yeah I'm not married to an 870. In fact I was just looking at some tactical semi-automatics, mag fed that are some badass looking firearms. as I read gotta be careful with the semi-auto shotgun as some of them won't function properly with light load practice rounds.Doug, this is simply an observation and opinion, so please accept it with a grain of salt.
Personally, I do like the Remington 870 shotguns, and have owned several over the years. Solid, and dependable shotguns. But from what I have been seeing coming from Remington over the past several years, I'd steer clear of the Remington's. If you really want an 870, I'd let things blow over a bit and stabilize and then start looking for an older one.
You might also look into the Mossberg 500's or 590's as well. Those are solid and dependable shotguns as well, and very much proven. The Maverick 88's are made by a company owned by Mossberg and those are really really good shotguns to consider as well.