???? for 870 Supermag Owners..maybe 11-87 Supermag Owners, too.

M

Moosetrot

New member
First off you need to know I've owned 870's for about 40 years and I love them. I've also owned a couple of 11-87's, both of which had issues even when I used the Remington Dri-lube.

I currently have a Benelli Nova that is a little too long for my hobbit-like frame, and have been told by Benelli that the best way to shorten the stock is to cut it off and use a slide-on recoil pad.

I do an awful lot of goose hunting, rolling around out in the grit and grime, and sometimes winding up submersing my self in the loon-dung of the Mississippi.

Been thinking about the 870 Supermag. Since they came out I've had one concern about the "sleeve" that is on the bolt. I am concerned that given the abuse I give a gun that grit and grime will collect in the sleeve and booger it up or cause it not to move with the bolt. I've been told by some that the sleeve is no problem but it looks like there's very little clearance between the "sleeve" and the bolt itself. The "sleeve" is only on the Supermag 3.5" model 870.

I'm in the mood to buy a gun and so need some reports from owners, primarily if they've ever had any problems with the "sleeve" hanging up or anything like that. If anyone can tell me the 11-87's have been improved or anything I'd like to hear about that, too. Please keep in mind that while I maintain my guns my style of hunting is pretty rough on them.

Thanks!

Moosetrot
 
I have an 870 super mag and I love it for what it was designed for{turkeygun} ! but I am not happy with it overall for short brass loads! they hang so bad that you have to drive them out with a dowell rod! I have sent it back several times and always get the same answer from them ! don't shoot cheap shells! so I bought a box of remington short brass 3 out of 25 stuck so I sent it back with one still in it! no reply! it still does it! I don't care how crappy the loads are you shouldn't have that much trouble out of a pump!an auto I can see but not a pump! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Now for the record I have a remington auto as well and it eats everything I stick in it!
 
My 870 SPS Super mag has been great....HAVE NOT found any load it would not shoot. I buy everything from the $2.50 Wolf brand ammo (per box of 25) to the 3.5" mag turkey loads and it cranks them all out.

I would say that after a couple seasons of sighting in and the such, I have give up on the 3.5" shells and shoot only the 3" turkey loads for turkey hunting....something about not wanting to have my brain stem dislodged from recoil when I pull the trigger.
 
My SPS Turkey 870 shoots everything I put in it, I have shot skeet with it, I have NEVER had any problem with it. I wouldn't own a Benelli but some like em. I am going to buy a 11-87 in 3 inch.
I have shot many rounds patterning my 870 I have had zero, zero good long range patterns with 3.5 inch.
the 3 inch all shoot better as a matter of fact I have had many 2.75 inch out pattern both. I have concluded that there is no reason what ever for 3.5 inch 12 guages.
However I do not shoot steel shot at all. I do not hunt duck or geese, so I will not discuss that.
my experience
Carl
 
I have an 870 super mag and have owned it for about three years. I have hunted turkeys,doves,rabbits and even shoot a few clays with it now and then. I have never had any trouble at all and I have shot everything from the cheaper Remington shells and AA'S too 3 1/2 inch mags. Great gun for the money.
 
the thing i notice in the above posts and i have noticed through personal experience is that there is a difference in the 870 super mag and the 870 special purpose....it is actually like buying remingtons express or thier wingmaster....its a quality issue...ive owned a wingmaster since i was 12 and have never had a single problem with it all my freinds bought the express cuz it was the cheap way out... and every one ive ever picked up and worked just dont work like the wingmasters do... i owned the 870 sps-t and had no problems with it at all...i also bought a fully rifled cantilever barrel for it which i shot remingtons 3 inch sabots through it for a 2.5 inch 5 shot group at 100 yards...which i thought was very impressive for a slug gun...anyways, the more waterfowl hunting i was getting into i found myself wanting an automatic...i did researh all over the web and the place that really had the best info on waterfowl shotguns was over at rufugeforums....where, by the way, no one had a good thing to say about the 1187. i ended up buying a benelli sbe2 last summer and it was the best gunning move ive ever made...ive actually found myself leaving my overunder skeet gun home and bringing that to the range more often...the thing cycles like a dream and the inertia recoil system is i think going to revolutionize wingshooting for the waterfowler....just my 2 cents though...i know a guy has a hard time justifying spending $1400 on a shotgun that they are going to just drag though a swamp in the most miserable weather you could imagine...but this gun handles it all...good luck with your decision
 
I agree with yoterbob,I've owned mine about 2 1/2 yr and have used it for just about everything and never had any problems with it.I don't usually shoot factory shells,just reloads,and have never had a hull to stick.I think it is a good,sturdy gun for the money,and I have never heard about the sleeve giving any problems.Straycat
 
I have had my 870 Supermag Express for about five years now and it would jam occassionally when I first got it. So, I took it to the skeet range one day and between myself and another guy put about 500 rounds through it. Problem has not occurred since.

My gun gets used for ducks, crows, beavers, etc. It has seen shot sizes from #8 to 00 buck (and Hevi Shot), shell lengths from 2 1/2" to 3 1/2" and has served me well. It has been submerged in a foot of water in a pit blind, covered in mud from an atv ride, just about all conditions.
 
