REMINGTON 870

The Remington 870 is a shotgun of American origin featured in Phantom Forces. It was originally developed in 1951 by Remington Arms, and was made with reliability and cost effectiveness in mind. It reached only two million sales by 1973, so they eventually came out with an "Express" variant in 1996; sales then topped over 7 million produced. The 870 has now reached well over 10 million sales, and holds the record for being the best-selling shotgun in history. In-game, the weapon appears to be the Modular Combat Shotgun variant, which was created to be interchangeable with aftermarket accessories.

The Remington 870 is unlocked at rank 11 and serves as a higher damage, slower firing alternative to the KSG 12, unlocked at level 1. It is best to use this shotgun in close range just like the KSG, but more accurately, to make effective use of its damage.

Comparison
The Remington 870 has only one opponent in the Shotgun category, which is the KSG 12. There are a few notable differences between the two...

The KSG is mostly superior to the 870; it has a larger magazine size (14) plus a faster theoretical fire rate. It also has roughly the same reload time as the 870, which makes the KSG seem like a better option overall.

However, the 870 can come back with its own sharp teeth. The KSG has a 30 -> 20 damage amount, along with a 40 -> 70 range. The measly damage amount does not seem much, but both shotguns have 8 pellets fired per shell- in other words, the 870 has an extra 16 to 24 damage overall potentially. This still doesn't look strong, but there is another factor- the KSG (when tested) appears to have a higher spread amount than the 870. In layman's terms, the pellets are all spread out more, which means that at range, the KSG is less likely to hit than the 870. On the other hand, the 870 can hit up to 60 studs and still go strong; this makes it surprisingly effective at range.

In all, if you want a CQC in-your-face shotgun that you can slap a Suppressor on and be done with, the KSG should be your weapon. If you want a more tactical and lethally accurate gun, use the 870.

Offensive

 * Keep within 80 studs of your enemy at most. Beyond that range, hitting will be a matter of luck.
 * Beware of any Assault Rifle users, as they can easily gun you down at double your effective range.
 * Sniper Rifles will be the bane of your existence. Frequently take cover and show up only when you know there aren't any snipers
 * On that note, it is not wise to use shotguns on maps like Metro (ironically), Crane Site Revamp, or Highway Lot. However, do make use of them in maps like City Mall, Ravod 911, Crane Site vanilla, and Desert Storm.
 * Don't put a scope on your shotgun unless you are also planning on using slugs.
 * Use the DEagle 44 for longer range combat, as again, the 870 is useless beyond 80 studs unless equipped with slugs, and the DEagle will kill in 2/3 hits to the head/anywhere else at long range.
 * Reload whenever possible. The last thing you want is to spend the whole 9 seconds reloading your empty gun while anyone can eliminate you in a fraction of a second.
 * If trying to flank a sniper, and some noobs get in the way, it would be helpful to have a suppressed handgun in hand, to take care of such threats, before you flank that sniper.
 * A tip if you hipfire: When strafing, your shotgun spread will often "shift" over to the direction you're moving; i.e. if you strafe to the left, the spread will often be to the left of your screen. If strafing right, the spread will go right.
 * Also, try adding a Laser. If hipfiring, use it as a guide as to where the shells will hit; it's almost spot-on in terms of accuracy.

Defensive

 * Keep a high-RoF weapon in handy, it will destroy shotgun users at close-medium range.
 * Keep your distance. Use a low-recoil Assault Rifle/Marksman Rifle/Sniper Rifle to pick off your enemy.
 * On that note, using a suppressor is effective if you are using the first option, so as to not make your enemy notice you.
 * If an 870 user is keeping guard of an objective in King of the Hill or Flare Domination, use your grenade to flush him/her out.

FactionGuerrilla

 * Optic: PKA-S- Both this and the Kobra Sights are very handy when using a Shotgun, because they usually will predict the shell trajectory well. For the PKA-S, all you need to do is point the red dot at center mass, and the circle will usually assist in predicting in which area the shells will land.
 * Barrel: Muzzle Brake- I don't think the Recoil Control attatchments nor Flash Hiders affect your accuracy too much due to the pump. However, the Brake seems to be able to get the 870 into better stats overall.
 * Underbarrel: Vertical Grip- The Vertical Grip will reduce hipfire spread, although it won't really matter unless you're REALLY moving off-balance.
 * Other: Laser- The Laser is good in general- both Red and Green Lasers will guide you in aiming and hipfiring.

Hander66
The Hip-Fire Massacre (Works for KSG as well)
 * Optic: Red Dot Sight/Holographic: Any normal Red Dot or Holographic sight will work fine. Plus the fact that you shouldn't be aiming down sights very much means that this attachment area is pretty much useless.
 * Barrel: Compensator: It actually does pretty well in improving all categories, and with Hip Firing being the main concern, it works well.
 * Underbarrel: Vertical Grip: This grip is actually one of my most hated grips, being as it only increases ADS Recoil. But with how it makes Hip-Firing pretty good I'd use it for this class.
 * Other: Laser: Its good in general, and while I prefer the RED laser the green one is fine as well.

CamaroKidBB
Guerrilla Americana
 * Optic: VCOG 6x Scope: Used to use ACOG, but I raged because I could barely hit anything with the ACOG, so VCOG it is.
 * Barrel: None: Fire rate is too slow for any recoil-reducing attachment to be necessary, and spread still exists, so suppressors are a no-go.
 * Underbarrel: None: Again, fires too slowly for any recoil-reducing attachment to be worth the time and effort.
 * Other: Slugs: You think I'd run a VCOG on a standard buckshot shotgun? Think again.  With the 870, the slugs can one-hit headshot at all ranges, so if you are on point, you will instantly humiliate any DMR user at 200 studs.

In Conclusion
The Remington 870 is a powerful weapon for close quarters engagements. However, it does have some obvious weaknesses, including the lower magazine size and rate of fire. The best way to use this gun has already been said in literature: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

Trivia

 * The Serbu Shotgun appears to be based off of this gun.
 * If you count all 8 pellets as one bullet, the Remington 870 is actually the most damaging gun out of all the weapons.
 * The Remington 870 can have negative accuracy; this is achieved by adding the VCog 6x Scope as an Optic. It was fixed later on.
 * With slugs, the Remington 870 is the only non-sniper rifle to one-hit headshot at all ranges.