Shotguns are a great workhorse firearm. For one, they can fill a ton of different roles. They’re also extremely easy to assemble and disassemble. That’s important, since in spite of being the most reliable firearms around, you still need to clean your shotguns occasionally. Fortunately, we’ve got School of Firearms Technology Chair Rick Casner to show us in his recent video how to assemble and disassemble a Remington 870.
Image of Remington 870 Police is courtesy of Picanox
Remington 870 Disassembly
Rick starts off by mentioning that assembling and disassembling a Remington 870 will be similar to a Mossberg 500, Maverick 88, and some other styles of pump-action shotguns.
First off, Rick emphasizes how important it is to make sure your gun is cleared before cleaning it. Make sure you visually and physically check both the chamber and the magazine tube.
Step 1
Next, unscrew the magazine tube cap. Open the action slightly, and you’ll be able to pull the barrel away from the rest of the gun.
Step 2
Use a brass mallet, punches, and some finesse to remove the two pins in the receiver. Then, you’ll be able to remove the trigger assembly.
Step 3
Rick mentions that this next part is a little bit different from a Mossberg 500 or Maverick 88. Push in the shell stop tabs to remove the action from the receiver. The Mossberg and Maverick don’t have these tabs.
That’s all it takes to disassemble a Remington 870! Rick takes some time to go over the function of the gun’s internal parts.
Assembling a Remington 870
Step 1
Assembling a Remington 870 is the same as disassembling it, but in the opposite order. Put the slide and bolt back onto the action and slide it into the receiver. You’ll need to depress the slide stop tabs to do this.
Step 2
Next, fit the trigger assembly into the bottom of the receiver. Line up the trigger assembly and receiver holes and push the pins back through them. This will hold the trigger assembly in place.
Step 3
Now, pull your bolt about halfway open. Slide the barrel back onto the magazine tube and fit it onto the receiver. Screw the magazine tube cap back onto the end of the magazine to hold the barrel in place.
Function Check
You’re not finished yet! You should get into the habit of function checking every firearm after you assemble it. Rack the slide a few times, point the muzzle in a safe direction, and try pulling the trigger. If everything feels right, you’re good to go.
Voila! You’re done reassembling a Remington 870. Now go get it dirty again!
Learn More About Firearms at SDI
Are you fascinated by firearms? At SDI, you can learn how to maintain, upgrade, and build your own firearms from instructors like Rick. To learn more, you can check out our course descriptions here.
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