New Pump From Remington

It was August when I got the news. Remington’s Eddie Stevenson called one afternoon to see if I wanted to shoot some geese in Alberta. “Sure,” I said. “We gonna be using the 870 or the 11-87?”

“Well, we’ll have pump guns,” he replied, then after a short pause for effect, added, “but they won’t be the 870.”

A new pump shotgun from Remington? Real-ly…

A few days later I received the “INCOMING” notice. “Remington Model 887 NitroMag,” it read. I stopped editing mid-pen stroke and proceeded post-haste to the firearms inventory manager’s office. There, on the gun cart, sat a black polymer-encased pump gun that certainly was not the 870.

Whereas the 870 pretty much defines tradition, the new Model 887 NitroMag throws classic design out the window and takes a space-age approach. Just about every exterior component of the gun—receiver, trigger guard and barrel—is cloaked in a shell of polymer. Remington calls it the “ArmorLokt” treatment. Since polymer doesn’t rust and is less affected by abrasion than bluing, the 887 NitroMag is built to take abuse. Like in a duck blind or on the bottom of a boat.

The surface of the barrel, receiver and synthetic fore-end has a sort of tire-tread pattern, for lack of better description. It provides texture to keep your hands from slipping and also looks much different than any other shotgun—neither of which are an accident. Some guys here hated it; others thought it was neat. I warmed up to the style after a few days.

Thanks to a redesigned trigger plate assembly that includes the fire controls, carrier and both shell latches, the 887 NitroMag is much easier to tear down for cleaning than the 870. You can have it field-stripped and back together again in less than two minutes.

At first glace, I thought the gun looked bulky. But when I picked it up, the balance didn’t feel that much different from an 870. And, the 887 NitroMag actually weighs about two ounces less than a comparable 870.

I know exactly what you’re wondering, because I asked the same question. The answer is no, the 887 NitroMag will not replace the 870. Remington’s still going to crank out as many 870 shotguns as it can. This new pump gun is just another option, and a worthy one to consider at that, especially if you take better care of your decoys than your shotgun.

Big Green doesn’t have specs posted on its website, www.remington.com, yet, but they should be there in a few weeks. In the meantime, here are a couple pics to consider.

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