I love my Remington 870. I agree with Dave, having a 12 gauge shotgun and a 22 LR rifle, will definitely be the best two caliber’s to have for a long term survival situation. Stock up boys, I personally believe we will all be faced with difficult times ahead. Get prepared! -Steve, Ohio 🇺🇸

I know this video was demonetized, so I think we should all go get ourselves a last minute Christmas gift from Self Reliance Outfitters.

I have my Dad’s 870 Wingmaster from the 1970’s. Beautiful weapon that will last generations.

Right before the riots kicked off in my town, I had purchased a police auction 870, a dump pouch of 50 shells of 00 buck, and 10 foster slugs. A lucky purchase in retrospect. I was too poor to afford an AR15, but I never felt undergunned, even as I saw the smoke from burning cars a couple blocks away. I’m glad they never found my home and dispersed around midnight, because I was prepared mentally for what the situation would demand of me. What an awful year. First lockdowns, then civil unrest.

I have a Rem. 870 express magnum I have owned since 1985 and Love it. I only have one barrel I used for turkey. At the time I remember I bought it at a Kmart, filled out the paper work, and walked out the door for about $160.00 New in the box. Before all of the school shootings, the gangs, and the crime as it is today. Back when people bought guns for the right reasons. Whether it was home defense, putting food on the table, or just good healthy target practice, hand and eye coordination. David have just run into your posts, and have Loved all of your knowledge you have been involved in for many years. Have a blessed day.

I have an 870 that I got back in 6th grade (Iam now 58) for Christmas, that was before the vented ribs! My first gun!

While on active duty and investigating suspicious activity in an abandoned apartment in my City, I located a 28 in barreled Rem 870 behind some curtains. It had been there a while, and the curtains had adhered to the firearm, leaving it badly pitted. I impounded it and contacted the owner of the rental property, who stated it wasn't his. A sn check revealed no known owner. The rp owner said he would end up destroying the firearm. I asked if he would sell it to me (off the clock) and he agreed and asked for $20. I went to pay him and he say just take it! I ended up taking it to my Gunsmith friend, who inspected it and cut it down to 20in and made it a Modified smooth bore! He sandblasted the receiver and barrel and reblued it. It ain't the prettiest, but it's the most reliable, smoothest and most accurate shotgun I own in my arsenal!! Great video Dave!!

My go to gun. Fed my family in Michigan purely venison in the Great Recession. Qualified by far for government assistance, but this firearm kept me off food stamps and other public help. Tried cooking beef burger once in the house and my kids said "smells rotten" and wouldn't eat it. Love this firearm

Back in the 1970's the 870 was THE shotgun we all wanted .

Older 870’s way better than the newer stuff 👍 the old Wingmasters are nice.

You can't go wrong with an 870. Mine is as old as I am and runs like a champ.

Got my first one in 1972, a Wingmaster. Second one in the 90s, an Express with 3 inch chamber. Carried one for years in the Marine Corps. Love the gun.

I bought my first Remington 870 in 1974. I still have it. It is so smooth it almost works itself. I have owned several more over the years and have never had a bad one. I started all three of my sons on H&R singleshot shotguns but gave each of them an 870 when they were old enough and big enough. I share your respect and admiration for both simple single shots and the 870 and still use both.

well done. I've had an 870 for 15 years. my Uncle tells me they used these in the Sheriff's Department all the way back to 1957. Time tested firearm.

When I was in the police dept, we were using Remington 870s made in the 50's, 60's, and 70's. There are no quality issues. They will last forever with minimal maintenance.

We have the 870 police variant here in the Canadian army. It’s pretty lightweight for what it is. Plus it’s reliable.

As a retired LEO. The 870 was issue. Love it they’re fantastic hard use shotguns

When I was a correctional officer, we used the 870 Police Magnum. I have an older 870 Wingmaster that I love. Can't go wrong with the 870. I like the Mossy 500-590 and A1 shotguns just as much too.

Im glad to see that you are working with Remington Dave and that you are a fan of the 870. Rem has been my favorite gun company for decades and I love the 870 12ga. I have had several of them and have several now.

I love 870s and pump guns in general. Thanks for the side by side comparison. Great video, Dave.

I have a 870 wingmaster I inherited from my grandfather. The action is smooth. It is well over 60 years old. It is a full choke. First time hunting Squirrel, shot a little red Squirrel. All I found was was a tail. About 5 yards away.

I keep a modified in my gun. It works excellent with buckshot, is rated for every slug and with the advent of accushot cups keeps smaller shot together for a good distance.