Since Moosetrot asked for 11-87 owners input, he will
get mine. I have heard the same trash talk about
Remington 11-87's, and then in almost the same breath,
some will say yet the 1100 is a great gun. They are
the same gun, with the exception of a stainless steel
magazine tube versus a blued magazine tube, and a
small gas compensator on the 11-87. I have 2
waterfowling partners, one son, one brother, and
myself that own Remington 11-87 SP 12 gauges.
To this day NOT ONE of them has had a problem. And
Moosetrot knows how and where I hunt, and these guns
cycle through the ugliest of conditions. If one fails
to cycle the problem has always been tracked to sloppy
maintenance...Yes they have to be cleaned. These
guns did function through a couple of days of blowing
dust in the Dakotas, but they did require thorough
cleaning at the end of the day. They are not like a
pump gun where the shooter can force the action through
a pile of gunk buildup.

Now with this said, Remington has been letting a bunch
of poor qaulity stuff get out of the factory, and
that is what keeps me from recommending new Remingtons
to prospective gun buyers.

I do find it hard to justify the price of a Benelli
SBE, but to those that can, more power to them. I
have Browning Gold 10 ga, that I paid much less
than the cost of an SBE, and it too has been flawless
afield, and it will spank any 12 ga. 3.5" gun out there.
How's that for warming up the discussion /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-006.gif

Squeeze
 
I figure that quality control issues come and go with many, many manufactures. It's a "period in time" issue. Dodge has been there, as has Chevy, Ford, Winchester, Remmington, T/C, Sako, Ruger and the list can go forever.

My wifes 243 is one of the old Model 670 winchesters, which had many problems which were largely brought on by a super poor, soft stock that was made overseas. Get the thing bedded right and make a few adjustments and it's a great shooter...still ugly though.

At any rate, any gun brand and any series can have issues, as can any other product.
 
I have had an 870 SuperMagnum for over 5 years and can't remember any problems in any weather condition. Except when I put the duck plug in backwards when I first got it and it wouldn't push another shell in.
 
I've had a Rem 11/87 since they first came out. Been through so much mud,etc.... and if you clean it throughly once a year it's good to go. These folks that have negative comments on the 11/87 3" might want to look at their manuals and give it a good cleaning. I've heard from my gun dealer buddy that the 3 1/2 guns have some ejection problems. Sure there has to be some lemons justified by the sheer #'s that Remington puts out but I can't believe there are alot. Just my 2 cents. Kroc
 
Moosetrot,
I used to own and love all Remington shotguns. However, I purchased an 870 Express SuperMag that I had nothing but problems with. I'd never own another 870 unless it was a Wingmaster. The "unfinished" internal parts of the Express model lead to the problems that ended up in the selling of my 870 Express SuperMag and using that money to purchase a Benelli Nova. The Benelli Nova never gave me a moments trouble and I was as abusive as I could be to it. Not so much as a slight malfunction, misfire, etc.

The problem:
The SuperMag's shell interceptor on the right side of the reciever had a burr on it and when the pump action was operated it would catch on the recessed channel that it is staked into. It didn't matter if the shotgun was fired or just being pumped to load it or unload it.

It was sent to a Remington repair center with a tag stating the problem. The technician that received it, fired it, couldn't reproduce the malfunction, so it was returned to me with a tag stating it was repaired.

It malfunctioned again, on the opening day of early goose season. I immediately took it back to the gun shop where I'd purchased it and it was sent back to the same Remington repair center, with a letter that I typed out. This letter CLEARLY stated that if they'd remove the staked shell interceptor, run a dremmel tool over the burr that was causing the problem, reassemble it....all of this could be done in less than 30 minutes.

It was returned to me with another tag stating it was repaired. Was it repaired? Maybe. I had to make a decision and that decision was to either cut my losses and sell it or keep it and take a chance that it was repaired. This was the year of 9-11 and a large portion of the goose season was lost by the time it was returned to me. I sold it and purchased a Benelli Nova.

I've since purchased a Russian Baikal MP-153 and have had absolutely no problems with it, either.

No "trash talk" here, just facts. I expect more for my hard earn dollar and when I don't get it, I'm going to take my shopping elsewhere. Everyone will have to make their own decisions, for the reasons that will serve them best.

Good luck with your choices!
Good hunting, Bowhunter57
 
Thanks a lot for all the input, folks!!! Really appreciate it.

Decided I'm going to put off getting a new shotgun until after a few banquets this spring. Maybe I'll win some good trade goods and not be worried about cost.

In the meantime I just might cut off the Nova and figure out the recoil pad...either a slip-on or modify (most likely booger up) the current one.
As Squeeze knows, I hunt ducks and geese on the Mississippi just about every day of the season, as well as trips to North Dakota or Sask.
I'm not a particularly fancy or wealthy sort, just want a gun that is going to function when I want it to function.

I do like the Nova, and if I can get the stock shortened it might do the trick. I also have an 870 SP 3" that has been a great gun for everything from turkeys to geese to deer and predators. I think I could field strip an 870 with my eyes closed when necessary. Maybe I'll win a good 'un and keep it or try to do some horse trading.

Just wanna get a new gun for the sake of getting a new gun!

Thanks again, everybody!!

Moosetrot
 
I too have had problems with the super mag Express. I goose hunt alot and the 3.5's will sometimes try and come out the loading port when cycling fast. Very frustrating when geese are coming in. I sent it back but was the same when it was returned. I will probably get an 11-87. I don't think the 3.5's are necessary with the better shells that are made now. I also own a 16 ga Wingmaster that I love!!
 


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