Express & Wingmaster, Markings
- Thread starter CZguy
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Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
Hmmm.
Express guns here say
REMINGTON 870 EXPRESS MAGNUM
big as life on the left side of the receiver.
Likewise Wingmasters are so marked, but not as prominently and further toward the back of the receiver.
Dunno why anyone at Big Green would tell you what they did.
Why did you ask???
lpl/nc
Express guns here say
REMINGTON 870 EXPRESS MAGNUM
big as life on the left side of the receiver.
Likewise Wingmasters are so marked, but not as prominently and further toward the back of the receiver.
Dunno why anyone at Big Green would tell you what they did.
Why did you ask???
lpl/nc
tantrix
Member
Here's a WM 2.75" receiver I found for sale:
dfariswheel
Member
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Over the years Remington has varied how and what they stamp on the 870 series.
As example, older police guns were simply Wingmaster's with an oil finished stock and a satin blue job.
More recently, Remington has greatly expanded the versions of Police 870's so now the guns are stamped "870 Police Magnum".
The current Express guns are stamped with the Express name, and Wingmaster's are stamped as such.
I seem to recall older Express guns stamped simply as Remington 870's.
As example, older police guns were simply Wingmaster's with an oil finished stock and a satin blue job.
More recently, Remington has greatly expanded the versions of Police 870's so now the guns are stamped "870 Police Magnum".
The current Express guns are stamped with the Express name, and Wingmaster's are stamped as such.
I seem to recall older Express guns stamped simply as Remington 870's.
357wheelgunner
Member
The express guns should be stamped "Factory 2nd" in big letters on the side....
The Deer Hunter
Member
Dont walk down that path....
Per Remington, all Remington 870 shotguns are exactly the same grade steel. The price difference between my Express and my Wingmaster is due to the difference in wood, deeper bluing and more labor. They are, internally, the same darned shotgun. If you own an Express...be proud. If you own a Wingmaster...be proud.
Doc2005
Doc2005
Awhile back I bought a used Remington 870 Special purpose turkey gun, and I wanted to know whether it was an "870 Express special purpose" or an "870 Wingmaster special purpose". Remington lists both on their website.
The one that I bought was marked Remington 870 Magnum on the left hand side of the receiver and special purpose on the right hand side.
The dealer who sold it to me told me that it was not an express but I think I didn't come out ahead on that deal.
Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
AFAIK the SP guns were/are Wingmasters that were labeled differently, with a phosphate/parkerized finish. I stand subject to correction there, i don't own any SPs and never have.
There's one Express gun here with dull-finished walnut furniture- will have to call Remington with the serial # to check the date of mfg on that one, but it was early into the household among the clutch of 870s that live here. It is the only Express I have ever seen with walnut furniture, but it has dead straight grain- no fancies at all, a flat finish, and the distinctive impressed checkering of Express furniture that is commonly beech or birch. There was a short-lived 870 called the Sportsman model that was transitional to the Express line as far as I know, I have run across a couple of those here and there. But they were a bit nicer than Expresses in finish and thus priced higher.
SPs are also regularly priced higher when I have run across them in my travels, more akin to used WMs in price. Since I am admittedly bottomfeeding in my search for another Cinderella gun to rescue, I don't often spend a lot of time examining the spendier used 870s that inhabit the racks.
According to Kuhnhausen, both the SP guns and the Express guns were both introduced in 1989 FWIW.
lpl/nc
Update: Called the nice folks over on t'other side of the state. The Express I have with walnut furniture was made in 1994, per the serial #. Not as old as I had thought, and of course I cannot say for certain if the furniture on it now was original to the gun, since I didn't buy it new.
According to the Nice Remington Man I talked to, the SP guns are finished inside essentially to the level of Wingmasters but have a "black oxide finish" (his words) where Wingmasters have a polished blue finish.
There's one Express gun here with dull-finished walnut furniture- will have to call Remington with the serial # to check the date of mfg on that one, but it was early into the household among the clutch of 870s that live here. It is the only Express I have ever seen with walnut furniture, but it has dead straight grain- no fancies at all, a flat finish, and the distinctive impressed checkering of Express furniture that is commonly beech or birch. There was a short-lived 870 called the Sportsman model that was transitional to the Express line as far as I know, I have run across a couple of those here and there. But they were a bit nicer than Expresses in finish and thus priced higher.
SPs are also regularly priced higher when I have run across them in my travels, more akin to used WMs in price. Since I am admittedly bottomfeeding in my search for another Cinderella gun to rescue, I don't often spend a lot of time examining the spendier used 870s that inhabit the racks.
According to Kuhnhausen, both the SP guns and the Express guns were both introduced in 1989 FWIW.
lpl/nc
Update: Called the nice folks over on t'other side of the state. The Express I have with walnut furniture was made in 1994, per the serial #. Not as old as I had thought, and of course I cannot say for certain if the furniture on it now was original to the gun, since I didn't buy it new.
According to the Nice Remington Man I talked to, the SP guns are finished inside essentially to the level of Wingmasters but have a "black oxide finish" (his words) where Wingmasters have a polished blue finish.
JohnBT
Member
Remington's site lists: 870 Express (1987)
My uncle has an early one that's marked Express, but it has an M in the serial number for Magnum.
By the time I bought mine in '93 the receiver was marked Express Magnum. Mine came with the painted on grain.
John
My uncle has an early one that's marked Express, but it has an M in the serial number for Magnum.
By the time I bought mine in '93 the receiver was marked Express Magnum. Mine came with the painted on grain.
John
The one that I have, has a black synthetic stock, (with grip cap, with a large R) bead blasted blue/black finish, (may be the "black oxide finish" that Lee was talking about.) dimples in the magazine tube, and a plastic trigger guard. It was a little stiff when I bought it, but I went thought it and smoothed everything up, and now it's as slick as any other 870.
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