870 express vs. 870 wing master

[cajun47]

i have two 870 express. one is much older, the other one is the synthetic stock. both are 3" mag.

both malfunction with any type or brand of ammo but less with remington brand full brass.

i cleaned both guns spotless including the chamber. both guns don't have that many rounds through them.

i just want a dependable shotgun to hunt with now and then. for home defence i'll use my beretta 9mm then the shotgun if needed and then the ak47 if its all out war.

anyway, my brother swears by the 870 wing master and my brother in law swears by his charles daily semiauto 12 ga.

im going shoot both of them today but i want opinions from here also.

i know many of you love the 870 but is it love for the express or wing master?

im not saying my 870 express guns are total garbage, i just dont find them all that dependable. the action on both guns aren't always smooth. im gonna bury both guns in pvc pipe with some buckshot for last resort.

 

[cajun47]

both of my 870 express shotguns are 12 ga. from the 90's.

 

[ArmedBear]

I don't have malfunctions with my more recent Express. It doesn't like to feed certain very poor-quality bulk ammo (Winchester Universal) that isn't properly sized at the factory, but that's the only thing akin to a "malfunction" it's ever had in thousands of rounds. I reload shotshells, so I have a sizer and a size gauge, and I can attest that it was the shells' fault, not the gun's.

Yes it has a plastic trigger group housing and a rough finish, but it's been a rock-solid gun. It cost me $235 new retail. I can't complain.

However, Remington has bumped their prices up since then, and the MSRP is currently $373 for the rough Express and $773 for the Wingmaster.

Much as I like the 870's design, and I'd like a Wingmaster, it's damn hard to think I should get one, at least in 12 Gauge. Winchester has reintroduced their really nice 12 Gauge pump guns, made in the US, for $399 MSRP with nice walnut and a set of Invector+ tubes (Remington just provides a Modified Remchoke with the Express, and it costs another $30 or so to get the other two choke tubes). It's got an aluminum receiver, but I have heard of no problems with that. If anything, it won't rust when you sweat on it. The Speed Pump Walnut Field is a Wingmaster-level gun for the price of the Express.

 

[JohnBT]

"both malfunction"

What kind of malfunction? Is it a problem with loading, firing, extraction or ejection? When does it happen, under what circumstances?

John

 

[flashhole]

I have owned my 20ga Wingmaster since 1998. I also have a 20 ga Weatherby Orion O/U and a Ithaca Model 37 12ga (I bought one of their "original design" limited production run in 2000, it has the ringtail fore end) but the Wingmaster is my go-to gun for bird hunting and I have never had a single problem with it. I bought it on sale at G.I. Joe's for $399.