Please Help with finding an 870 Police!

[DarkKalEL]

I've been reading these forums for months and through good advice I have learned a lot. I'm looking for a quality shotgun for home defense. I had pretty much decided on an 870 police b/c I don't mind spending extra money for a product which is reliable and will last.

However; I have been having an EXTREMELY HARD time here in NW Indiana finding a police model. Every dealer carries the express or some tacticool variant of the express. When I inquired about them contacting remington directly they say they're not legal LEO dealer so they can't even order it to have it shipped!

I called Remington's contact number and they state they are not able to "reveal" various dealers or their distributors which are "LEO" to civilians or non FFL holders.

This is really frustrating. I'm seriously starting to consider if a Mossberg 590 or some form of Benelli may be better?

Just seeking some advice:
I'm willing to travel from NW Indiana to purchase if someone has some insight or if there happens to be simple way to order online?

Thanks in advance

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Pete Zaria]

Here's a few suggestions:

870 Police Mag. USSS - Auction: 8593060 (Ends 04/28/2008, 1936 PST)

W/GHOST RING NIGHT SIGHT, SHELL HOLDER GORGEOUS... - Auction: 8576640 (Ends 04/27/2008, 16:44:29 PST)

870 Police Mag. AOW - Auction: 8593061 (Ends 04/28/2008, 1936 PST)

Or buddy up to someone with an FFL and have them give Remington a call for you.

From a reliability point of view, I seriously doubt the 870 has much of an edge on the Mossberg 590, especially if it's not going to see constant use.

Good luck!

Peace,
Pete Zaria.

[ccw9mm]

If you're prepared to deal with the ATF on the short-barreled 870P, Waffen Werkes in Tennessee is a Class III dealer that has a few of the U.S. Secret Service "discards" that were never used. They're NIB, Remington 870 Police (pump-action, of course), 14" bbl, modified choke, ghost ring tritium sights, SpeedFeed stock, plus-1 extension. Advertised price is $575, with the $200 ATF tax beyond that. A bit stiff, but then it's a 14" model.

Click here for the ad: clickie.

[dukalmighty]

buy an 870 and cut the barrel down to 18" if ya want a short barrel home defense,or buy a used barrel and cut it down

[Longbow]

I know where you can get a brand new one, And man is it nice, It is a real Police 870. PM me for details.

[OD*]

I got mine from these folks, very good people to deal with.
Craig's Firearms - Remington Shotguns

[SIXTO]

They are not hard to get but Remington only lets a few go out to the civilian distrubution system. Let me poke around, I'll try to find you one. Be patient and dont settle for a lesser gun, It only took me a day or two to find mine.

Wood or cheesy synthetic stock?

Heres a good one;

GunBroker.com guns: Remington 870 Police Magnum 12 Parkerized Tactical (item: 98216879 ends: Apr-27-08 0510 AM)

[eethomas]

There is one on gunbroker.com right now. Here is the link:
GunBroker.com guns: Remington 870 Police 12 Gauge Tactical Surefire (item: 97940641 ends: Apr-27-08 09:44:09 PM)

[eethomas]

I have that same gun by the way.

[snakatack]

Well, I'm in the same boat trying to find a 870P.

"I called Remington's contact number and they state they are not able to "reveal" various dealers or their distributors which are "LEO" to civilians or non FFL holders.

Not quite true. Go to the Remington web page:

Remington Law Enforcement - Wholesalers Directory

Click on your state and check surrounding states too. There are many LE dealers with web pages linked which will tell you if they sell to civilians or not.

[DarkKalEL]

First, let me again say thanks to all the replies and the helpful comments. I actually went to my local dealer today and pulled a salesman over and made him open this forum page. We talked about shipping to them (they charge $50, for accepting other firearms/ Doesn't seem unreasonable to me if I get what I want. But is this typical?)

Discussed the ATF ban on the secret service models (the 14" barrel)(I REALLY LIKE). He seemed to suggest the tax and closer scrutiny may be a bit of a hassel and it would be worth it if looking to do a fully automatic firearm. (Is this even legal in Indiana?)

After searching Gunbroker, I really like this simple set up. Again I'm new to this, but I assume if you buy a quality weapon you can always add a mag extension or light. But is it less cost effective than acquiring the whole package in one fell swoop?

But I'm really leaning toward this:
GunBroker.com guns: Remington 870 Police #4449 Ghost/XS/Park - NR (item: 98178141 ends: May-07-08 06:59:12 PM)

Any advice or comments would be appreciated

[Plan B]

It's your money and you want what you want, but to me a basic Remington 870 (wood or synthetic furniture) with a mag extension should do the trick. You can find what I just described anywhere for under $400. Bud's is advertising this here for $319 and it already has the 18" barrel on it.

I bought a new 870 express for around 300 bucks to hunt with (it came with a 28" barrel - ducks) and then bought an 18" remington replacement barrel from Cabela's for $120 bucks. I use the shottie for both hunting and home defense. Just another (less expensive) option. Good luck.

Plan B

[OD*]

Some folks feel the difference between an Express and a Police is worth the extra money.
http://www.remingtonmilitary.com/art...Pol6-30-05.pdf

[Plan B]

Some folks feel the difference between an Express and a Police is worth the extra money.
http://www.remingtonmilitary.com/art...Pol6-30-05.pdf

Totally understand, but $400 is a quite a bit more. Like I said, he likely wants what he wants, but for most folks (civilians) who aren't toting it in and out of a police cruiser and racking / unracking it from a shotgun mount, well, it might be worth considering the basic model. Just a thought and options are great to have.

Plan B

[ccw9mm]

But I'm really leaning toward this:
GunBroker.com guns: Remington 870 Police #4449 Ghost/XS/Park - NR (item: 98178141 ends: May-07-08 06:59:12 PM)

Any advice or comments would be appreciated

The 870P has a few more-durable parts, better attention to detail, better fitting of internal parts. Worth it to some.

At $729, the difference between that unit and the one I indicated earlier is about the $200 amount that ATF charges to transfer a short-bbl shotgun. For the same price, essentially, you'd get effectively the same unit but with 14" bbl, if purchasing the 870P USSS from the earlier link I provided.

Yes, waiting on the ATF forms takes a bit of time. This includes doing a pair of fingerprint cards, complete with photos and the signature of the sheriff or chief of police. But, for a couple hours' time fooling with the packet and waiting on the ATF, you end up with a 14" 870P for much the same price as the one in your ad above.

I'm all for staying under the radar, but going to 14" puts you squarely on the ATF's review list. Then again, the "scrutiny" isn't any different (from your vantage point) than going through CHL/CCW checks. It's just another round of that, more or less. Causes the additional tax stamp of $200, but that gets you to 14".

So, the choice is, essentially:

• ~$350 for a straight 870, without ghost ring sights, 18".
• ~$729 for a 870P, with ghost ring sights, 18", no ATF two-step.
• ~$775 for a 870P, with ghost ring sights, 14", with ATF paperwork.

For me, the choice is worth it. YMMV.