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(This is a reader-submitted review as part of our gun review contest. See details here.)
By Shawn Graber
Several years ago, I found myself in need of a shotgun. A former roommate had decided he wanted my 16-gauge Remington 870 bad enough that he was willing to disappear with it. With whitetail season looming, I began to hunt for a trustworthy replacement. During my search, I came across a used 12-gauge Remington Model 887 Nitromag (hereby referred to as the “M887”) at my LGS. The proprietor explained that the M887 was “very similar to the 870.” The 870 that I sorely missed had never given me problems, so I was willing to give this polymer-bedecked offering from Big Green a test drive.
The M887 is a pump-action shotgun with a 4+1 shell capacity that accepts 2¾”, 3”, and 3½” shells, hence the Mag moniker.
What really sets it apart, however, is the proprietary “ArmorLokt” polymer coating, which Remington applied to the surface of the metal receiver and barrel. This was done to protect the firearm from the ever-encroaching rust gremlins that feast on exposed metal surfaces. The primary incentive for the M887 is a firearm that can withstand activities that vie to get your powder soggy, such as duck hunting.
Remington’s “armor-clad warrior” is rugged and is touted to withstand cruel and unusual punishment. Remington claims the ArmorLokt finish is impenetrable, and to back those claims they’ve done in-house torture testing. The first test involved submerging the gun in salt-water solutions to check for leaks or separation in the polymer. There were no leaks or separations found, which dismayed the rust goblins considerably. The in-house engineers then fired over 10,000 rounds through a single M887 barrel to discover whether the coating would separate due to heat and stress. There were no separations found.
Remington managed to maintain the same shade of “synthetic black” across the entire firearm, spanning the polymer and rubber in equally scary fashion. Advantage MAX-4 HD camouflage options are available for purchase, such as “Waterfowl”, “Bone Collector” and “Turkey”.
Sling swivel studs are built into the stock. The stock melds smoothly into the receiver, which then transitions smoothly into the barrel, but the overall appearance causes me to surmise that Remington had a one-night stand with Michelin. There are raised polymer contours on the barrel and slide that cause the eye to stutter as it pans across the firearm. The ridges ensure that the operational operator can maintain a firm grip whilst operating but the end result looks not unlike a truck tire’s tread.
There are some similarities to Remington’s venerable 870, due partially to the popularity of the 870 lineup and partially to Remington’s laziness and hesitation at redesigning the wheel. The core design of the two guns are shared, namely the action, receiver, and barrel. Even though the design of the M887 leans heavily on its highly-praised ancestor, Remington claims the guns are “significantly different” and does not intend for the M887 to be a replacement for the 870.
A standout difference between the two models is the M887’s use of a dual-lug rotating bolt head, whereas the 870 uses a single lifting lug to lock the action. A metal dust cover slides on pins built into the bolt assembly.
Another welcome change is the slide release. In contrast to the 870’s slide release that is activated by a small metal tab, the M887’s release is a large, user-friendly button located on the front of the trigger guard.
The M887 claims to be easier than the 870 to strip down and clean but I’ve found the process on both guns to be very similar and hassle-free.
For a polymer-coated firearm colored “Scare the Liberals Black”, there is a surprising absence of Picatinny rails. Rails can be found on the Remington 887 Nitro Mag Tactical model, but not the synthetic model. If you purchase the synthetic model, you’ll have to secure your tactical flashlight, laser, rangefinder, and TV remote on the barrel with an aftermarket clamp or roll of duct tape.
The M887’s polymer coating gives the gun a slightly bulkier feeling than its svelte 7.25 lbs would convey. The fore-end has a built-in swell that fits the hand nicely, although the flared chunk of plastic feels slightly loose and cheap.
Regardless of the overall paunchy feeling, the shotgun is quick to point where you want it to and will speedily transform a box of clay birds into powder. Well, it will when run by anyone but me. My friends, siblings, and wife have little trouble hitting targets and clays with the gun, while I struggle more with connecting the M887’s payloads to their intended destinations than with any other shotgun. Perhaps I’m distracted by the two high-vis sight beads; a red one located midway down the barrel and a lime green one located at the very end of the barrel.
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I’d like to blame the gun for the sake of my reputation as a steady shot, but I suspect that it’s user error.
The gun’s cushy butt-pad manages recoil well, but you’ll find your wallet and shoulder suffering more acutely if you start feeding 3 ½”shells through the M887.
Magnum rounds are punishingly brutal on the shoulder, but the gun handles them like a champ. In contrast, a brother-in-law’s Remington Versa Max bitterly complained when we used 3 ½” rounds through it. The shotgun ended up shearing the extractor off in protest. [Insert rant about Remington’s spotty reliability records as of late here.]
