My son is 15 and we are looking for his 1st shotgun. It has been years since I have been hunting so I am having to re-educate myself on equipment. I found a nice used Remington 870 12 ga pump with a 26" barrel for $269.00.

A couple years ago he earned his shotgun shooting merit badge a summer camp and has been bugging me ever since.

Would this be a good first gun? Would we be better buying new. Please keep in mind that he is paying for this so top of the line is out.

Also, besides Bass Pro Shops & Cabelas, where else could I find good reasonable guns. I live in Flower Mound, TX.

Thanks,

870 is a great gun.

It would be a good first gun and it'll last long enough for him to pass on to his children. $269 is not a good price unless there's some xtras you didn't mention. They go for that new.

870 is a great gun, however $269 for a used one isn't a good price at all.

Academy has them for $279 new...

I would also look at the Benelli Nova

$349 at Academy a bit more but I think its well worth it.

yes thats new price at wal-mart or academy

you should be able to get an 870 at academy in lewisville for about $250. new not used.

That would be a great gun. If it is a Wingmaster gloss wood and high luster blueing than $269.00 not bad

My dad has an 870 that he bought new. It's been a piece of sh!+ ever since he bought it. damn near hangs up on every eject
Talk your son into getting an O/U, plus it will help him in being more accurate(he's only got 2 shots) and save on shot shells
JMO

i have had an 870 for 10yrs, my first gun and its still pumpin shell and killin everything that it crosses paths with

Had mine for 12 years and it has never missed a beat. I bet I've put 5,000 rounds through the thing. It's as smooth as glass and reliable as it can be. As many others have said, just buy one new, that way he gets to take it out of the box, put the barrel on it, and make it his own.

870's are great guns. I have a couple of them that have been going strong for 40 or so years. Never a problem, and still in excellent shape. Go for it!

That Nova is a good one too, though. My buddy has it and it's a great shooter. Light, too! You could carry it all day and not get worn out.

My first one was a Mossberg 835. It gets the job done. Nothing fancy. Ony thing I dont like is that I cant shoot slugs through it. Things I do like: good recoil pad comes on it, and the barrel is thicker than any other 12 ga I've ever seen/used (doesnt get hot as easily). Its supossed to be a 10ga barrel but only bored out to 12ga.

I think the extra money for a nova will be will worth it.

I know some people are going to jump up my butt about the following. 870's are good enough guns and are definitely popular and tested. However, the nova is just a better pump. the action is better and more reliable. At that quality level I would rather pay less and get a standard Mossberg instaed of the 870. I have beaten my nova up, used it as as paddle, dropped it in sal water, and it still keeps on ticking. The only problem i have had it that the magazine gets a little stuck if i dont clean after seom hard use. A quick claening or forcing the first shell in always cures it.

Maybe you can "finance" the cost difference fro a nova. I dont think he or you will be disappointed at the end of the day.

I thought it was written into law somewhere that your first shotgun had to be an 870... (Just like everyone is required to learn to shoot with a Red Ryder.)

If buying a 870 get the Wingmaster, not the Express. Tons of difference.

I picked up a new 870 from a guy that won it in a raffle of some sort, got it for 120 bucks. Only reason I got it was for a throw down tool box shotgun. The older ones are great but the new ones are cheap. I used this thing one time and by the time I took it back out of the case to clean it the next day it had rust all over it. I probably only shot a box through it and it was covered in rust. The coating they put on them now if very cheap and flakes off from just shooting. If I would have bought that gun for full price I would of made remington give me my money back. If you can find an older used one go for it but besides that go with something else. You just might have to spend more than 250.

i have a mossberg 500 that has been very dependable for me, no problems at all

x2

Thanks for all your input. I just got the Thanksgiving weekend flyer for Cabela’s. Guess what is on sale? Yup! A Rem 870 Express w/3 choke tubes for $289 with a $30 mail in rebate making it $259 after rebate.

I am glad I waited and spent time shopping around.

Thanks for all your input. I just got the Thanksgiving weekend flyer for Cabela’s. Guess what is on sale? Yup! A Rem 870 Express w/3 choke tubes for $289 with a $30 mail in rebate making it $259 after rebate.

I am glad I waited and spent time shopping around.

can't go wrong with an 870

You can always go worng with an 870, and $269 for a used 870 is too much. I hunted with the old trusty Mossberg 500 for years after my dad passed it on to me after he upgraded. That gun was old and took a beating and still severed me well.

BIG Difference. That Express model is the biggest piece of junk on the market for the price they want to stick folks with.

Express is still a good gun IF WELL TAKEN CARE OF. I got mine brand new in 1993 and still hunt with it. Mossberg 500 is also good. I inherited one w/ full choke from my late father in law this year and hunted dove with it. LOVED IT as well. As with any gun, you just have to make sure you clean it each time after using it. Treat it like crap and it will shoot like crap!