1950 Remington 870 question

[Gunsnrovers]

Currently, I own three shotguns. A 1930's 1897, a 1940 Stevens 620A, and a 1970's Ithaca 37.

I've been looking at picking up a "new" shotgun and I guess it's ironic that the "modern" 870 Wingmaster I have been offered for a song was made in 1950.

I know the shotgun and the owner very well. It's extremely clean, well maintained, and shot sparingly.

Anything to look for or to be aware of in the very early 870's? My understanding is that with the exception of chambering, very little has changed over the years of production.

 

[dfariswheel]

NOTHING of real consequence has changed on the 870 design.
Virtually all parts will interchange between a 1950 model and a 2004 model.

That's been one big advantage of the 870: It was RIGHT from the get-go, and and it hasn't been altered to "improve" it.

True, there are some minor changes, but most of these have been cosmetic.
Those few changes, like the Flex Tab feed alteration, are still interchangeable between new and old guns.

The only question I'd have is the sanity of the owner deciding to sell it.

BUY THIS ONE. These early 870's are truly fine guns.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Grab it and cherish while shooting the heck out of it.

All 1950 WMs were 2 3/4" shotguns.

Chances are it has very nice wood. Earlier 870s often have wood that would be saved for C grade up these days.

 

[VG]

Dave, on the earlier 870's, what determines the ability to shoot 3" shells - is it just the barrel, or are there changes in the receiver, bolt etc?

 

[mod12]

early 870

i have my dad's 870 purchased around 1953 or 1954. it still runs perfectly after some really hard use from him. i split the stock shooting slugs as i always borrowed it for deer season because i didn't have a 12 gauge. used it for duck hunts too on a couple occasions. only thing i didn't care for was the weight. i think the 2 3/4" chambering is good for anything. probably a better gun than whar remington is turning out now from what i've heard. i'd snap it up if the price is right.

 

[dfariswheel]

The difference between the Magnum and standard 870 is:
The barrel has a 3" chamber on the Magnum.
Magnum receivers have a longer ejector assembly.

Most good gunsmith's can convert the standard receiver to a Magnum by installing the Magnum ejector.

You would also have to buy a new barrel.

In the"real world" most people never shoot 3" Magnum shells, except for hunting of some game birds like geese or turkeys.

 

[Dave McCracken]

dfaris nailed it, as usual. Except for non toxic waterfowl and turkey loads here, I've no use for 3" mags in my varied and diverse shotgunning.

Older 870s are exceptional tools for food, fun and defense. Cherish them, avoid mods if possible, shoot them like they are.

Number 6, my 1955 model that came with a goose barrel of 30" 40 POC, has a new 26" LC barrel on it now. It's used for upland game and clays. I can restore it to original condition by installing the old barrel. This is an upgraded field model, the ADL, and the wood is better than anything I've seen come out of Reminton recently.

If it's a "Serious" shotgun you're setting up, use a beater, a police turnin etc. Save the nice ones for fun and food.....

 

[Gunsnrovers]

I have three solid reputable riot guns. All three have proven to be workers with not a hiccup among them that I wasn't the cause of. The Stevens and the Winchester have very high round counts. The Ithaca was purchased used, but "as new", and while I shoot it, it has a lot of catching up to do. I do not consider it to be broken in at this point.

I've roughly patterned all three (posted results a few weeks back) and actually prefer the '97 for HD work, especially now that it's been gone over and tuned up.

The lack of 3" chambering never entered my mind. Regular 2 3/4" has taken care of me so far.

Adding a nice classic Wingmaster to the safe will put everything in order.

I'll post pictures when it's mine. I also need to post pics of the refinished '97.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Good. You have a nice battery of classics, the 870 will fit right in.

High round counts,IMO, for the shotguns mentioned would run into 6 figures.

Each....

 

[Gunsnrovers]

Dave, I'll rephrase things and say two of them are well seasoned.

I know the '97 was pretty well worn when I got it. Lots of use, but not an abused gun. I put a lot of rounds by me for CAS in the early 1990's. I think I can safely say I put a little over 10k shells through it for CAS and a more then a few cases in the years since I quit that game. I think I have fired this shotgun almost as much as some of my older handguns.

The Stevens is no where near 100k, but it is nicely settled in.

The Ithaca has less then 1000 shells through it.

The Remington will fit in nicely.

Four solid pumpguns to choose from. Four does sound better then three.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Well seasoned is good, Jeff.

I prefer the term "Work polished", but to each his own.

Number 6 was close to unused when I got it. Maybe 2K rounds since have smoothed up the action nicely, though the TB and Frankenstein are better.

Four does sound better than three. Shoot it some and tell us about it.