Remington 870 Express Combo 12 Gauge

Just recieved my Remington 870™ Express Combo in 12-gauge: a 26" vent rib barrel with a 28" vent rib Modified Choke shotgun barrel and 20" rifle-sighted fixed Improved Cylinder "deer" barrel. Surprisingly, it was available with laminated stock, although that is hard to spot in the Remington catalogue for this model. In any case, it's classic Remington, with a flat-black finish, easy to exchange barrels and the same reliable action I grew up with in the 70s. So...why wasn't I more impressed? Somehow the weight seemed arbitrarily balanced, the fit and finish belonged to my childhood era rather than today's international quality standards, and the rifle barrel sights were crude at best. And how does it shoot? I'll know soon. In the meantime, I'm checking out other brands to see if the whole industry is this sloppy, or if it's only Remington.