Remington 870

Lore & Background

In the Payday world, the Remington 870 occupies a place of quiet reverence among the crew. Where the flashy automatic weapons and exotic rifles get the glory in heist planning sessions, the 870 is the gun that Hox or Wolf reaches for when the job demands something that simply works. Its pump action is a physical commitment: every shell you fire requires you to drive the forend forward and back, a deliberate, almost meditative rhythm that separates each shot from the last. In the chaos of a shootout in a bank lobby or the claustrophobic corridors of a police station, that deliberate pace becomes a feature, not a flaw. You choose when to fire, and the gun answers instantly.

The shotgun's role in the crew's operations is fundamentally about breaching and close-quarters dominance. A single well-placed 12-gauge blast can send a guard tumbling through a window, shatter a glass partition, or simply end a confrontation before it escalates. It is the weapon of the point man, the one who kicks in the door and needs the first two seconds to be decisive. The Remington 870, with its straightforward design and dependable cycling, is the tool that makes those two seconds count.

There is also a cultural weight to the 870 in the franchise. It is not a prototype, not a stolen military prototype, not a one-off custom build. It is the shotgun that exists in every hardware store, every sporting goods shop, every garage in the world. For a crew that operates in the shadows, carrying a gun that could belong to a suburban homeowner is, in its own way, a statement: we are not special. We are just prepared.

In Their Own Story

The elevator dings on the fourteenth floor, and the smell of carpet cleaner and stale coffee hits first. Hox steps out, the 870 low across his chest, the pump action catching the fluorescent light in a dull bronze glint. Beside him, Wolf checks his watch. Two minutes until the shift change. Two minutes until the lobby is empty and the vault corridor is theirs.

They move. The first guard is at the end of the hall, back turned, talking into a radio. Hox doesn't even break stride. The pump is a sharp, wooden *shk* against the tile, and the guard is already a problem for the cleanup crew. The second guard rounds the corner with his hand on his sidearm. Hox pumps again. The second guard is also a problem for the cleanup crew.

Wolf looks at the two bodies, then at the vault door, then at Hox. Hox racks the bolt, ejects the spent shell, and chambers a fresh one. The sound is small, almost polite, in the dead silence of the corridor. He tips his hat slightly. Wolf nods. They walk toward the vault, and the 870 rides easy against Hox's shoulder, patient and ready, the way it has always been.

Reader's Guide

The Remington 870 is a pump-action, 12-gauge shotgun available from the gun shop in Payday 2. It is a straightforward, reliable weapon with no electronic components, meaning it will not suffer from the random malfunction penalties that plague some semi-automatic options. Its manual pump action gives you full control over your rate of fire, making it ideal for deliberate, high-impact shots in close quarters.

Attachments and customization: The 870 can be fitted with a foregrip to reduce recoil and improve handling, an extended magazine to increase your shell capacity beyond the standard load, and other standard shotgun attachments available in the game. These upgrades let you tailor the weapon to your playstyle, whether you prefer a quick-draw breacher or a sustained close-range suppressor.

Unlocking: The Remington 870 is a gun shop weapon, meaning it is available for purchase with in-game currency once you have the required access. It does not require a special heist completion or DLC unlock, making it one of the earlier shotguns you can add to your rotation.

Practical role in heist loadouts: The 870 excels as a primary or secondary close-range weapon. In heists with tight corridors, elevator shafts, or vault interiors, its high per-shot damage and reliable cycling make it a top choice for the breacher role. Pair it with a longer-range secondary for flexibility. Its pump action also means it is less likely to jam or malfunction under stress, a small but meaningful advantage in high-pressure situations where every second counts.

Did You Know?

• The Remington 870 is a real-world pump-action shotgun that has been in continuous production since the 1950s, making it one of the most recognizable shotgun designs in history. Its appearance in the Payday series reflect
• In the Payday games, the pump-action mechanism means the 870 does not suffer from the random malfunction or jamming penalties that affect some semi-automatic weapons, giving it a reliability edge in high-stress encounter
• The 870's deliberate, manual firing rhythm makes it a natural fit for the breacher role in heist loadouts, where a few precise, high-impact shots matter more than a high rate of fire.
• The Remington 870 is a civilian-pattern shotgun, not a military or law-enforcement issue weapon, which fits the Payday crew's ethos of using accessible, off-the-shelf gear rather than exotic stolen prototypes.