lwt16
12-05-2018, 01:19 PM
First off.....due to being a kid, teen, and young adult in the 80s era.......I always wanted a US Marshal Witsec pump gun. Serious lust since the first one I laid eyes on at a gun show in Dothan, Alabama. Occasionally, there would be one in a movie or tv show and it just added fuel to the fire. I got by with a few 870s, a Mossberg Persuader, and a smattering of double barreled 12s and a single shot 10 gauge that my step father just had to have.
But I always wanted a Witness Protection 870.
So you can imagine my dismay to see these things pop up at a time in my life where I am trying to get totally debt free before retirement as well as putting a kid through college for cash. But I went ahead and charged one, arranged for my Remmy to ship to my FFL, and anxiously awaited it's arrival.
Yeah, Remington isn't what it used to be and I worried that the fit and finish, the polymer trigger guard/group, and the rust issue would soil all of this for me but I finally got it in, got a Wilson Combat oversize safety installed, and put a buffalo leather strap on it courtesy of Amazon. Yesterday I got to run some shells through it.
Cons:
The finish....yeah, it's pretty weak. I've oiled and oiled it and it is like a sponge......just soaks up oil like crazy. I don't care about pretty....but my PH is pretty toxic to weak finishes and I'm going to have to stay on my game with this. I got some of that Eezox and I'm giving that a whirl for a rust preventative.
The polymer trigger group......I can see that is going to have to go. Now don't get me wrong....I got a lot of polymer in the safe........but this thing, for me, needs to be steel, wood, aluminum, and leather....or as close to that as possible. I'm pricing that part now.....and it looks like its going to add a 100 bones to the total.
Pros:
Man....what a good time I had running this thing! First couple of shots I was pulling way high and to the left of where I wanted impact. It only took a few rounds to get centered and from the hip at 15 yards and in, I can put some solid hits on target. I was playing around with used B8s, some human shaped targets, some old clays that the previous shooter left behind, etc. Soon, I was hitting at about 90 percent and then tried some of that shooting using the push pull method. 15 and in is getting good and fun.
Ran a box of high brass #8, low brass #6, some from Federal, some Winchester, and then ran some 00 buckshot loads. Function was fine and the action is getting slicker with use and with sitting around just racking away.
All in all, I'm real happy with this thing for just a pure fun gun/range toy. It ran the cheap shells just as good as the higher grade stuff and recoil, for me, is very manageable. I had an epiphany that my range trip yesterday was twice as fun as most of them have been lately. Most have been trying to all black B8 targets, trying to shoot my second 100, work qualifications, etc.
Yesterday was just FUN.......and didn't dent the wallet too bad. I did have to take some Aleeve last night due to arthritic hands but I'll take it for the enjoyment this thing seeps out.
Now I want a Mossberg Nightstick but that's on the back burner since my son wants a coach gun.
Regards.
But I always wanted a Witness Protection 870.
So you can imagine my dismay to see these things pop up at a time in my life where I am trying to get totally debt free before retirement as well as putting a kid through college for cash. But I went ahead and charged one, arranged for my Remmy to ship to my FFL, and anxiously awaited it's arrival.
Yeah, Remington isn't what it used to be and I worried that the fit and finish, the polymer trigger guard/group, and the rust issue would soil all of this for me but I finally got it in, got a Wilson Combat oversize safety installed, and put a buffalo leather strap on it courtesy of Amazon. Yesterday I got to run some shells through it.
Cons:
The finish....yeah, it's pretty weak. I've oiled and oiled it and it is like a sponge......just soaks up oil like crazy. I don't care about pretty....but my PH is pretty toxic to weak finishes and I'm going to have to stay on my game with this. I got some of that Eezox and I'm giving that a whirl for a rust preventative.
The polymer trigger group......I can see that is going to have to go. Now don't get me wrong....I got a lot of polymer in the safe........but this thing, for me, needs to be steel, wood, aluminum, and leather....or as close to that as possible. I'm pricing that part now.....and it looks like its going to add a 100 bones to the total.
Pros:
Man....what a good time I had running this thing! First couple of shots I was pulling way high and to the left of where I wanted impact. It only took a few rounds to get centered and from the hip at 15 yards and in, I can put some solid hits on target. I was playing around with used B8s, some human shaped targets, some old clays that the previous shooter left behind, etc. Soon, I was hitting at about 90 percent and then tried some of that shooting using the push pull method. 15 and in is getting good and fun.
Ran a box of high brass #8, low brass #6, some from Federal, some Winchester, and then ran some 00 buckshot loads. Function was fine and the action is getting slicker with use and with sitting around just racking away.
All in all, I'm real happy with this thing for just a pure fun gun/range toy. It ran the cheap shells just as good as the higher grade stuff and recoil, for me, is very manageable. I had an epiphany that my range trip yesterday was twice as fun as most of them have been lately. Most have been trying to all black B8 targets, trying to shoot my second 100, work qualifications, etc.
Yesterday was just FUN.......and didn't dent the wallet too bad. I did have to take some Aleeve last night due to arthritic hands but I'll take it for the enjoyment this thing seeps out.
Now I want a Mossberg Nightstick but that's on the back burner since my son wants a coach gun.
Regards.