Thank you for the video! When I moved into my own house way out in the country years ago (1996), Mom and Dad bought me a Remington 870 Express, and at first, I loved it! But then it began to jam. All. The. Time. I'd go dove hunting -- it would jam. Skeet shooting? Jammed. Keeping rattlesnakes at bay? Jammed. I took good care of it and took it to the gunsmiths several times, but I sadly had to get rid of it. I hated to, not only because it was a gift from my parents, but as a single girl living alone at the time, it was part of my self-protection, yet it was completely unreliable. However after watching this video and reading the comments about how the 870 went through some sketchy years but maybe has gotten better, I'm going to look into it again.

Thank you for doing what you’re doing. Continue to edify fellow outdoorsmen. Really appreciate your dedication and perseverance. Keep at it. Merry Christmas and happy holidays from socal

I have a 870 special purpose model that was a 30” barrel full choke from mid1970s. Originally used for goose hunting, but later had a local gunsmith shorten the barrel and modified to use choke tubes. Still in use today, with the original plastic trigger guard! Thanks for sharing! 👍🏻

I have 5, 870’s of a couple gauges and configurations. Spanning from 1977-1995 manufacture. All have been wonderful to use in the field or shooting trap. Consistently strong , reliable and worth every penny I ever spent on them. Wish I could say the same about everything I’ve purchased in life!

Had my 870 for many years, 20 inch barrel, choke tubes and a rifled slug barrel. Love it! Never a problem. I've had it for close to 30 years. Out shot some high dollar guns, taken more game than most have seen It was made before they had QC problems

Just bought a 1973 Wingmaster w 30” barrel a few weeks ago. I completely took it apart, cleaned and oiled every part, and replaced some critical components (extractor, firing pin spring, follower and mag spring). It’s such a smooth gun! Also added a shorter 18” barrel and a WC +2 extension, in case I want something more capable for defensive use.

This one has been on my to-do list for a while. I love Remingtons. Thanks for the discussion!

I agree Dave, I have a Rem 870 Wingmaster I bought in the 80's and still use it today.

I've had my 870 over 20 years still runs perfect

I have had my Wingmaster for 40+ years. Thousands upon thousands of rounds through it with never a failure. Although scratched up quite a bit, she is still ultra reliable.

Never thought I'd see Dave with an 870. I bought mine as soon as I turned 18. It also has the plastic trigger guard, but it's totally fine, and certainly not a downside. Fantastic little shotguns, and there's all kind of stuff on the market for them if that's what you wanna do.

My first firearm purchase was a Remington 870 wingmaster 12 gauge when i was a young man id saved all summer moving lawns and odd jobs , I ran hundreds of boxes of ammo through it perfecting my wing shooting , That gun and i were 1, Now i know remington has changed hands a few times since then and the 870 express as did all there arms went through a quality challenge . The model 590 is now rated above the 870 and i would never have believed this in 1975 . Its nice of them to send you a piece to lug around but its going to take alot more than that to regain Americas trust for new purchases . They have alot of improvements to make , And i hope they do Because Remington is America always has been always should be.

Good to see you again, Dave. You were GREAT on Dual Survival. I just purchased a Remington 870 with MAGPUL furniture and an eight shell sidesaddle from MESA. Take Care Dave

T Y, Dave, several good tips. I have owned 2, only problem I ever had was a bit of styrofoam shotshell filler, I believe, in the mag tube, that jammed a shell in the tube. A good reason to tilt the muzzle up & the butt down when you chamber a round, to encourage the fresh shell to move freely, in order to prevent such jamming. A grain of sand can produce such a jam, so keep the tube & shells clean as a whistle. The rubber sling is another very big "little thing" when you are in bear country & need to keep everything conveniently ready for action. You will want to bring a magazine "plug" along to meet any 3-shot plugging rules. A 3-inch 20-gauge 870 may be more desirable for some people. One-ounce 20-gauge Brenneke slugs are bear deadly.

I bought my 870 with a box of shells, back in the late 70’s from my neighbor for 100.00. One hell of deal. Several people have wanted to buy it , but I won’t sell. Taken all kinds of upland game, squirrel, rabbit, dove, duck, ground hog, and geese. It has a long barrel, tight pattern, and reaches way out to get the job done. I shoot no. 6’s out of it. Great fire arm.

I've been hunting with 870s for 50 years and currently own 3 of them with various extra barrel lengths and chokes. Doves, duck, geese, deer, whatever. They're the most reliable firearms I've owned. One is my primary home defense weapon with an 18 inch barrel and extended tube. My youngest 870 was manufactured in the 1960s so mine are all limited to 2 3/4 shells and can't handle magnum rounds.

I have an 870 Magnum Express I bought back in about 1992 with a metal trigger guard and an 870 Tactical I bought in about 2014 with a polymer trigger guard. I don't think the polymer guard is a problem at all. It will likely outlast both of us Dave. Both are great shotguns that I will pass down to my sons. 870s just feel more solid/sturdy and smoother than Mossbergs, IMHO.

