Last week I became the proud owner of a shiny 870 Marine Magnum. Bought from a local store that had it on consignment for an estate settlement. Per serial #, the “AB” prefix it dates it to Mar 2007, I believe. It’s in new condition, but unfortunately it’s box was separated (probably for storage in a safe) years ago, & has now gone a separate way. Not the first time I’ve run across this happening with estate sale guns.
Anyway, I’m curious about it’s stock. I feel pretty sure it’s original, & the forend is the black synthetic long “ShurShot” type that when retracted covers the loading port. The butt stock is the non-thumb hole style with grip panels that match the forend panels.
Searching the internet, I could only find a couple of photo examples of this stock set on a Marine. I also noticed two variations of the more common Remington short forend stock sets too, which got me to wondering - does the factory assemble these shotguns with whatever stock set variations happen to be available at the time? Or is there perhaps some order to this?

lacon wrote: Per serial #, the “AB” prefix it dates it to Mar 2007, I believe.

I think you're looking up the serial number prefix (found on the receiver) as if it was a barrel date code. An "AB" serial number prefix points to somewhere between 2005 & 2009/2010, but that's as precise as it gets. If you look on the left side of the barrel where it meets the receiver, that two-letter stamp (if there is one) is what points to a specific month & year.

Remington doesn't throw stocks & fore-ends on at random. It seems that at some point within the last several years, they switched from the checkered black synthetic stock & checkered mid-length fore-end, like the picture on their website:

...to the Express-style black plastic stock & long fore-end with molded-in texturing, like what you describe on your gun.

Thanks for the date correction, Synchronizor. There is no date code on this barrel. I did find a lot of photos of one on a website that is identical to mine & it was described as a 2011. The one you show seems to be the most common referenced, with the slightly shorter "corncob" LE style forend coming in second.

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