Preview: Remington's 2009 887 Nitro Mag Pump Action

Introduced at the 2009 SHOT Show, Remington's new Model 887 Nitro Mag Pump has an obvious target on its bead: the Benelli Nova / SuperNova. Aggressively priced, the new 887 is a polymer-ensconced slide action 12 gauge presented for those looking for a durable waterfowl gun with 3-1/2 in. shell capability. Offered in two configurations originally, all-black and all-camo, this shotgun has a lot of appeal.

Compared to the Benelli Nova, it is indeed softer shooting, and a bit lighter as well contingent on configuration. It also seemed free from the annoying Nova-esque rattles found in some models. Softer shooting out of the box, Remington doesn't expect you to pop for a $100 "recoil reduction system" either as per the Nova line.

We heard a lot of comments about this shotgun prior to taking a look at it. We heard it was "Made in Turkey" and "all plastic." Both rumors are as wrong as wrong can be. It is made at Remington in Ilion, New York, USA, the receiver is steel, as are the dual action bars. It borrows a bit from the 870 design, obviously, with a new trigger plate that is reportedly easier to drop for cleaning.

It was generally well-received at SHOT, and balanced and functioned well. Remington does go a bit over the top with their touting of the Remington "Super-Cell" recoil pad: "Ten years of rigorous R&D has produced a recoil pad far superior to anything the world has seen before. So effective in fact, our Model 870 pump shotgun now produces 54% less recoil than competing autoloaders with their factory pads."

The relentless "in-your-face" horse manure of this commentary deserves commentary in return. Remington's Chinese-made "Super-Cell" is indeed a decent recoil pad; but in our tests the Super-Cell was no revolution and hardly a game-changer to stun the world. It is no better than many, many recoil pads on the market and is inferior to Limbsaver pads according to our shoulders . . . the Super-Cell falling a notch behind both the factory Browning "Inflex" pads and the Savage Arms "P.A.D" pads as well.

As far as 54% less recoil than "competing autoloaders," autoloaders don't directly compete with pumps. All anyone has to do is pull the trigger on a Browning Maxus with its factory pad, and even Captain Obvious will quickly realize that the Browning is remarkably softer shooting than Remington's 887. Perhaps Remington calculated felt recoil with the help of some of a government economic bailout advisor's math? I don't know, but theory that this pad is some type of wondrous innovation to change shooting sports forever (as Remington claims) is more than a bit nutty. Still, it is a decent pad for this model of gun, and the 887 is softer shooting than the vinyl crucifix pad equipped slide-actions out there. Much beyond that, though, is just plain dumb to claim.

But, despite the bluster it appears we have a steel receiver, Made in USA M887 NitroMag with a lot of appeal, an attractive price-point, a smooth action, and a model that may well sound the death knell for the Benelli Nova and Super Nova line. Expect a full test when they become available a bit later this year.

Copyright 2009 by Randy Wakeman. All Rights Reserved.