The M887’s not-quite-as-smooth-as-an-870 action cycles through shells reliably, even when loading and firing mixed ammunition. I placed a 2¾” round, a 3” round, and a 3½” round in the loading tube and pounded them out without any feeding or cycling trouble. I’ve run hundreds of rounds through this shotgun in the past few years and it has not choked, stove-piped, double-fed, or caused any fuss, so long as the pump is stroked fully and with authority.
The trigger is decent for a shotgun, but not exceptional. There’s some brief stacking right before a clean break, right at the 4 lb. mark. The trigger resets with a crisp click and you’re back in business, provided you pump another round into the chamber.
Those familiar with the push-button safety found on Remington 870’s will be right at home with the safety on the M887. It’s one of my lesser-favorite safety button setups but it gets the job done.
A nice feature is the loading tube feed ramp, which tucks up into the gun’s chamber while you load rounds. This is a standard feature on most shotguns but Remington 870 feed ramps like to spring down and gouge your thumbnail while you load.
After the M887’s release in 2009, many initial reviews of the shotgun claimed that this would bring Remington into the 21st century with a firearm that rivaled the Benelli Nova and the Mossberg 835. There were grandiose claims by media, gun forums and reviewers that this new scattergun would replace the 870 as the pre-eminent shotgun offered by Remington.
In 2011, upon receiving the NRA Golden Bullseye award for the M887, Remington claimed it was “the most durable shotgun on the planet”. According to the rave reviews, this firearm should be found in every coat closet, gun rack, and duck blind in the nation. But in reality the M887 had a mediocre run and was discontinued in 2015. One particularly large death knell for this boomstick was the fairly extensive recall on shotguns suffering from a binding firing pin. The official release stated the following:
Remington has determined that in some Remington Model 887™ shotguns manufactured between December 1, 2013 and November 24, 2014 the firing pin may bind in the forward position within the bolt, which can result in an unintentional discharge when chambering a live round. This may occur when the safety mechanism is on. Any unintended discharge has the potential to cause injury or death. Therefore, Remington is voluntarily recalling ALL potentially affected products to inspect and repair. Due to the risk of unintended discharge, the instruction to owners of affected shotguns is to stop using it immediately.
Remington offered a handy tutorial on their website which detailed how to check the firearm’s serial number to see if your particular M887 was affected. My serial was not among the problem guns, since it was manufactured before the recall period. The fault was not to blame on the design of the M887, but rather some shoddy components. That’s never happened in a Remington product before, has it?
Specifications:
Chamber: 12 gauge, 2 ¾”, 3”, 3 ½” shells
Barrel: 26″ (also available in 28”)
Capacity: 4+1
MSRP: $400
Street Price: from $275 and up
Where To Buy
Ratings (out of five stars):
Accuracy: * * *
This gun just doesn’t run accurately for me, but I seem to be the odd one out. It just doesn’t feel instinctive like other shotguns do.
Ergonomics: * * * * *
The recoil pad is soft and comfortable, the controls are all within reach and are easy to manipulate even while wearing gloves.
Reliability: * * * *
I took a star away due to the critical safety recall that affected hundreds of M887’s, but my personal M887 has functioned flawlessly.
Customization: * * * *
It is more difficult to find accessories for the M887 than it is to find them for the 870, but they’re still out there. There are different sight options available, as well as different tacti-cool stocks offered by ATI. The M887 uses the standard RemChoke system in their barrels. Further customizations desired? The M887 Tactical version comes with an extended magazine tube, Picatinny rails, and one of those extra fearsome ‘coming-to-a-ban-near-you’ muzzle breaching devices.
Overall: * * * *
This is a decent firearm and you can find them for cheap, mainly because they’re completely dwarfed by the legacy of their brother, the 870. The M887 will do what you ask it to and will keep the rust gnomes at bay. Before purchasing, check Remington’s website to see if the gun requires repair under the firing pin recall.
Big green just leaves a bad taste. I doubt I’ll ever own another of their firearms. Good review though.
Nice review. If I were to buy another shotgun to replace my pre-freedom group Rem 870 Express mag, it would probably be a Benelli Nova or a Mossberg. I’ve seen this gun, but it looks tacky to me. My faith in Remington is severely diminished, but the pricier 870P doesn’t seem to have suffered as much.
I once respected the hell out of Remington, before the green eyeshade boys from Cerberus took over the company and ruined it. Now, I wouldn’t touch any of its products on a bet.
