Finally added a pump - wingmaster

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Pistolpositive

Pistolpositive

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For the last several years, I have been wanting to buy a Wingmaster. Backed away from a really good deal about two years ago on a wingmaster magnum with a vented rib barrel. Been kicking myself ever since.
Saturday, while shopping for a new carry gun, I found a wingmaster magnum with vented rib barrel in very good shape - at least in my eye. Price was OK at $550.
Not sure why I wanted it. Have a 1100 that my dad gave me nearly 50 years ago for dove hunting. Just a few years ago found a vented rib barrel that accepts remchokes. Haven't shot it. I bought a Franchi Instinct O&U for trap and skeet.
But at least that iwanna is checked off. Haven't told the wife yet.
Looking at the serial number thinking it is a 1999 or 2000. But now that I reread one of the decoders, not sure T31xxxxM. I know the last references 2.75 and 3 inch shells.
 

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Congrats on the wing master. My father has hunted with his for years. He had it as long as i can remember. That is back in the 70's. I have a Remington 31 12 ga from the 40's.
 
need to look up the differences between it and the base 870. Seems like it was materials related. But don't recall of the top of my head. Lately, all of the 870s I have been seeing have been "tactical" or in camo/reduce glare finishes. I am old fashioned. Like wood and blued.
I did ascertain, courtesy of RemArms, that mine is a 1977 model. So it has a few years on it.
 
Pistolpositive said:
need to look up the differences between it and the base 870. Seems like it was materials related. But don't recall of the top of my head. Lately, all of the 870s I have been seeing have been "tactical" or in camo/reduce glare finishes. I am old fashioned. Like wood and blued.
I did ascertain, courtesy of RemArms, that mine is a 1977 model. So it has a few years on it.
Click to expand...

Mine is a 1975 20ga. Non ribbed 28" barrel. It only goes out once a year for dove, either with said barrel or a 26" fixed I/C barrel. It still looks new. I have others for more field or range work.
Really like my old WM.
 
My dad's first shotgun was a Rem 31 in 16 gauge. I think he intended it primarily for ducks and geese, as it has a full choke. When I came along, he upgraded to a 1100, and I got the 31.......which I used for about 5 years, until I later upgraded to an 870 myself in 1973. Perhaps it's because it is all I've ever known, but something about a pump gun just seems natural to me. Because I've reloaded for shotguns since a teenager, when I shoot the 870, I instinctively shuck the spent hull into my hand. Catch the hull and it goes into my game vest. Even today when doing test loads, I catch the hull vs. shucking it out on the ground. If shooting doubles, the first one hits the dirt, but I'll snag the 2nd.

For the past 50 years if something came along what needed plugging, the 870 has been a reliable plugger.
 
Pistolpositive said:
For the last several years, I have been wanting to buy a Wingmaster. Backed away from a really good deal about two years ago on a wingmaster magnum with a vented rib barrel. Been kicking myself ever since.
Saturday, while shopping for a new carry gun, I found a wingmaster magnum with vented rib barrel in very good shape - at least in my eye. Price was OK at $550.
Not sure why I wanted it. Have a 1100 that my dad gave me nearly 50 years ago for dove hunting. Just a few years ago found a vented rib barrel that accepts remchokes. Haven't shot it. I bought a Franchi Instinct O&U for trap and skeet.
But at least that iwanna is checked off. Haven't told the wife yet.
Looking at the serial number thinking it is a 1999 or 2000. But now that I reread one of the decoders, not sure T31xxxxM. I know the last references 2.75 and 3 inch shells.
Click to expand...

I get ya. My Dad 'lent' me an abused 1100 for a duck and trap gun, so when I turned 18 I bought an 870 Wingmaster. I always got 3 shots off at the ducks with that one. Not always with that old 1100. (It was as old as I was [first year of 1100's], 18, when I gave it back to my Dad, and even more abused than I was. )
One of the guys on my Trap team back then had an 870 TB, I didn't have the $$ to go the $285 or so they were in 1981. But I happened into one last year at a price I couldn't pass up, so I now have another of my grail guns.

I looked at the picture. That one is in great shape! :thumbup:
 
After sneaking it in to my workshop last night pulled the barrel and cleaned it up some more. A decent amount of crud under the barrel in the action area. But otherwise OK. I was trying to determine what choke and length the barrel is (yeah, should have simply measured it). Ran across one number "33" on one side, but doubt that is barrel length. But nothing that indicated what choke in an obvious fashion.
 
Assuming the barrel is original you can look up the date code stamped on the left side of the barrel near the receiver. I'm guessing it is older than 1999 or 2000 because of the reverse stamped checkering. I'm thinking they went to real checkering on the Wingmasters in the 1990's.

Those are great guns, but that checkering was always a deal killer for me. I never understood why Remington used that. Briefly in the 1960's several other gun manufacturers tried it but went back to real checkering after just a few years. Remington continues to do so today on their budget guns while no other manufacturer does so.

