Question Should i mod or restore my old Remington 870?

[DodoArms]

I have an old 870 Remington magnum that I received as a gift. It's got a lot of surface rust and is pretty worn out. My plan was to get it ceramic coated and add modern furniture. However, is there any reason I should just restore it and clean up the surface instead?

 

[Resolute00]

I have an old 870 Remington magnum that I received as a gift. It's got a lot of surface rust and is pretty worn out. My plan was to get it ceramic coated and add modern furniture. However, is there any reason I should just restore it and clean up the surface instead?


View attachment 9918

I sent an old 870 to Vang Comp for refinishing, barrel porting, optics rail, dome head safety, and tube extension.

Remington 870 Full Tactical Upgrade Service

Use this page to configure your upgrade and turn your old bird gun into a modernized fighting shotgun. ||As of 10/1/2025 we are estimating job completion 4 months after receipt of new jobs. Add any additional notes in the "Order notes" section at the bottom of the checkout page. This page is...

vangcomp.com

This was about two years ago, so it was cheaper and beware at the time it took about 8 months to complete the work due to supply chain constraints.

Highly recommended, looks great, shoots flatter than original, safety is easier to actuate, works great with a red dot mount.

Cody at Vang Comp is a great gun guy and will treat your old 870 well.

This is one of the coolest builds I’ve seen in a long time with Vang Comp and Woox wood furniture.

 

[ehd1990]

I have an old 870 Remington magnum that I received as a gift. It's got a lot of surface rust and is pretty worn out. My plan was to get it ceramic coated and add modern furniture. However, is there any reason I should just restore it and clean up the surface instead?


View attachment 9918

When i make decisions like this, i consider the cost. Is it cheaper to buy a new gun or is it cheaper to buy new furniture and get it painted? I am currently debating sizing down my remington 870. I have a 28" barreled model that id like to turn into a home defense version. I thought it wouldnt be too expensive to buy a shorter barrel but they range from 150 to 350. I might just cut the 28" barrel i have as that would be the cheapest way to go instead of spending the amount it would take to buy a new one.

 

[Deleted member 4781]

However, is there any reason I should just restore it and clean up the surface instead?

Not really unless that's just something you want to do. Old 870s are cheap and dime a dozen so you aren't losing any inherent value by modernizing. To do it right you'll probably spend more than the shotgun is worth, but the end result will be a better product than any current offering on the market at a comparable level. That's my 2 cents anyway.

 

[DodoArms]

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Thanks, everyone. There's some sentimental value, so I might end up spending a bit of money on it. Also, what do these marks mean?

 

[Deleted member 4781]

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Thanks, everyone. There's some sentimental value, so I might end up spending a bit of money on it. Also, what do these marks mean?

Those are the manufacture codes that show the inspector, date of manufacture and assembly. According to yours being XJ it was manufactured in December of 1962. Since it's a pre-63 barrel per Remington's recommendation I wouldn't use steel shot in it. Lead will be just fine.

 

[Deleted member 4781]

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Thanks, everyone. There's some sentimental value, so I might end up spending a bit of money on it. Also, what do these marks mean?

I'd like to add, that being a classic I would probably consider restoring instead of modernizing. Deep clean and get someone to do a nice refinish on the receiver, same for the wood. As long as it isn't too dried out/cracked/soaked with oil, with some sanding and refinishing you could really get it looking nice again. Just add an extended mag tube to it for extra capacity and you've a sweet old 12ga. banger.

Get a Mossberg 590 or a police trade-in 870 from Atlantic Arms if you want a budget platform to modernize. The new RemArms 870s aren't worth a damn.

 

[DodoArms]

I'd like to add, that being a classic I would probably consider restoring instead of modernizing. Deep clean and get someone to do a nice refinish on the receiver, same for the wood. As long as it isn't too dried out/cracked/soaked with oil, with some sanding and refinishing you could really get it looking nice again. Just add an extended mag tube to it for extra capacity and you've a sweet old 12ga. banger.

Get a Mossberg 590 or a police trade-in 870 from Atlantic Arms if you want a budget platform to modernize. The new RemArms 870s aren't worth a damn.

Yea it looks like i'm going to see if i can restore it, thanks for all the info ill post photos after the restoration.

 

[Deleted member 4781]

Yea it looks like i'm going to see if i can restore it, thanks for all the info ill post photos after the restoration.

Glad I could help. Restoration is probably the better choice for sentimental reasons as well. Modern tactical shotguns are cheap and readily available. Keep the family heirloom as it is, just bring it back to life so you can preserve it for years to come.

 

[joefrank64k]

I'm torn (like it's my decision haha!!).

On the one hand: It's an old 870, plenty of those around, it's not in great shape. Cerekote it, throw some Magpul furniture on it and call it a day.

