Remington 870 or 1100? Which one?

If you were in the market for a shotgun to use as an HD or SHTF shotgun...which would you go with? Which one has more aftermarket accessories available? I'm not looking to buy newbut I have a couple of trade offers.

870. You cannot beat the reliability of a pump. Not saying the 1100 is not reliablebut it can be finicky depending on the load. 870 will work no matter what you feed it. YMMV

I've had my 1100 for 30 years now(dang I'm getting old)... been hunting with it just about every year and skeet/trap in the off season or just for fun. It's never failed me... ever!

The 870 has a plethora of add ons and upgradesextreme reliability sure the 1100 is just the same just never handled onethought about it myself but would still have one 870 behind the door and my PG 870 by my sidebesides pumps just sound cooler!

Without even 5 seconds to think about it the 870. In a SHTF scenario you need reliability870 has it in spades.

870 for sure. I've had an 870 for probably 17 years (since I was 10) and fired thousands of rounds and never a hitch. It may get dirtybut that's it.

My dad has had his since he was 15 (now 50)and he swears by it.

We also like our 1100'sbut for your reasons I would say 870 all the way.

870 once agin for what you stated of it's intended purpouse. 1100's are awesome but I'd bed you can find an 870 for allot less. Besides you cannot beat the reliability of a 870. Good luck.

I have to agree with the 870. Simple as simple gets.Accurate as you are with the rounds you use (within reason say out to 150 yds with rifled slugs) Runs like a top and is really really easy to maintain with the basic of tools. In the event of the worst case scenario thats the one firearm I would not hesitate to use. I would take it over any other firearm out there.

<-------look at my screen name

870 for HD. Both are great guns. I have shot semi-autos for many yearsand O/Uand pumps. Every semi-auto I own has jammed to some degree at one time or another. sometimes failure to ejectsometime failure to cycle/load and although it may not take much time to correct it could make a difference in HD.

also i have a lot of respect for mossberg pumps.

I was down at Franson Firearms today and he has two in stock on the rack. Nice looking pumps.

I've never owned an 870 but I don't argue about their popularity and reliability. I might have to get one just for posterity. I've had one 1100 that never failed me. I bought a replacement barrel with screw in chokes for it and loved it. I think part of it for me is that I grew up shooting side by side and over under guns and so never got used to the pump action until I was an adult. I had a BPS once and ended up never shooting it evenalways preferring something else.

Ive never shot a 870but I love my 1100 and have never had a FTF or FTE with it. HoweverI wouldnt chose it for HD. I would go with a BeneliMossberg or even a Saiga over an 870 for home defense especially. Just my opinion.

I have an 1100and compared to my F-i-L's 870 it is a tank in the weight department. I have no intention of parting with the 1100but I do want to add an 870 for HD purposes.

1100 vs 870 is sortof like revolver vs semiauto: both have pros and cons
You should handle each to see what you like: including Mossberg.

P.S. I know it's a taboo to saybut IMHO Remington 870 is overall poorly designed shotgun compared to 500 and yet demands premium for some reason:
- safety is unoperable
- slide release is unoperable
- shell lifter is a chinese finger trap
All those are ok for recreational shootingbut either one is a deal breaker for HDwhy it is so popular is beyond me.

I'd say 870

An 1100 is out of action if the neoprene "O" ring cracksdue to age or loss during cleaning.

An 870particularly the Police versionis more bullet proof durable. There are some mod's that some will do to them to make them even more bullet proof. Don't rule out the Mossberg 590A1 as a top-tier choice for a serious HD or SHTF tool; do a search on them.

I have both and would recommend the 870. My 1100 is picky about the ammo it likesno problems ever with the 870.

Am I the only guy who HATES the little silver safety thing on the 1100 where you feed the shells into the tube? The 870 doesn't have that piece of junk. It makes loading the 1100 much more challenging.

My 870 was a pain to load quickly and would have extraction issues with slugs/buckshot every so often. This disqualifies them for anything other than plinking/bird hunting.

Look at a Nova if you want a pumpthey're not that much more expensive than an 870 and are a dream to load and shoot.

technetium-99m said:

My 870 was a pain to load quickly and would have extraction issues with slugs/buckshot every so often. This disqualifies them for anything other than plinking/bird hunting.