RemArms will be relocating to LaGrange Georgia in March 2024. They will close the 250 year old Illion, NY facility. Hopefully get back to pre issues quality.

I've had mine since 1984. Mine has a rifled slug barrel on it. Love my 870!

The 870 is an icon.

Love it!! I’ve had one for years they just keep chugging!!

My mom got me one in 1984 when I turned 13 . Smooth as butta

Great video Dave! I’ve always thought the pump action shotgun was the second most versatile firearm for self reliance, after the brake action; as you said it can use all the chokes, different barrels, all the great variety of shotgun ammo out there, and still retains the wonderful ability to use shot shells reloaded with black powder, much like a brake action, whereas semi-automatic shotgun would likely have problems cycling black powder loads. The only thing you lose is the subcaliber adapters, but I think that’s a very acceptable trade off to gain the faster firing rate, depending on what your needs are.

i love my vintage Remington 870 Wingmaster! it has the original 31.5in "Goose" barrel as well as an 18.5in barrel i use for general purposes

My 870 is by FAR, my favorite gun for the woods. No matter what I'm out for, it will do the job and go bang every time.

I still have and use my Remington M870P that I bought for patrol use in 1984. Swap out the barrel and it can serve a completely different purpose. Rifled barrels firing slugs for deer, longer smoothbore barrels with chokes for duck and geese. Add a red dot optic or LPVO to really enhace its accuracy and speed in target acquisition. Mossberg shotguns are also very popular, but I like 870 shotguns.

The 870 is iconic. I have one from the 1970's and its as good now as it was brand new. I also have a newer version and it is also very reliable.

Love my 870 super mag had it 20 years

I have a couple of them and have never had a problem. I have a couple of extra barrels for mine. Nice shooting guns.

I have an 870 wing master I’ve had since I was a kid my dad gave to me it’s had thousands of rounds pumped through it and never lets me down the action is slicker than wet ice just solid shotguns I got one for all my kids and they used to be fairly cheap for the quality you got from them

I carried one for 25 years in my Police car..Always reliable..

I handled one of these the other day at a Sheels. I compared it to the other pump offerings. Benelli Nova, Mossberg 590 and a Winchester. The 870 felt and looked like the best quality of all the pumps.

I have two 870’s one from 1978 and one with a rifled barrel for deer hunting, love them both. That one you got looks very nice, like the color of the wood

Remington 870, great piece.

I have the 870 20ga youth model love how short it is for the woods

You just can't go wrong with the 870. Easy to run, break down and modify and really hard to break. I have 3: 2 older wingmasters in 12 and 20 and an 90's model in 12. The 20 has the smooth bore w/ rifle sights and is the Home Defense gun, as everyone in the house can handle it, and it doubles as my backup when hunting. The 90's model 12 is my "do everything" hunting gun, from small game to birds and deer. The 12 wingmaster is my son's handed down from my dad that doesn't get used because he prefers his 20 ga 500. There will always be an 870 in my home.

Have an 870 Express from the 80s only jam I've had was when I closed a branch in the action while racking in another round

And a happy no nonsense Christmas to you sir !

I have one for ducks , and small game... the other one is tacted out ... love them !!! They are my go too for almost everything

I’m a huge fan of the 870 Wingmaster ❤ have one in 12 & 20 ga.

Nothing wrong with the 870 I just like the controls (slide release, and safety)on the Mossberg 590 better.

Carried an 870 for twenty years. Fantastic firearm!

I owned a Remington 870 12-gauge with interchangeable barrels for 20 years. I had no problems with it.

Great video Dave ! I like the versility of the Rem 870 model.David Back.

I have an 870 express, love it. Modded it to hold 10 rounds, its great

I'm a Mossberg 500 dude myself, but Remington 870s are nice scatter gats as well.

Had the same 870 since the 1990s. Finally jammed it. Problem was a rusted shell stuck in the chamber. Shell was probably from the 90s also .

I've never had luck hunting snipe with any other firearm, now I know where I went wrong. Hopefully Santa gets me an 870 so I can finally enjoy some snipe! Thanks for all you do, Dave.

What I appreciate most about the 870 is where the pump release button is positioned in front of the trigger guard.

I love mine. They are legends. Idk about the new ones tho i recommend getting an older one at a pawn shop.

Great video!! Thanks for the info!! Definitely giving me some things to consider

the 870is ultra reliable and durable.. mine is 18years old and it's been through everything and still going strong 💪

I have my 870 in 20ga since the 80’s! I had an adjustable choke installed on mine. I also had a matching 1100 lightweight in 20ga that I regret selling.