Pre-Cerberus Remingtons through at least the 1980s and possibly beyond are classic rifles and shotguns. You just can’t beat older Remington bolt action rifles and pump shotguns.
My model 700 in .270 is a 76 vintage gun. Great wood and smooth action. I had a few newer products and they didn’t impress me.
This item was discontinued due to lack of sales, possibly due to poor early reviews and the recall. I love mine though!
I bought one around 2011 and found it to have the same reliability problems as the early reviews. FTE and freezing of the action was probably the biggest problem I had. The freeze of the action would require lots of force to re-open. Like banging the but of the shotgun on the ground. I tried to break it in, but eventually gave up and sold it back to Cabela’s. Im glad that the reviewers is working out well for him.
I have a bunch of old Wingmasters and 1100’s and an 1187 is my waterfowl gun. When the 887 came out, I just had to have one……after fighting it for about a year I traded it to a guy for a pistol. That was undoubtedly the worst shotgun I have ever owned and I own a lot of shotguns.
The action is so poorly machined that I took it apart and polished the hell out of it just to try to make it a little smoother, it didn’t help much.
A guy asked me what I would do if he bought the gun from me and I told him I would probably go buy a Bennelli Nova.
Avoid these like the plague.
Nice review but that thing looks like plasti dipped turd…
“Remington claims the ArmorLokt finish is impenetrable, and to back those claims they’ve done in-house torture testing.”
Yeah, right.
Like I’m gonna believe anything Remington says?
Ha!
Reliability issues aside, it’s just too ugly to shoot!
“…causes me to surmise that Remington had a one-night stand with Michelin.”
Excellent review.
It is a pity that 887 was discontinued.
Got my 887 tactical just before the recalled numbers. Never had a problem. With a Tru-Glo red dot it’s fun with dove and clays and a killer during turkey season. It is my go to with magnum #5’s in the spring. The “ugly” is what attracted me. I own Mossbergs, Stevens and a couple of beautiful Benelli’s but for a sheer bad-ass work-horse, this is the one.
After some research, I bought a Tactical model, because I have this (somewhat heretical) idea that guns are tools and should be made of metal and plastic, not furniture-grade wood. You should be able to leave one leaning up against a tree, come back in a year, and carry on. The materials technology is not there yet, but Remington seemed to be on the way forward. I thought this sort of development should be invested in.
I read that people were concerned that it was’t like their 870. Correct. The 887 was designed to handle 3.5 shells without the feeding problems experienced with 3.5-in 870s, which receiver was designed around 2.75-in shells which were the norm in the 1950s. Making it work hasn’t, really, so something new was required.
I love mine. I have had zero issues with it. The last time I had it out at the range I put 90 rounds of 2.75 shells through it as quickly as possible and all it did was get warmish. While it could be described as ‘ugly’, I would suggest that the word you are looking for is ‘purposeful’. It is designed to do one thing: function, regardless. Like a Glock, it will survive things you can’t, provided you have one that the Remington QC department didn’t miss.
And that’s the issue, isn’t it? The design is great; its the execution we have a problem with.
I am disappointed that it has been discontinued. I suppose, like the Model 600, the market just wasn’t ready for it. Perhaps, like the 600, mine will be a collectible one day.
I own a Remington 887 Nitro Tactical 12 gauge that I have had for several years. It’s my first shotgun so I can’t really give much of a comparison to other types of shotguns as I have fired just a handful of others. I just learned of the recall in this article, so I will be checking my serial number immediately upon arriving home, but I’m pretty confident I bought mine a year or so before that time frame. As for me, I have probably fired 500 to 700 shells through mine. I have shot all kinds of shells from buckshot to slugs to defensive rounds, although I have only fired a couple of magnums. I have had absolutely zero issues, and from seeing some other responses, maybe I should feel lucky. Maybe. All I have to do is remember to not short stroke it, and it all works beautifully. The recoil pad is shockingly good IMO. I’ve never had a sore shoulder from it even after spending hours shooting clays. I really like the small picatinny side rail for a weapon light, and I put one on soon after purchasing it. I had a reflex sight on it for awhile, but it was a cheap knockoff and couldnt handle the recoil and I have done fine without it since. I may consider buying a higher quality one in the future.
I own two of the Remington 887 Tactical shotguns, neither of which were affected but the recall due to their serial numbers, and I have had nothing but exemplary service from both.
I have read numerous commentaries posted on the web and there is a clear mix of experiences aired within. My exposure to the 887 Tactical shotgun has been superb and I would not hesitate to endorse or suggest it to anyone looking for a extraordinary weapon that comes straight from the factory with all of the furnishings and top notch finish.
