartridge you have to protect your home is your favorite duck or shotgun cartridge with shot. Such ammunition is perfect for ranges typical for home self-defense. However, if the distance to the target is more than 10 meters, buckshot will be the best choice.
Sectional view of cartridges
If you live in an area with relatively cold weather, which means heavy and thick clothing, then it is advisable to choose buckshot with a diameter of 8 mm or more. 6.2 mm buckshot will be suitable if, according to your assumptions, the firing distance will be no more than 15 meters and the target will not have protection in the form of thick clothing.
Bullets can also be used for certain tasks, especially if you have to shoot further than 25 meters, which is the recognized maximum effective range for using buckshot. In addition, bullets show high efficiency when shooting at targets located behind obstacles. If you use both buckshot and slug cartridges at the same time, it is wise to choose them so that the cartridges have different colors. This way, under stress, it will be easier for you to determine which cartridges you need to load in the gun in a given situation.
(Here it is necessary to make a small clarification. We foresee possible complaints regarding the definition of 25 meters as a possible defensive shooting distance. So, in our opinion, shooting at the enemy at such a range may well be justified and qualified precisely as self-defense, in the event that your the enemy is himself armed with a firearm and poses a real threat to your life - Ed.).
Always inspect your ammunition before loading it into your weapon. If you have any suspicions about the quality of the cartridge, then it is better not to take unnecessary risks and put it aside for training shooting.