Nice review. Great gun. I prefer the Stoeger 12gauge double barrel uplander single trigger 👍. Great channel Dave

Love my 870s I have 12 & 20ga. In my older age, the 20 is perfect for me, I'll never give up the 12. Cheers !!

Love these hunting with shotgun videos Dave. Please do more!

Love my 870. A real workhorse of a firearm.

I always preferred the Ithaca 37's over the years to the 870, but you can't deny they are a quality shotgun. I've had a few over the years and when my son wanted to start hunting more with a shotgun I found him a good used 870 because as I told him, you can simply swap out barrels and in the case of one barrel he has, swap out chokes. With one shotgun he can't hunt everything from squirrels to turkeys on up to deer with the slug barrel and with a smooth bore slug barrel with rifle sights, also use the same gun for personal defense when he gets older. The one area where the 870 really shines is the amount of aftermarket gear that's out there, I don't think any other pump has as many choices in what you can get.

The 870 is my "go to" shotgun. Mine's about 25 years old, with a 14" barrel. (Police Special) Legal in Canada, it's really handy in dense brush, or even (heaven forbid!) in the house if SHTF. I have other shotguns, but the Remington is the GOAT! Thanks for the video! eta: Of course I have a spare 25" rifled barrel!

Had mine for 7 years my go to gun for just about anything

I have had my 870 since, I don;t know how long. I also had an 870 as my duty shotgun in my patrol care years ago.

I have mine in combo since the 90's. I took deer and small games with it. I also bought a Hasting rifled barrel. Just can't believe that they changed the trigger guard to plastic.

Used a 18" 870 for years. Good gun.

I have the 870 Tactical. Not built for hunting but still a great gun. Tactical comes with 18.5” barrel, extended magazine, no choke open bore, crenellated flash suppressor, pre installed picatinny rail, and nice sights.

Great Content ! Thank you Dave

I've a 1100 32 inch full choke , a 870 wingmaster several screw in chokes , got a used 870 super express 3.5 inch magnum screw in chokes , I like all of them but the 3.5 magnum best

I own seven 870’s. 6 of them are wingmasters….3 12 gauge, 2 20 gauge and one 410 gauge. I also own an 870 12 gauge express, I paid 85 dollars for that express and it has been the best firearm I’ve ever owned. Been next to me in the truck during hunting season, dropped in saltwater duck hunting, laid down in mud during goose season, used to beat brush during rabbit season, used to smack a turkey to dispatch in the spring and this gun never quits. Best guns ever produced. I have many different firearms but the 870 reliability is what my kids and grandkids will be aware of.

This is on my wish list but in tactical stricty for homestead defense with 00 only. My single shot is definitely the best for hunting. I can carry several different loads and load what I need for the game size. Usually 6, BB & 00

870 w a rifled Slug barrel good past 100yards......shot many deer with an 870.......older ones are so much better then the new ones....

Lovely looking firearm.

Hey Dave, can’t agree with you more about your comment on 12 gauge and 1022 combo. Would love to see you do a video on 1022s, and share with us your outlook on that firearm. Even though it’s a semi automatic platform, I truly do believe it is the most dependable semi automatic 22 platform in the world. A lot of people don’t know that the Israeli military purchased 2 million Woodstock 1022s from Ruger. As far as I’ve been able to find, it is the only 22 rifle that has been used by an advanced, modern military. Which spoke volumes to me, as far as dependability goes. But anyways, I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on that platform. I have a Woodstock 1022 with a full-size barrel, Leopold scope with quick attachment so I can swap to iron sights quickly in the field if needed. That’s pretty much my go to gun as far as camping, hunting or plinking. I also have a short barrel, stainless steel 22 with a backpacker stock that I take with me on canoe trips. It’s a much smaller package easy to keep in a dry bag. The stainless steel is an obvious plus on the water and it holds extra magazines and a boxe of ammo in the stock. I said all that to say there are so many aftermarket parts and different variants of the 1022 out there that cover a great range of survival needs. I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

870 the only one gun anybody would ever really need!

Very cool shotgun.

Good video Dave but I prefer a mossburg 500 12ga with the long , short and slug barrels. With the interchangeable chokes

Late to the party here... Remington used to offer the 870 in a left hand version...if ya have some extra $ around you can pick up an aftermarket or spare buttstock for junior or female shooters, cut it to fit and swap back & forth as needed. Can be easily transformed into a trainer for new shooters. Great video.

I love my 870 and I change my RemChokes out with a 12ga shotshell - no wrench needed.

Thanks Bro; 870 is a great shotgun. I like your opinion on choke tubes.

Still reluctant to buy one after all of their quality control issues in the last 20 years. They were trash in my 20's and 30's. I grew up using one in my teens and don't own one now. Still leaning towards the Mossberg 500 because I've never heard anything bad about their QC issues.