Remington 870 Tactical question

[DLWinner]

I recently acquired a Remington 870 Tactical 12Ga. It is approximately 5 years old. It was made when Remington had some questionable qc. I am keeping it simple with no optics or lights.
What parts on these were known to fail? I was thinking the extractor. This will probably be used for some classes so I wanted to replace the questionable parts.

[TCinVA]

You want to check to ensure the chamber doesn't have any issues by running shells through the gun and ensuring they extract cleanly. Issues with chambers leading to unreliable extraction were a problem.

The MIM extractor can be replaced by a tool-steel extractor from Volquartsen.

Replace the magazine spring and follower with better quality items. Wilson sells a nice spring and follower combo. I use a Wolff spring in the gun and the Vang Comp follower in my 870s.

Ensure the magazine cap stays tight so you don't break the ejector.

[DLWinner]

You want to check to ensure the chamber doesn't have any issues by running shells through the gun and ensuring they extract cleanly. Issues with chambers leading to unreliable extraction were a problem.

The MIM extractor can be replaced by a tool-steel extractor from Volquartsen.

Replace the magazine spring and follower with better quality items. Wilson sells a nice spring and follower combo. I use a Wolff spring in the gun and the Vang Comp follower in my 870s.

Ensure the magazine cap stays tight so you don't break the ejector.

Thank you for the info. Those were were all of the parts on I was thinking. I will get them ordered this week.

[perlslacker]

You want to check to ensure the chamber doesn't have any issues by running shells through the gun and ensuring they extract cleanly. Issues with chambers leading to unreliable extraction were a problem.

The MIM extractor can be replaced by a tool-steel extractor from Volquartsen.

Replace the magazine spring and follower with better quality items. Wilson sells a nice spring and follower combo. I use a Wolff spring in the gun and the Vang Comp follower in my 870s.

Ensure the magazine cap stays tight so you don't break the ejector.

Didn't the Police Magnums always have milled extractors? Or did that change at some point during the Freedom era?

EDIT: OP said "Tactical" not "Police." I reed gud.

[shootist26]

I recently acquired a Remington 870 Tactical 12Ga. It is approximately 5 years old. It was made when Remington had some questionable qc. I am keeping it simple with no optics or lights.
What parts on these were known to fail? I was thinking the extractor. This will probably be used for some classes so I wanted to replace the questionable parts.

I made the following upgrades:
- 870 police steel extractor and carrier dog spring
- Hi vis polymer follower and better magazine spring that came with my Vang mag extension
- Vang big dome safety

Shoot a bunch of cheap metal base (aluminum? steel?) shells through it and see how the extraction goes. If the hulls stick in the chamber, you'll need to hone it. I've mostly seen problems running those low rimmed non-brass shells like Estate sport loads

I like the 870 Police carrier dog spring upgrade a lot. It makes the shell lifter lift up with noticeably more oomph than the standard 870

[gato naranja]

I recently acquired a Remington 870 Tactical 12Ga. It is approximately 5 years old. It was made when Remington had some questionable qc. I am keeping it simple with no optics or lights.
What parts on these were known to fail? I was thinking the extractor. This will probably be used for some classes so I wanted to replace the questionable parts.

K.I.S.S. is a good idea on a 12 gauge pump shotgun.

These small bits should get you most of the way to a "Police"-grade action:

Police carrier dog spring
Police sear spring
Police extractor (which is - or at least was - milled steel).

After that, things can get out of focus.

The right magazine spring is essential, but some tacticals may actually already have one. There are lots of length variations in magazine springs over the years and if you have a magazine tube extension, you don't want to be caught short (so to speak). If in doubt, get a new one of known quality and specific application.
I swear by the S&J Hardware Type 2 Green magazine follower, but there are plenty of other good ones out there. The factory orange ones function okay until the day the polymer they are molded of fails.
After a few years trying different safeties, I returned to the old-school Wilson/Scattergun Jumbo head safety. The Vang protruded way too much for me, and while the S&J was just right, I started having some forefinger pain using anything but the Wilson (or the stock Remington) safety.

I found that the best of parts will occasionally need a burr removed or some such thing, and even the most revered of vendors can have a bad day (be it bad heat treating, etc). I have had more unpleasant "surprises" on shotgun mods/upgrades than about anything else.

[L-2]

All the replies have very good advice and the posters have very good knowledge and experience with these guns.
I'm not very knowledgeable in the 870 detail stripping or "armorer-ing".

If me, especially for classes, I'd definitely have a 2nd shotgun brought with me to these classes, whether another 870 or not.

Although I might order the recommended parts, I'd consider going through the classes with the subject shotgun as is.
The existing parts might or I'd even say, likely hold up just fine for a few classes without breakage, but you'd have the spare parts on hand should they do break at some later time.

Or some other part(s) break not mentioned at all, which would be more my luck; (like a bead sight breaking off, a recoil pad decomposing; or the new, replaced part breaking, then needing to use the old original part to fix it).

This were just my thoughts as I was casually reading this thread, not so much to be used as advice.

[UNK]

Ive got a non related question. Aside from a few parts that can be installed on any 870 is there anything really special about the PM? Ive shot 3” out of a 12 guage in one instance in during a goose hunt. That load kicks. Arent most loads for defensive use 2.75? My point being they are rare and expensive wouldnt a viable alternative be an older inexpensive Wingmaster With a 2.75” chamber?

[kwb377]

My point being they are rare and expensive wouldnt a viable alternative be an older inexpensive Wingmaster With a 2.75” chamber?

PM's are rare and expensive? I picked up my '99-vintage 18.5" w/ ghost rings for $369 back in November...stopped by the same LGS last weekend and they had some mid-90's vintage ones in the rack with 20" rifle sights, mag extensions and SF forends for $329. They had more wear than mine did...but even though I'm full-up on defensive shotguns right now I consider myself a fool for not getting one.

[UNK]

PM's are rare and expensive? I picked up my '99-vintage 18.5" w/ ghost rings for $369 back in November...stopped by the same LGS last weekend and they had some mid-90's vintage ones in the rack with 20" rifle sights, mag extensions and SF forends for $329. They had more wear than mine did...but even though I'm full-up on defensive shotguns right now I consider myself a fool for not getting one.

I have only seen good prices on them here on the forum when some police dept traded a bunch in. Aside from that Ive seen only a few and they were more than I wanted to pay. Whats the most desirable configuration? Ive only shot shotguns with single bead or ribbed and two beads.

ETA I just went online and looked lots of tacticals, wingmaster or express and 1 marine magnum ad claiming to be police trade ins but very few police magnums.
At a lgs I recently saw a synthetic 870 they claimed was a police trade in but obviously that wasnt correct because the barrel had been recently cut short and they hadnt bothered to re blue the end or de burr it.