870 Wingmaster Modified for HomeDefense

[Bedfordtec]

Question for the forum. I have numerous shotguns and an experienced shotgun shooter. Have a bunch of “riot / home defense” shotguns (Winchester, Remington, Ithaca, etc). My question is how would you rate an older but in great shape Remington Wingmaster, 12 Ga (Magnum or Standard 8 3/4) wood furniture with the barrel replaced (18 or 21“ slug)and extended tube (3-4 rnds). The original barrell has been kept for hunting. I have found this to be mucho smooth and effective. Comments please and thanks .

 

[Roverguy]

Question for the forum. I have numerous shotguns and an experienced shotgun shooter. Have a bunch of “riot / home defense” shotguns (Winchester, Remington, Ithaca, etc). My question is how would you rate an older but in great shape Remington Wingmaster, 12 Ga (Magnum or Standard 8 3/4) wood furniture with the barrel replaced (18 or 21“ slug)and extended tube (3-4 rnds). The original barrell has been kept for hunting. I have found this to be mucho smooth and effective. Comments please and thanks .

I would rate it an excellent choice! You describe an ideal home defense tool.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Basically same setup I have. I went with an 18" ribbed barrel with Improved Cylinder choke, Carlson 2-round tube extension, and a Vickers sling. Handles and shoots great. Excellent HD choice.

 

[1KPerDay]

Better than any current choice from Remington IMO. Bonus points for being classy

 

[jmr40]

Any 870 is near the top of my list. I have an older 1990's production 870 Express with a 21" turkey barrel on it as my HD shotgun. I have a 20" cylinder bore with rifle sights but prefer the turkey barrel because it is threaded for choke tubes. I just like to use the IC tube a little better for buckshot. The 1" longer barrel is a non-issue.

 

[entropy]

You chose well.

 

[Palladan44]

Question for the forum. I have numerous shotguns and an experienced shotgun shooter. Have a bunch of “riot / home defense” shotguns (Winchester, Remington, Ithaca, etc). My question is how would you rate an older but in great shape Remington Wingmaster, 12 Ga (Magnum or Standard 8 3/4) wood furniture with the barrel replaced (18 or 21“ slug)and extended tube (3-4 rnds). The original barrell has been kept for hunting. I have found this to be mucho smooth and effective. Comments please and thanks .

Possibly the best

 

[GRIZ22]

It should work fine.

I prefer the 8 pellet Remington low recoil. However I also have a supply of Herters mini-shells. They are a bit longer than the Aquila and feed reliably in any pump I've tried them in. 6 pieces of 00 buck. Reduces recoil to 2/3 of a 9 pellet load. I believe anything hit by 6 pieces of 00 will swear it was hit by 9.

 

[PapaG]

Has been my choice for over 45 years. Express with smooth bore 21" barrel, imp cyl choke tube, extension mag, takeoff police wood, stock sleeve, action smoothed by none other than .. Me.

 

[Devonai]

I have a '60s production Wingmaster with a 20" barrel, rifle sights, +2 tube, and a sling. I keep it in the safe loaded with 00 buck, with 1oz rifled slugs readily available. Simple, easy, and (I presume) effective for its intended role. I've probably put something like 1,000 rounds through it over the years, never any problems.

 

[dfariswheel]

Until recently, the Remington 870 had about 95% plus of the law enforcement market.
This wasn't because they were cheaper, they were more expensive, it was because the 870 had a 50 year track record of standing up to the police night watch version of "Hold my beer and watch this".
Years ago I knew a large police department armorer, who joked that his 870 spare parts inventory would fit into a shoe box with room left for a burger and fries.
He said that other then damaged wood or barrels he seldom had to do a major repair.

Ultra large amount shotgun clay shooters say the 870 will begin getting cracks near the ejection port in about 250,000 rounds.
You can expect an 870 to go a long, long time without any repairs and those will be small parts replacement.

If there's a shotgun accessory available, it'll be available for the 870.
There are almost unlimited choices in stocks and forends, magazine extensions, sights, etc.

An 870 will have you about as well armed with a shotgun as it's possible to be. There are other pump guns that are very good, but none that are better.

 

[lemaymiami]

Amen... to that last post - right on the money... and for me there's only two add-ons that I'd ever want for the basic riot configured 870... An elastic butt cuff holding four or five extra rounds and a sling so that you don't have to ground the weapon if you need to be hands free...

By basic, riot configured 870, it's nothing more than a standard 870 with a barrel between 18 and 20", a bead sight, and a four shot magazine. Although an extended magazine for two extra rounds is attractive - it changes the balance and quick pointing characteristics that a short barreled pump gun comes with from the beginning... Besides it's helpful to remember that a riot gun in 12 ga... is a one shot fight ender - if you do your part...

 

[25-5]

Ten years ago I took my old 870 2 3/4, with a skeet barrel, and removed the plug.
Added a side saddle for more 00. So I agree.

 

[gralewaj]

I'm sure the old Wingmaster is much smoother than any other HD shotgun, but how old is it? If it has the older style shell carrier and bolt, I would just keep it as a hunting gun because the FLEX Tab parts are going to be hard to find these days. You did say you had other HD shotguns.

If you really want to make it a reliable HD gun, you need the newer style bolt, slide, shell carrier and possibly an action bar tube to add the FLEX TAB function for clearing a shell jammed under the bolt.

See video.

https://youtu.be/Lx1wuPw3F4Q?si=xmSY1bPCUiGb0om6

 

[Riomouse911]

You pretty much described my HD 870. It is an older 2 3/4” Wingmaster eith a Remington 20 rifle-sight barrel.

I just added the polymer stock/fore end, a sidesaddle for holding 6 extra shells and a sling.



Stay safe.

 

[horsemen61]

This thread needs more photos!!!

 

[lemaymiami]

Something to note... My career in police work (1973 to 1995) had me relying on a shotgun on any hot calls (possible weapons involved...) and we had a choice of Mossberg 500's or Wingmaster 870's to draw from each shift (and as a patrolman I had to check out a shotgun for each shift... all beaten up, loose fitting, simple riot guns - no Police models in our inventory at all back then....). None of the 870's had flex tabs or any of the later mods - and every one was utterly reliable... Yes, if you mis-handled an 870 you could possibly jam one but that was never a problem if you racked that weapon to chamber a round with authority... I was taught to use that pump action like I was angry - and it never failed me - not once - and I never had one in the rack in any vehicle with a round chambered so the first item of business when it was needed was to chamber a round - then move out at high port ready to engage... In all those years there was only one occasion where the safety on my 870 was cleared (and I only fired one shot on the street in those 22 years...). Any time I was drawing down on an offender - my trigger finger was on the safety - never the trigger.. In policing you had to be certain of never firing a round on the street unless it was absolutely necessary, period. The individual with that shotgun pointed at them could never tell that your finger wasn't on the trigger.... Compliance, not shooting, was your aim always when dealing with a possibly armed offender... and I did my best to convince the guy downrange of the seriousness of his (or her) position...

Yes, it's nice that later versions of the 870 added flextab and other mods - but none of that was ever really needed if you handled that weapon properly... and the 870 was always my first choice since the safely was right next to the trigger housing..

 

[.455_Hunter]

My primary bedroom shotgun is a 1971 production 870 riot gun surplused from the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. I had it mildly customized with sling swivels and a Kick-eez recoil pad. Given the threat matrix of our area, it's loaded with Federal 2 3/4" 000 buck. Kinda like a good Model 10 revolver, it's everything you need and nothing you don't.

 

[Spats McGee]

I, too, kept an 870 with a mag extension on it as my primary HD gun for several years. IMHO, it's an excellent choice.