Remington 870: How a 1950 Pump Became America's Shotgun

A problem of cost, not quality

The 870 begins with a gun that was arguably too good for its own good. Remington's Model 31, marketed in its day as the "ball-bearing repeater," was a smooth, well-regarded pump shotgun. It was also expensive to make. It descended from a line of Remington pumps that ran back through John Pedersen's Models 10 and 29 and the Model 17, which John Browning designed and which served as the basis for the 31.

After World War II, Remington wanted a pump shotgun that kept the strength and reliability but could be produced more efficiently. The design team listed in Wikipedia's entry for the Model 870 is L. Ray Crittendon, Phillip Haskell, Ellis Hailston and G.E. Pinckney. Sources give the launch as 1950, with full production running from 1951.

This feature is a history built from published sources, chiefly the documented record in Wikipedia's Remington entries and current retailer listings. Dates and figures below come from those sources; where they disagree, we say so.

What made the design stick

The 870's basic layout became the template people picture when they hear "pump shotgun": a steel receiver, twin action bars, a tubular magazine under the barrel and a crossbolt safety behind the trigger. It was strong enough for heavy loads and simple enough for a gunsmith anywhere to service.

Just as important, it was modular. Barrels swap easily, so the same receiver could wear a long ribbed bird barrel in the fall and a short cylinder-bore barrel the rest of the year. That flexibility helped it sell to hunters, trap shooters, police departments and homeowners at the same time, and it built an aftermarket of stocks, forends, magazine extensions and lights that is still enormous.

Remington offered the gun in several lines over the decades. The Wingmaster was the original, polished line in 12 and 20 gauge and .410 bore. The Express line was added later as a lower-cost alternative, and it is the version most people now associate with home-defense 870s.

The numbers, as recorded

Few sporting firearms have a production record like the 870's. The milestones documented in Wikipedia's entry:

Those totals cover every version, from field guns to police models. They're a measure of how ordinary the 870 became: for decades, a pump shotgun in an American closet was as likely to be an 870 as anything else.

The police and military years

The 870's reputation as a defensive shotgun came largely from police work. Patrol cars across the country carried pump shotguns for decades, and the 870 was one of the most common. Wikipedia lists the California Highway Patrol as a user since 1965 and the U.S. Secret Service as a buyer of 1,600 guns in 2001, among many agencies. The U.S. military used it as well, under the M870 designation.

That service history is where much of the folklore about shotgun handling comes from, including the "cruiser ready" idea of staging a shotgun with an empty chamber in a vehicle rack. It's also why so many used police trade-in 870s show up on the market: worn finish, solid action, often a short barrel and rifle sights.

If you buy one of those trade-ins for home defense, treat it like any used gun. Verify it's unloaded, inspect the bore, check the magazine spring and the action bars, and function-test it with your chosen ammunition before trusting it.

A known quirk and its fix

Long production runs expose a design's weak points, and the 870 had one that owners talked about for years. Wikipedia notes a design issue in the feed system that Remington addressed with what it called the "Flexi Tab" carrier. The change was a design update rather than a recall.

The practical takeaway for anyone buying an older 870 is simple: learn how your specific gun feeds and how to clear it, and have a gunsmith look it over if you're unsure about its history.

Bankruptcy, breakup and RemArms

The gun outlasted the company that made it, at least in its original form. According to Wikipedia's Remington Arms entry, Remington filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2018 and emerged on May 17, 2018, after a pre-arranged restructuring that converted debt into equity.

It didn't hold. On July 28, 2020, Remington filed again, and this time its assets were sold off in pieces:

• Vista Outdoor bought the Remington brand name and the ammunition business, including the Lonoke, Arkansas, ammunition plant.
• Roundhill Group bought the firearms business, excluding Marlin, and runs it as RemArms, licensing the Remington name from Vista.
• Sturm, Ruger & Co. bought Marlin.

The company's historic home in Ilion, New York, where Eliphalet Remington had moved his gunmaking by 1828, closed as a factory in March 2024, according to the same entry. Remington itself traced its founding to 1816.

For shooters, the important part is that the 870 survived the breakup and remains in production under RemArms. Our 870 Express Tactical review looks at the current home-defense model and what to check on a new one.

The 870 in a modern house

Does a 75-year-old design still make sense for home defense? For many people, yes, for the same reasons it always did: the action is strong and well understood, parts and accessories are everywhere, and any competent gunsmith can work on it.

The home-defense version most people see now is the 870 Express Tactical. Ammunition Depot's listing describes the Remington 870 Express Tactical as a 12 gauge with an 18.5-inch cylinder-choke barrel, a 3-inch chamber, a black synthetic stock and 4+1 capacity, which is less than several competing pumps. If you want more rounds or a different layout, our 870 vs 500 vs 590 comparison walks through the trade-offs, and Ammunition Depot's pump-action shotgun section has the alternatives.

For the shells to stage in it, a 00 buckshot load built for tight patterns, such as Federal Tactical FLITECONTROL 00 buck, is a common choice; pattern it at indoor distances in your own gun. The rest of the setup is the same for any pump: a light, a sling, a stock that fits and secure storage, all covered in our shotgun setup guide.

Buying a used 870: a short checklist

With so many 870s made over so many years, the used market is full of them: inherited field guns, police trade-ins and Express models that spent a decade in a closet. Condition varies wildly, so look before you buy. With the gun verified empty:

1. Look down the bore from the breech end with a light. You want a clean, shiny bore without heavy pitting or bulges.
2. Cycle the action slowly several times. It should move smoothly without grinding or catching. A rough action may just need cleaning, or may hide wear.
3. Check the magazine. Remove the magazine cap and barrel, look at the spring and follower, and look for dents in the tube.
4. Test the safety and slide release with snap caps or an empty chamber pointed in a safe direction, following the owner's manual.
5. Identify the barrel. Barrels swap easily on 870s, so a used gun may wear a long bird barrel, a slug barrel or a short police barrel. Match the barrel to the job.
6. When in doubt, pay a gunsmith for an inspection before you rely on it for home defense.

Why it lasted

The 870 wasn't the first pump shotgun, and it wasn't the fanciest. It lasted because it hit the balance that matters for a tool people buy once and keep for life: strong enough, simple enough, affordable enough and adaptable to almost any job. That's also a pretty good description of what most households want from a home-defense shotgun.

Editorial note: This is an independent editorial overview built from manufacturer specifications, retailer listings and published sources. We have not performed hands-on testing of the products discussed, and nothing here is a performance guarantee. Verify specifications, compatibility and the law where you live.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links to Ammunition Depot. We may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial choices are not influenced by commissions. Check current price, stock and specifications directly with the retailer.