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Remington 870

• moderate
• Shop tier 2
• high confidence
• Shotgun
• pump action
• tube magazine
• home defense
• hunting
• workhorse

field strip ~4 min · reassembly ~6 min · detail strip ~30 min

Specifications

Model-specific safety

• Unloading a tube magazine is not one motion. Cycle the action repeatedly, then look into the ejection port and check both the chamber and the magazine before disassembly.
• Wear eye protection when disassembling or cleaning this shotgun.
• Keep the safety mechanism engaged throughout disassembly. The manual warns specifically that the hammer must not be allowed to snap forward when the trigger plate is removed, and keeping the safety on is how you ensure that.
• The action bar lock is pushed UPWARD to open the action when the hammer is down.
• The shell latches inside the receiver are staked in place. The manual has you depress the left shell latch, not pry at it — prying loosens it and causes persistent feeding problems.
• A barrel and receiver must be a matched, properly headspaced pair.

Under spring tension

• Magazine tube spring and follower
• Hammer spring in the trigger plate assembly

Easily lost parts

Trigger plate pins · Magazine cap · Magazine spring retainer

Tools

Shop difficulty

Shop tier 2 Tier 2 — moderate among shotguns, for the full job: strip to the parts that get coated and put it back together working. About 78 listed items, more than the Mossberg pumps, with a trigger plate whose carrier dog follower spring must be held while the pivot tube goes in, twin action bars that must both track, and staked shell latches that need a staking tool if they come out for a bare-receiver refinish. No timing and nothing a shop cannot do with punches and one staker.

Parts: 69 numbered parts (Remington's single 870 list written for the 12 ga Express Super Magnum; some rows are Super Magnum only), from Remington Model 870 Owner's Manual — RemArms LLC, p. 16–17 remarms.com [1].

Bench time: about 40 min to strip, 60 min to rebuild (estimate). Strip of receiver (shell latches optional), trigger plate assembly, bolt and magazine; rebuild longer for the carrier dog follower spring, action bars and, if pulled, restaking shell latches (+15 min).

Small parts: 12 pins, 10 springs, 7 detents or plungers (counted from the manufacturer's parts list (one per key number unless a quantity is given))

What comes off for coating

• Barrel and magazine: magazine cap, barrel, magazine spring retainer, spring and follower
• Forend / action bars: fore-end tube nut, fore-end, action bar assembly — fore-end nut wrench
• Receiver: trigger plate pins and trigger plate assembly, bolt, slide and locking block, ejector and ejector spring (riveted; leave unless replacing), shell latches (staked; only for bare-receiver jobs) — shell latch staker
• Trigger plate assembly: trigger plate pins (front/rear) with detent springs, carrier pivot tube, carrier, carrier dog, dog washer, follower and spring, hammer, hammer plunger and spring, sear, connector/disconnector, trigger and their pins, safety, safety detent ball/plunger and spring, action bar lock / carrier latch and spring
• Bolt: firing pin retaining pin, firing pin and spring, extractor and plunger/spring, locking block
• Stock: recoil pad screws, stock bolt and washers — long screwdriver bit / socket extension

Special tools

• Shell latch staker (Brownells 870/1100) — Restaking shell latches after refinish
• Fore-end (magazine tube) nut wrench — Fore-end tube nut
• Long stock-bolt bit on extension — Stock bolt
• Punch set incl. 1/8 in. — Trigger plate pins and firing pin retaining pin