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Not trying to be disrespectfulbut you do realize that ten's of thousand's of 870 have been in military and law enforcement use for a good many years and have been very reliable. The fact that your 1 particular gun had some loading/extraction issues does not mean that it "disqualifies them for anything other than plinking/bird hunting".

870 here. Reliable and the loud pump sound alone scares anything away. I gave my tac 870 an OD duacoat and the Knoxx/Blackhawk spec ops stock.

CAR-AR-M16 said:

Not trying to be disrespectfulbut you do realize that ten's of thousand's of 870 have been in military and law enforcement use for a good many years and have been very reliable. The fact that your 1 particular gun had some loading/extraction issues does not mean that it "disqualifies them for anything other than plinking/bird hunting".

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I meant that I dismissed them for serious use. Worded my post poorly.

I still maintain the loading port is poorly suited to loading quickly. It works well at removing flesh though. And the extraction issue is very reallots of examples of 870's with extraction issues.

CAR-AR-M16 said:

Not trying to be disrespectfulbut you do realize that ten's of thousand's of 870 have been in military and law enforcement use for a good many years and have been very reliable. The fact that your 1 particular gun had some loading/extraction issues does not mean that it "disqualifies them for anything other than plinking/bird hunting".

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Military use is not a good excuse for poor design:
Safety has to be disengaged by trigger fingerand cannot be engaged without full dismount ... have to use left hand? wellthat's really too bad.
Slide release has to be operated by trigger finger and can't be reached in "ready" position or operated by weak hand (really? that's what it says in the manual)
Load port blocked spring-loaded shell lifter is a thumb bitter.

I've never experienced it myselfbut this is not the first time I hear about 870 FTE with heavy load - my guess single extractor just doesn't do it.

All these problems are there for 60 years. In good Remington tradition they keep giving deep discounts to military and keep floating on consumer loyalty and ignorance. Don't get me wrong870 is not a "bad" shotgun - and I can see where it has very few flaws in hunting or even assault situation; however it is superbly poorly suited for HD/SD - I'd go as far as to say I'd rather use SxS - checking to see if safety is off with finger off the trigger is just not my thing.

Ohyeahever tried quail hunting with a 5 foot club? That's what 870 becomes when shell gets stuck under the lifter.... LOL great hunt :preocc:

I retreat my previous statement - 870 is just plain POS!!!! :popcorn:

Thanks for all the input and advice guys

MoBoost said:

Military use is not a good excuse for poor design:
Safety has to be disengaged by trigger fingerand cannot be engaged without full dismount ... have to use left hand? wellthat's really too bad.
Slide release has to be operated by trigger finger and can't be reached in "ready" position or operated by weak hand (really? that's what it says in the manual)
Load port blocked spring-loaded shell lifter is a thumb bitter.
I've never experienced it myselfbut this is not the first time I hear about 870 FTE with heavy load - my guess single extractor just doesn't do it.
All these problems are there for 60 years. In good Remington tradition they keep giving deep discounts to military and keep floating on consumer loyalty and ignorance. Don't get me wrong870 is not a "bad" shotgun - and I can see where it has very few flaws in hunting or even assault situation; however it is superbly poorly suited for HD/SD - I'd go as far as to say I'd rather use SxS - checking to see if safety is off with finger off the trigger is just not my thing.

Ohyeahever tried quail hunting with a 5 foot club? That's what 870 becomes when shell gets stuck under the lifter.... LOL great hunt.
I retreat my previous statement - 870 is just plain POS!!!!

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Siryou seem to be like many gun enthusiasts that I know who I like to call “all or nothings”. It appears that you rate guns as either 100% (best thing since sliced bread” or 0% (POS!!!!). I actually believe that almost every gun has its own advantages and disadvantages and probably rate around 90% (none are perfect). I never said any other gun was inferior or superior to an 870. My only comment was to technetium-99m that you cannot condemn an entire line of guns because 1 particular gun had some loading/extraction issues.

Now as to your other commentssure the 870 has some design issues that could be improved upon as do all guns. The safety issue you mentioned can be easily solved by using a Vang Comp Dome Head Safety which allows you to keep the tip of your finger on the trigger yet disengage the safety using the back part of your finger. I have one on my 870 and it works great. You are correct in that lefties are out of luck. You could use a Mossberg with its tang safety that works great for right and left handed shooters (advantage)but this precludes your ability to easily use a pistol gripped stock (disadvantage).