OTOH, it's C&R and 62+ years old: Some 0000 steel or bronze wool, some easy work on the wood, and you've got a dead reliable pump that will last another 62 years.

Can't go wrong either way!!

 

[Joker67]

I used this video to conserve a few things.

If you boil parts for an hour in water it converts red oxide (rust) to black oxide without removing metal. I have a Frankenstein Model 12 I got cheap with light rust in areas. Giving it a go to stop the decay.

I bought a new old stock WW 2 unshot Flannery barrel with a very small spot of rust. Maybe 3 mm x 3mm, looked like tomato sauce. Did this process and it disappeared and the original blue was still there.

 

[CWINSD]

If there's sentimental value to it, I'd restore it.

 

[DrJonesUSA]

I have an old 870 Remington magnum that I received as a gift. It's got a lot of surface rust and is pretty worn out. My plan was to get it ceramic coated and add modern furniture. However, is there any reason I should just restore it and clean up the surface instead?


View attachment 9918

Modern tactical shotguns are a dime a dozen.
Who knows the stories this thing could tell if it could talk (other than its bark, I mean.... )

Restore that sexy beast to its original glory!!

 

[DodoArms]

Thanks guys I don't usual work on older gun so I've never had to deal with rust and wear. Im usually building race guns or Gucci guns so all this is new to me.

 

[DrJonesUSA]

Thanks guys I don't usual work on older gun so I've never had to deal with rust and wear. Im usually building race guns or Gucci guns so all this is new to me.

If you hate rust, buy & use Eezox CLP.
It's all I've used on everything in my life that is metal. I've never seen a spot of rust in about 20 years.
Tools, locks, hinges, bike chains, knives, EDC gear (prybars, etc); obvi guns; even stuff that's up against my skin & I sweat all over; NO RUST.

Eezox is amazing. Absolutely amazing.
Very nice to have a Clean, Lube, Protect all in one product too.

Post pics of that 870 when you are done!!

 

[Tere_Hanges]

I collect C&Rs. So I'm totally biased. It's over 50 years old. The only thing I would do to it is clean it up. I wouldn't refinish it or change out any parts unless they were broken and affecting function. And I'd keep the original parts if I did have to change any of them out. 870s are aplenty so even those it's C&R it's probably not very collectable. Although if you're a film noir nut like I am, anything from the 30s to the 60s is "collectible". Especially brand names like Colt, S&W, Remington, etc...

If you want a more modern shotgun, just go buy one in the configuration you want. You can get Mossbergs and Remingtons pretty cheap.

I'd clean that one up real good, make sure it functions reliably, and leave it alone. Maybe put some buck and slugs next to it and stash it for SHTF.

 

[RustVendor]

Honestly that's not even that rusty, my first duck gun was an 870 and it looked like that after the first season (not saying thats a good thing that I didn't oil it....). But unless the rust has actually gone below the surface it will scrub off with a little elbow grease. And if it has gone below the surface you don't want to shoot it. So basically, don't cerakote it either way. I also wouldn't use it for anything more than a fun range toy, while they were made better back then than they are now, it's a 60 year old gun that was likely neglected. It's a good gun though those old 870s are why they have a good reputation, the past 20 years of 870s has been depressing and should be avoided. I've had more misfires and jams in my 2008 870 than all my semi autos combined.

 

[Tere_Hanges]

Honestly that's not even that rusty, my first duck gun was an 870 and it looked like that after the first season (not saying thats a good thing that I didn't oil it....). But unless the rust has actually gone below the surface it will scrub off with a little elbow grease. And if it has gone below the surface you don't want to shoot it. So basically, don't cerakote it either way. I also wouldn't use it for anything more than a fun range toy, while they were made better back then than they are now, it's a 60 year old gun that was likely neglected. It's a good gun though those old 870s are why they have a good reputation, the past 20 years of 870s has been depressing and should be avoided. I've had more misfires and jams in my 2008 870 than all my semi autos combined.

I've heard a lot of complaints about 870s from past 20 years of production. But I have from around 2012 and it's worked fine since day one. I've shot it a lot, taken pheasant with it. 100% trust it.

 

[zhyla]

I would just oil it and shoot it. Don’t let Bubba into your heart.

 

[Deleted member 4781]

I've heard a lot of complaints about 870s from past 20 years of production. But I have from around 2012 and it's worked fine since day one. I've shot it a lot, taken pheasant with it. 100% trust it.

Remington doesn't even exist as a firearms company anymore. The ammunition and gun manufacturing divisions of the company got divided up and sold off to different holding companies. The firearms division is RemArms now. Still same factory and people, but management and production has changed dramatically. Years of mismanagement by vulture capitalists that cared nothing for the brand or history, combined with crushing lawsuits from Sandy Hook put Remington in a hole they never recovered from. Most of the line has been discontinued, and what's left is getting made in limited batches. At the rate they're going I doubt they last another 10 years.