Since you mention that money is an issue, any reason you don't have your current LH 870 fixed? As prominent as that model is, there should be plenty of parts and smiths available to fix whatever has it acting funky.
That's what I'd do. I'm also wondering how the 870 got fu cked up. Mine (LH 870) is damned near 40 years old and still works flawlessly. I've put a chit ton of ammo through it too, as I used to use it for a lot of money shoots and local trap shooting...