I do agree with you on the slide release issue and I do not know about the extraction issue with heavy loads except that I have never had that issue or seen anyone else with that issue.

As to the shell getting stuck under the lifterthat is a serious issue in a HD gunbut Remington came out with the Flex-Tab lifter that allows you to simply pump the action to clear that type of jam (albeit you do have to pump it harder). This came out about 20 years ago and you can retro-fit older 870 if this is a concern.

As to Remington giving “deep discounts to military and keep floating on consumer loyalty and ignorance” I do not think you would find much loyalty if folks in the field kept having so many issues and I seriously doubt any Military or LE agency would care about any discount if they kept finding their troops/officers dead next to a jammed up 870.

LastlyI do believe that military use is the best way to bring out the strengths and weaknesses of ANY piece of equipment. I have worked for the Army Ordnance Corp for the past 27 years and see every day the kind of abuse that stuff takes. If something can stand up to a soldierit should stand up to anything. If it doesn’t stand up it gets updated or replaced. The M1911M1 Garandetc.. did not get their reputation in the hunting fields. The M16 did have issues and they were remedied in later versions to the fine weapon they are today. I believe the 870 has stood up to this “test of time” as well.

I hope I have not insulted you and it was not my intention to argue. I just believe that almost any firearm made in the last 100 years all have good and bad characteristics. I do not think any gun is a POS and I do not think any of them are perfect. You must decide what features are important to youwhich things you can upgrade and which things you can live without. For me the 870 meets my needsbut that in no way implies that any other gun is vastly inferior or superior.

MoBoost said:

Ohyeahever tried quail hunting with a 5 foot club? That's what 870 becomes when shell gets stuck under the lifter.... LOL great hunt :preocc:

I retreat my previous statement - 870 is just plain POS!!!! :popcorn:

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You're a POS. Just kiddingbut don't be hating the 870. It's a great gunand I've killed my share of stuff with it.

The extraction issue is common to newer production express models. IMO for my moneya Nova is a far better pump. I'm not as extreme in my dislike as moboost is.

Even with the memory of having to buttslam my 870 all the time.

870. Plain simple gets it done. I plan on buying an 1100 someday. just not high on my list of things to buy.

I have had 3 870s in the past. one Express managed to get the shell lodged under the bolt and above the lifter. It was either disassemble the shotgun to get it out or slam the butt stock on the ground while holding the forend. Option two resolved the problem and I kept shooting it through class.

Safety's on shotguns are nice to prevent the trigger from moving. However they aren't a drop safe design. So whats the point of using it. Keep the chamber empty until you are aready to shoot something and you won't have to worry about the safety.

The only 870 I own right now is my Short barrel Police Magnum. No magazine extensionno pistol gripno lightslaserstoastersHAM radio receivers. Just a basic walnut stock with a 4 round magazine and a bead sight. If 4 rounds of buckshot won't resolve an issue in my house I picked the wrong neighborhood to live in.

We can tell you our opinion all day long. But an 870 if you don't like it odds are you can sell it here in a heart beat. Same with the 1100. Just put Tactical in the title and someone with a post count of 26 will PM you within a minute or two.

DanB said:

870. Plain simple gets it done. I plan on buying an 1100 someday. just not high on my list of things to buy.

I have had 3 870s in the past. one Express managed to get the shell lodged under the bolt and above the lifter. It was either disassemble the shotgun to get it out or slam the butt stock on the ground while holding the forend. Option two resolved the problem and I kept shooting it through class.

Safety's on shotguns are nice to prevent the trigger from moving. However they aren't a drop safe design. So whats the point of using it. Keep the chamber empty until you are aready to shoot something and you won't have to worry about the safety.

The only 870 I own right now is my Short barrel Police Magnum. No magazine extensionno pistol gripno lightslaserstoastersHAM radio receivers. Just a basic walnut stock with a 4 round magazine and a bead sight. If 4 rounds of buckshot won't resolve an issue in my house I picked the wrong neighborhood to live in.

We can tell you our opinion all day long. But an 870 if you don't like it odds are you can sell it here in a heart beat. Same with the 1100. Just put Tactical in the title and someone with a post count of 26 will PM you within a minute or two.

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funniest thing that I have read outside of general discussions

but seriouslyno one else hates the safety thing on the 1100 where you feed shells into the tube?