Before anyone accepts the negative responses at face value, you owe it to yourself to examine these shotguns and decide for yourself.
Thanks,
I’ve use mine for turkey hunting. Bought it at Cabela’s on sale. Have killed one every year since I’ve owned it using 3 1/2″ shells. No problems at all. Sad to see all the bad reviews on a shotgun I’ve been happy with.
I find it very sad that Remington’s QC is suffering to the extent that the reputation is suffering. I am going to invest in another 887 for parts, since Remington seems to be in the process of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and it’s future is by no means assured.
I love my 887, and I don’t care who knows it.
I have a unfired in the box model 887 nitro mag bone collector for sale.
In 30 or 40 years everyone is going to wish they had bought one and my grandson will be glad I did!
I bought a Remington 877 Nitro Mag a couple of years ago. It would jam and I couldn’t eject the spent shell. I sent it back to Remington 2 times and it still jammed. They offered me a 870 Tactical and I took it. I guess this was a good trade. I love this shotgun.
I took it dove hunting last week and it would knock them down better than any shotgun I have ever used.
I have been hunting for 59 years and have owned a gazillion shotguns.
I have a 887 TNM and I love everything about it, with the exception that I will only reliably eject Remington Shells.
Any other brand will be “stuck” in the chamber and it needs forceful persuasion to eject.
I polished everything I could get a small buffing implement in, and there was only minor improvement.
Remington said that they “Never heard of the problem”.
I am keeping it and I have a good supply of Remington shells now.
I bought a used one-owner 877 Nitro Mag Tactical five days ago. It had just come back in from Remington for warranty repair – no, it is not included in the firing pin recall – and the local gun shop that sold it to the first owner sold it to me. Now, I have had a few 12 gauge shotguns in the past, and after 10 to 15 rounds my shoulder would tell me to play with some other toy. I have also owned a Remington 870 Special Field 20 gauge that recoiled a bit softer, but 20 to 25 rounds was about the limit for me. Arthritis is not at all understanding of this concept called “having fun”.
When I took the 887 out for the first time to play today I shot 70 rounds. Ammunition expended included 2 3/4 inch and 3 inch shells. #8 and #7 1/2 target loads, #6 buckshot, #4 buckshot, 00 buckshot, and rifled Foster slugs. After curing myself of short-stroking the forearm I had zero, zilch, nada problems. And my shoulder? “What, you went shooting today? Where was I?” Not even a hint of pain. I really, really like this shotgun.
Darn it, just when I thought I was satisfied with my current stable of firearms, now I’m going to be looking for an 887 field model.
I like my 887 Nitro . They say up to 3 1/2 shells but 3 and 3 1/2 Remington shells jam, all other brands chamber great. I put a extended mag on it that is 1/2 inch past the barrel so now it will hold 9 + 1 of 2 3/4 shells. Even with ten rounds the recoil is zip. Would like to have one with a rifled barrel , just can’t find one for sale. I give it a 4 1/2 stars
Hi Gary,
what brand extended magazine tube did you put on your 887 Nitro???
You might check out Carlson’s Extended Rifled Choke Tube threaded for Remington Rem-Choke. It screws into shotgun barrels just like any other choke, and reviews state that it tightens shotgun slug groups at 25 and 50 yards up to 50%.
I have an 887 Nitro Mag Tactical I purchased in 2015. I have never fired it. It’s clear on the recal. I must have purchased one of the last produced. Maybe this year I’ll use it?
I want to put a mag extension on my 887 Nitro Mag but haven’t been able to figure it out yet. Some say an extension for the 870 will work. Others say an extension for 1187 will work. Any help here will be appreciated.
I’m interested as well. I love my 887 and have never had any issues with it regardless of the round I put thru it.
Dad got me a Remington 742 in .308 for deer hunting back in ’82, and everyone today says THAT rifle is POS/junk/disposable trigger unit….etc.. I was tearing into that trigger unit after popping the pins, cleaned her up, lube, repeat. Hasn’t failed me in many decades. We are in the midst of another 2A Revolution, and buying a Combat ready 12 gauge has scarce pickins. Along comes the NOS M887 22″ Turkey. REALLY inexpensive. Tear her down, pop those same pins, brush her out, clean her up, lube her down. Search for used tube extensions, breecher chokes, + the already available Carlson chokes for more specific slug or buckshot work. It’s not as well balanced as a Benelli Montelfretto, but it’s NOT far off either once you load the tube. Made in U.S.A.. Still. Hello? Can you read the manual, break it down, and use a little 1000 grit sandpaper followed with LIGHT dremel buffing with some Flitz? This aint rocket surgery men, it’s just a pump action shotty!
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