870 trigger assembly

Below is a how to guide on breaking down, cleaning, and reassembling a Remington 870, complete with pictures of each step. The shotgun pictured is a Remington 870 XCS Marine Magnum, but the steps will be the same for any of the Remington 870 family. The steps for other shotguns are similar as well. Before beginning, ensure that the gun is unloaded, and that the hammer is not cocked. I can’t over stress the importance of ensuring the gun is unloaded.

Disassembly

Step 1: Assemble your cleaning supplies
Get your cleaning supplies together. Each person comes to prefer certain products; my favorites are shown. From left to right are a bore snake, a cleaning rag, a cleaning patch, and gun solvent/protectant. The bore snake will be used to clean the barrel, the cleaning rag and cleaning patch will be used to wipe down the interior and exterior surfaces of the gun, and the solvent/protectant will be used to clean the barrel, interior and exterior surfaces, and the trigger group. For a solvent/protectant, I use Break Free CLP, and highly recommend it.

Step 2:Unscrew the magazine cap
You should be able to unscrew this by hand, but if it is stuck then wrap it with a cloth (to avoid scratches) and then use pliers to gently unscrew it. Use caution, as the magazine cap is spring loaded and will pop off if you don’t hang on to it as you unscrew it.

Step 3: Remove the barrel
once the magazine cap is off, the barrel will slide right off the gun.

Step 4: Remove the forend and bolt carrier assembly

Flip the shotgun upside down and use your fingers to push out the spring loaded metal strips. By “push out” I mean to press from the inside of the opening, attempting to flatten out the metal strips. This will release the forend, and you can pull it out just as the barrel was pulled out. You will likely need to press in the strips while pulling the forend, and then repeat the process a couple times. This step is the hardest to describe but is easy to actually do.

Step 5: Remove the trigger group
There are two pins that hold the trigger group in. To remove the trigger group, use a wooden dowel rod or tap about the size of the pin to tap out the pins. On my Remington 870, the larger of the pins comes out easily, while the smaller of the pins requires gentle tapping with a hammer. Note that you will want to use a wooden dowel rod or other tool that won’t scratch the gun. I’ve used screws, nails, and screwdrivers to tap out my pins, which is why there are superficial scratches. Once you remove the pins, the trigger group can be slid out from the bottom.