870 chrome shell lifter

[Red Label]

A question for the all knowing 870 crowd here and I am surprised I haven't seen it before. I have an older 20 ga Wingmaster that has a blue shell lifter. The 20 ga Wingmaster I had when I was a kid had a chrome lifter. When did they start making the lifters blue? The bolt is chrome. Thanks guys.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Darnfino, Red. I started seeing them in the 80s.

 

[Fred Fuller]

The 1976 manufactured 870 Magnum I picked up recently has a blued non-flextab lifter and a chrome bolt. I have one older agency trade-in riot gun (don't know its mfg date) that has a chrome lifter and chrome bolt, it's the only one in the house that has a shiny lifter. I have another 870 Riot trade-in not quite as old with a blued non-flextab lifter and a chromed bolt. The 1989 blued 870P has a chrome bolt and a blued flextab lifter.

I'd guess they changed sometime in the early '70s maybe? Perhaps further data will be forthcoming...

lpl/nc

 

[Red Label]

Wow, if Dave doesn't know, thats amazing! My old Wingmaster was the first shotgun I ever bought myself. It was in 76 or 77 and like an idiot I sold it sometime around 1992. For the last several years I have been searching for one to replace it and finally found this one yesterday at a gun show. Identical to my old one in every way except for the lifter. 20ga. 28" vent rib barrel, even the white line spacers under the grip cap and the recoil pad. It also has been barely used. Still had a lot of the factory grease in the reciever. Took some scrubbing to get that out.

Still want to know if anyone can tell me about the lifters though and also, did the 20ga ever have the flex tab?

 

[Black_Talon]

FWIW, my 1975 870P came with a chrome bolt and a blued (non-flexi) lifter. I know of a '72 870P that has a chrome bolt and lifter, so the change apparently happened sometime in between those years.