It should say somewhere on the receiver or under that heat shield on the barrel if it's anything other than the standard 870... I would guess it's a police or a tactical version, but it should be stamped on the receiver either "POLICE", or "LE" (Law Enforcement). The length of the barrel might help in identifying it along with some other key factors.
There are hundreds of variations of the Remington 870. From the original fifteen models offered, Remington currently produces dozens of models for civilian, law enforcement, and military sales. 870 variants can be grouped into:
Wingmaster- polished bluing and glossy wood finishes.
Express - bead blasted finish and satin wood or synthetic furniture.
Marine - synthetic stocks and nickel finishes.
Police - blued or parkerized finish and satin wood or synthetic stocks.
Tactical -
All black in colour.
18" or 20" barrel.
Improved cylinder and recoil pads to absorb impact.
Eight-round capacity with two or three round extensions available.
Three additional stock options (pistol grip and pistol grip with two types of folding/collapsible stock).
"MCS" -The "Modular Combat Shotgun" is designed to be quickly modifed to suit a users tactical needs.It can be configured into five different formats.
Patrol gun with a 18" barrel and a 6 shot magazine
Entry Gun with a 14" barrel and a 5 shot magazine
Vehicle Support Weapon with a 10" barrel and a 3 shot magazine
Breacher tool with a 10" barrel and just a pistol grip.
Accessory Weapon with mount to be mounted under a M16 rifle like a KAC Masterkey.
Hope this helps... if all else fails, send in an email request to Remington with the serial # and any info you have on the gun and they can give you the answers you need. I just did a search on two of mine and I got a response back in two days.
Here's the info they will need, and at the bottom is the contact info to send it to, including a mailing address, email address, or a phone number to call:
*Is it a rifle or a shotgun?
*What is the action type, rolling block, slide or pump action, autoloading, bolt action, or lever action?
*Can you determine the caliber or gauge?
*What are the patent dates on the gun?
*What are the exact markings referring to Remington?
You may also be able to identify your firearm in the History section of our site in the Sportsman's Library.
Please provide us with the above information along with a brief description of the gun and we will furnish to you the information that we have available. You can send this information to the following:
Remington Arms Co., Inc.
PO Box 700
Madison, NC 27025
Fax : 336-548-7801
[email protected]
or call our historians at 1-800-243-9700, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm EST