The 870 Express is nothing more than a rougher finished field grade version of the 870 Wingmaster.  It's the same gun, but the Express is manufacture to be more economical, not finely polished or hand lapped.  Barrel, reciever, and trigger guard of the Express are beadblasted and blued, stocks and foreneds were usually of stained Birchwood and more recently laminated hardwood, as opposed to Amrican black walnut on the Wingmasters. I own two 870 Express 3 inch magnums in 12 ga.  One was bought new in 1990 and is a very well made flawless field gun.  The other was bought in early 2007, and is clearly not made to the same quality level that the older guns were made, it's trigger assembly is black plastic as opposed to aluminum of the older guns.  The new one had to be sent in for warranty repair within the first week I owned it.  Damn thing's ejector leaf spring had no springyness too it and it was not kicking out hulls no matter how hard I shucked the forend.  Also the magazine was releasing the next shell before the empty even got halfway out of the chamber.  It never should have left the factory in that condition.  Inexcusebale on Remington's part, especially when their customer service rep told me that guns need to be broken in first and that I need to run a couple hundred rounds through it first .  I had a few choice words for him, as I know a thing or two about firearms, obviously he didn't.  I UPS'd the gun into a warranty repair center in Oklahoma where it was fixed and returned to me within a week.  Has functioned flawless ever since.  Since buying that gun in 2007 I have been paying close attention to a lot of new Reminton rifles and shotgun on the dealers shelves.  I've seen too many inexcusable physical flaws as well as some functional flaws lately.  That's just been my experience with the newer stuff coming out of Remington.