Info on 870 Sportman? What is it?

[Black Majik]

So browsing through the gunshops I saw a 870 Sportman. It was a magnum. Looked kinda old but good condition.

It looked like a Wingmaster, but it said 870 Sportman on the receiver. It had a blued finish, VR barrel, bead sight, same style wood forearm.

No white spacer on the buttstocks. In fact I noticed a few 870s and Wingmasters that didn't have the white spacers I usually see on older Wingmasters. Info?

Oh yeah, polished shell carrier. Is that standard also for older Wingmasters?

thanks.

 

[Bemo]

asked the same question

myself recently, so you might try the search function. From what I recall, they were a model introduced prior to the Express series. I think it's the perfect project.

 

[dfariswheel]

The Sportsman was Remington's "budget" series of guns before the Express.

The Sportsman was offered in both shotguns and rifles.

Basically, these were just standard guns with hardwood?? stocks without Remington's "Bowling pin" finish, without the fancy spacers, and rougher blue jobs, but not as rough as the Express.

 

[Fred Fuller]

dfariswheel got it. There's a similar variant of the 1100 also. I don't think these models were made for very long- I've seen only a couple over recent years.

Dunno about the lifter, will have to leave that to someone else.

lpl/nc

 

[Dave McCracken]

The chromed carrier was standard up to some time in the late 70s or early 80s, IIRC.

The Sportsman, as said, did not sell well. Already at that time there were enough used 870s around to cover the economy end.

FYI, Pop paid $15 for the one now on HD status here, around 1956. Brand new, it cost about $60.