Known pain points

• Pulling the carrier pivot tube to strip the trigger plate lets the carrier dog follower and its spring fly; refitting means holding the carrier down against that spring while the holes in carrier, dog washer and plate are lined up for the tube. (both)
  Owners report: Carrier on Trigger Assembly Protruding? (page 2) — Rem870.com Forum rem870.com [9] — “lift the carrier assembly off slowly so that the carrier dog follower & follower spring don't go flying across the room.”
• The shell latches are held by staked receiver metal; if they are pulled for a full refinish they must be driven out rearward and restaked with a dedicated staker. (both)
  Source: Remington 870/1100 Shell Latch Staker instructions — Brownells brownells.com [10] — “are held in place by receiver metal which is swaged, or staked, against them. If the latch loosens, has been removed during the rebluing process or is replaced, it will be necessary to restake it”
• The magazine spring retainer has to be pried out of the tube with a screwdriver and eased out against the spring. (both)
  Source: Exploded View: Remington Model 870 Shotgun — American Rifleman (NRA) americanrifleman.org [11] — “insert the blade of a small screwdriver into the hole in the spring retainer (12) and pry the retainer from the magazine tube ( FIG. 5 ). Remove the retainer slowly to relieve tension on the magazine spring.”

Fit or check on rebuild

• Shell latches restaked tight — A loose latch causes feeding problems; latches removed for refinishing must be restaked.
  Source: Remington 870/1100 Shell Latch Staker instructions — Brownells brownells.com [10] — “it will be necessary to restake it”
• Function check: safety, trigger/sear release, disconnector and feeding with dummy rounds — Standard after any detail strip; a mis-assembled sear or disconnector can double or fail to fire.

This is Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's. How tiers are rated. Forum reports are owners' experience, not specifications.

Procedures

Torque specifications

No sourced torque values from the manufacturer are recorded for this firearm. Where a fastener has a specified torque — action screws, scope bases, muzzle devices, barrel nuts — get it from the manufacturer or a gunsmith rather than estimating it.

What the manufacturer does say: The manufacturer's documents give no torque value. They say: "Tighten the choke tube snugly, but DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN." (Owner's Manual, Model 870 & 870 Super Magnum (RD7058 REV 0926), PDF p. 9) "Replace and tighten the magazine cap." (Owner's Manual, Model 870 & 870 Super Magnum (RD7058 REV 0926), PDF p. 10)

Reported by other sources — not the manufacturer

Materials and factory finish

As stated by Remington Arms. Prep, masking and cure depend on these; a polymer or aluminium part, a nitrided or anodised finish, and a blued steel part are each a different job. Variants with other finishes may exist — check the maker's page for the exact SKU on the bench.

Parts list

Transcribed from the manufacturer's parts list (Remington Model 870 Owner's Manual — RemArms LLC, p. 16–17 remarms.com [1]) — Remington prints one 870 list, written for the 12 ga Express Super Magnum. Rows marked Super Magnum only (see each row's note) do not apply to a standard 870; check the rest against your gun's own manual before ordering.. Key numbers refer to the exploded view in that document.

Function check

• Verify the shotgun is unloaded, chamber and magazine tube, before each step.
• Cycle the action fully. It should run smoothly without binding and lock closed.
• With the action closed and the hammer cocked, engage the safety and press the trigger. The hammer must not fall.
• Disengage the safety and press the trigger. The hammer should fall.
• With the hammer down, confirm the action will not open until the action bar lock is pressed.
• Press the trigger and hold it, then cycle the action. Release the trigger and confirm the disconnector resets.
• Load two dummy shells into the magazine and confirm they feed and eject cleanly, one per cycle.

Maintenance

Lubrication points

• Action bars where they ride in the receiver grooves
• Breech bolt body and locking block
• Magazine tube exterior where the forend slides
• Hammer and sear pivots

Cleaning notes

Keep the magazine tube interior clean and dry rather than oiled — oil in the tube collects plastic wad residue and slows the follower. Plastic fouling in the chamber and bore is normal with shotshells.

Suggested inspection interval: roughly every 1000 rounds. This is a general guideline, not a manufacturer specification.

Wear parts to inspect

Extractor · Shell latches (staking) · Magazine spring · Action bars for bends or cracks · Ejector rivet in the receiver

Common issues

Also covers

The procedures above are reported to apply to: Remington 870 Wingmaster · 870 Express · 870 Police · 870 Tactical · 870 Super Magnum (with differences). Verify against the manual for your specific model.

Similar manual of arms

• Mossberg 500 / 590

Legal notes

Sourcing