The codes for years repeat, but it is usually easy to tell the difference between a 1930's gun and a 1960's gun. This one is going to be 1970's or 1980's would be my guess. Does it have interchangeable choke tubes or a fixed choke?

Remington Manufacture Dates (oldguns.net)
 
T prefix is 1974 to 1978 - as good as it gets. In the pic that is first generation impressed checkering so that matches. Also that is the vent rib style from the same era. I actually prefer impressed checkering, holds up much better. Not all barrels have a date code - I have three that do not. The choke should be stamped on the left side of the barrel a couple of inches in front of the receiver.
 
Virginian, you seem to have a pretty good read on Remington shotguns. A question, if you will. My '74-'75 20ga Wingmaster ends with an "X". My understanding that means it's a 12ga frame. The barrel is "stepped" down from the receiver, tho it does not have the vented rib, same as my extra barrel with fixed I/C choke. Is my understanding of the X correct?
Thank you.
 
Good for you. I'm unashamedly going to call myself one of the biggest 870 fans on THR. Among the boys and I we have at least a dozen. My own run from late 50s to late 80s and a couple expresses.
I've fired one particular TB at minimum of 4000 rounds per year on the trap field since 1975. I have taken about everything legal in IL with one or another. They will break but unless it is the ejector, a fix is easy. We have cracked a few receivers, surprisingly all on mid 70s models.
They start smooth and get smoother with time.
Barrels, I have and use 20" slug, 21" rem choke fiekd, 26" skeet, 28" mod, 28" mod trap and 30" full field and trao.
Does it sound like they can be addictive?
 
.45Coltguy said:
Virginian, you seem to have a pretty good read on Remington shotguns. A question, if you will. My '74-'75 20ga Wingmaster ends with an "X". My understanding that means it's a 12ga frame. The barrel is "stepped" down from the receiver, tho it does not have the vented rib, same as my extra barrel with fixed I/C choke. Is my understanding of the X correct?
Thank you.
Click to expand...
You are correct. The 20 gauge serial number suffixes are as follows:
X 20 GA. “HEAVY FRAME” (DISCONTINUED)
N 20 GA. “HEAVY FRAME MAGNUM” (DISCONTINUED)
K 20 GA. “LIGHT WEIGHT” (“LW”) (ALSO INCLUDES M/1100 “LW & LT”)
U 20 GA. LW MAGNUM (ALSO INCLUDES M/1100 “LW & LT”)
 
Count me as another 870 fan. I dont see myself buying any other model of shotgun than an 870. They are America's shotgun. I have a .410 and three 12ga 870s. (2¾,3, and 3½ inch guns). I'm patiently waiting to find a 20ga or a 28ga upland gun.
 
I have one that I purchased new in 1970. Somewhere I found a rem choke barrel for it but I don't remember where. I don't think anyone makes those barrels anymore. Mines been in my safe for about 15 years without being shot. Over the years I've had at least a dozen shotguns but most have been sold. All I have left is an old British SXS, my dads Win 97 and this 870 Wingmaster. It's the first shotgun I owned. Shot a lot of doves and quail with it when I lived in AZ. As you can see my LOP is longer than average. OP, you are lucky to find one in that nice condition. Mines been well used.

Rem870-S312360-V.jpg
 
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Armored farmer said:
Count me as another 870 fan. I dont see myself buying any other model of shotgun than an 870. They are America's shotgun. I have a .410 and three 12ga 870s. (2¾,3, and 3½ inch guns). I'm patiently waiting to find a 20ga or a 28ga upland gun.
Click to expand...

Riiiiiight. :neener: I've seen what you like to hunt with. The other America's shotgun that resembles this thing.

back door 2.jpg
 
This is my 1970 vintage 870. For quite a while, I only owned two shotguns, this one and a 20 gauge 1100 that my mother bought me for my 21st birthday. I was ate up with waterfowling then and killed a lot of ducks with this thing, 28" modified VR barrel, loaded with 1 1/4 oz of hot #4 or #5 lead. And quite a few quail and rabbits with 26" IC VR barrel. The modified barrel also worked good with steel, though when that came to pass I eventually got a third shotgun that could handle 3". 870 is just a super reliable smooth action shotgun and I like the looks of them too. You can see from the magazine tube that it's been used a little.

It lives above the bedroom closet door these days. 2 3/4" 9 pellet 00 in the cuff and the magazine, empty chamber. Hope I never get it down at night.
870.jpg
 
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Question on these older[early to mid 70's] Wingmasters: Most I see have a vented rib. My '75 does not. Nor the extra 26" fixed I/C barrel that came with it. I don't really mind, but, whats up with that? Thanks anyone.
 
.45Coltguy said:
Question on these older[early to mid 70's] Wingmasters: Most I see have a vented rib. My '75 does not. Nor the extra 26" fixed I/C barrel that came with it. I don't really mind, but, whats up with that? Thanks anyone.
Click to expand...
The VR was an added cost option. Well worth it to my thinking.
 
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