The 870 Is the King of Scatterguns! - #2A
America’s Shotgun: How the Remington 870 Became the Best-Selling Shotgun of All Time
America’s Shotgun: How the Remington 870 Became the Best-Selling Shotgun of All Time
(I know a lot of people will argue. I got my Models 12 and 37 too. I love them. Others love their Mossies. But, for durability and ease of use it’s hard to argue with an 870. - DD)
(Ryan Hodges, AmmoLand) - With more than 11 million produced, it’s safe to say Americans have a soft spot for the Remington 870. Long before it became my first shotgun, I knew I wanted one because of its exceptional reliability and hard-earned reputation.
At the time, I was fresh out of college and working at my local Gander Mountain, so money was a little tight. Most of the firearms I owned had been handed down from my father and grandfathers, but I wanted a gun that was truly my own—a versatile, do-everything shotgun that I could buy with my own paycheck.
It didn’t take long to land on a 12-gauge Remington 870 Express. It was everything I was looking for: simple, dependable, and affordable at less than $400. With a single shotgun, I could shoot trap, chase spring gobblers, or head into the deer woods in the fall.
That same 870 still sits in my gun safe today, and after all these years, it’s still running strong.
The Remington 870 turns 76 this year and still maintains its position as…
Still have mine from 1970 when I was still in school. Wish it would chamber 3”, but it still works perfectly. Quite a few of these were visible in the rear window of beat up pickups in the high school parking lot back then.
I’ve had my 870 Express for 32 years! It still sits in my safe ready for whatever I might decide to use it for!