870 Wingmaster Bolt Differences?

Polished. Chromed.

They're finished better and feel slicker. The chrome holds up well. The MM bolts seem even slippery-er and are nigh indestructable.
The Express bolts look like crap, especially on the back side where they ride along the ejector. Very poorly finished.
The older non-WM and non-MM are finished quite nicely, even though they're "just" blued.
Mike

Before I began boycotting ebay for their anti-gun stance, I used to see them there. gunbroker.com and auctionarms.com are both good places to shop.
I have Express bolts in some of my guns. They work fine. You can spend some time (OK a lot of time) with a dremel and polish the back slot yourself. I have not had any of them rust or anything due to the blue. I have worn the finish of them though but again, I have not had any trouble with rust or anything.
But.......the older ones, the MM's and the WM's are absolutely nicer.
Mike

LC,

You don't want to do that. Well, let me rephrase that. _I_ wouldn't do it.

You see, the Express bolt is designed to work with the new- style shell lifter (the little U-shaped cutout is the tipoff it's an anti-jam lifter), while the older WM bolts aren't relieved to allow the anti-jam system to work.

BUT, if ya just gotta gotta gotta, CDNN still has some chrome bolts listed, last time I looked. Only about 9 bucks apiece, if I remember correctly. Or if you'd rather, I think I have a couple of chromed WM bolt assemblies in the parts box, left over from some anti-jam swaps a while back. Heck, I think I have the unslotted WM chrome lifters too, if you want one of them- I'd be happy to swap out with you, and wouldn't even charge you for the privilege. It would save me the big bucks Remington charges for the parts next time somebody wants the anti-jam stuff installed in their old 870.

Or you could have the Express bolt hardchromed, though it doesn't need it to work perfectly fine. And it'll outlast you as it is, given proper care. But to each his own... .

PM me if ya wanna swap even. _I_ wouldn't do it that way, but I'll help you out if you really really want the shiny stuff in your gun. Even if it means I gotta dig out the parts box again.

lpl/nc

You see, the Express bolt is designed to work with the new- style shell lifter (the little U-shaped cutout is the tipoff it's an anti-jam lifter), while the older WM bolts aren't relieved to allow the anti-jam system to work.

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This is true but I have chrome WM bolts with the flex-tab channel and I have an old MM without. I know you did not say this but for sure not all WM are non-flex tab. You just need to watch what you're buying.
But..... I do agree that this is hardly a necessary conversion. I just checked and two of my 870's are running Express bolts and although they are worn to the point of being shiny, they are quite smoother than new and work quite well.
Mike

It should be compatible, yes.

lpl/nc

I've got chrome bolts and blued bolts. How can I tell whether a particular bolt is relieved for the flex-tab system?

I've got one of each. My Wingmaster's bolt is chromed but is starting to peel on the bolt face. It doesn't impact function and you can't see it unless the bolt is open and you're looking inside the gun. Still, in the old days, it would really bug me.

Less than 1000. Maybe around 500.

S'funny, the bolt in Frankenstein was probably the original one in my HD 870 made in 1950 or 51, and subjected to thousands of rounds. No peeling yet.

I've got chrome bolts and blued bolts. How can I tell whether a particular bolt is relieved for the flex-tab system?

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The flextab bolts have a concave u-shape underneath. If you look at the bolt from the face, it looks like an upside down U. The earlier bolts have more of a short ramp or chamfered edge to them.

Mike

Thought I'd bring this one back, rather than starting a whole new thread.


At what points in time has the design of the 870 wingmaster and the design of the express changed?

Wow, the thread "notify" still works. A Lazarus thread awakes. LOL

The "design" has never really changed IMHO. Big Green tried to cheapen the build process to compete with lesser guns price-wise but the guns are all pretty much the same. The dreaded "dimples" that arrived shortly after the Express models might be an exception to that but a small one at best.
Feel free to disagree,
Mike

Wow, the thread "notify" still works. A Lazarus thread awakes. LOL

Click to expand...

Indeed it does. I suppose now is as good a time as any to thank you for answering my question (over 4 years ago), Mike.

What's CDNN?

What's MM?

What's CDNN?

What's MM?

CDNN = http://www.cdnninvestments.com/

MM = a typo, I meant WM for WingMaster



lpl

MM = Marine Magnum (that's what I use it for anyway).