Remington ships new Marine Magnum 870 Tac-14 shotgun

The many sides of a Remington Marine Magnum 870 Tac-14. (Photo: Daniel Terrill/Guns.com)

Remington Arms started shipping last week a Marine Magnum version of the new Model 870 Tac-14, a super short pump-action shotgun. The stainless steel appearance makes the Marine Magnum model stand out, but it serves a purpose. The gun’s exterior and interior are finished with liquid teflon and are nickel treated, so it’s designed to do more than just resist water.

“(The finish) makes the gun completely impervious to corrosion,” said Daniel Cox, Remington product manager, during a demonstration last week at Gunsite Academy. He added: “You’d have to put a huge ding in the barrel or receiver in order to to break through the finish before you could actually hit the steel underneath to corrode.”

The Marine model is the same size and feel of the standard 870 Tac-14, which Remington introduced at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention in April. Given its length — at 26.3 inches — the stockless design pushes the envelope for specifications set by the federal law.

“(The Tac-14 has) been really popular with people that just want one because it let’s them stick their thumb in the eye of the NFA,” Cox said, adding the design has been popular with people who always wanted a short-barreled shotgun but didn’t want to go through the rigmarole to obtain one.

“This is a gun that — immediately upon releasing the black version — we got inundated with requests from people who have boats, from people looking for truck guns more specifically that wanted something that was … less likely to corrode,” Cox said, reiterating the selling point.

Putting hands on three different styles of the Tac-14 — black, Marine Magnum and one from Remington’s custom shop — the gun shoots like any other pump-action shotgun. The 12-gauge shells give a noticeable kick depending on the type of shot used, but since the gun doesn’t have  a stock, you’ll have to keep an extra tight grip on the fore-end otherwise it’ll slip out of your hand when it recoils.

The Tac-14 has a 14-inch cylinder bore barrel, bead sight and a magazine tube that holds four shells. Besides the 870 action, the shotgun is equipped with a Magpul M-Lock fore-end and a Raptor pistol grip. Priced at $870, the Marine version is almost double that of the standard black model. But it’s also the same price as Remington’s original Marine Magnum shotgun.

“It is expensive but it’s a difficult gun to make,” Cox said. “It’s an expensive gun because of the coating on all the components but it’s not deterred people at this point. … People that want this gun typically want it for a very specific reason and they’re willing to pay for it.”