Supposedly not as smooth, not as good of parts. I am sure that they are same parts with a different finish. I have had em both although in older models and can't tell a nickles difference.
Express has a cheap wood stock and the rough matte finish, kind of a BDL to Sportsman difference but you don't see anybody complain that the Sportsman 78 was a POS.
THE Express and older Special Purpose models were the same it was just that the Special Purpose had a nicer matte finish Walnut stock, I even saw a few Expresses in the late 90s with Walnut stock/forearms.
My son's SP Synthetic has a good quality plastic stock, and the finish is far and away better than any of the three Express models we bought later. It's a brownish gray, appears to be Parkerized, and is a smooth matte, not that sandpapery mess. Been a good gun from day-one (1997). The lammy stocks on the Express models seemed soft, not the usual rock-hard birch or whatever I see on other stocks. Bean-counters hard at work, no doubt.
870s are a great design, fallen on hard times. Doubt I'll be buying any more shotguns, but a nice one from days gone by is well worth having. Wish I had my 70-ish slug gun back. Ithacas are lighter, and fit and point better for me, and the old design is a clever machined steel wonder. I'd like to see a new one, but even their "dealers" apparently don't stock them, just place orders.
