K
Kame B.
Guest
Just got a good of a deal on a used wingmaster, almost too good to be true. The barrel is a good looking vented rib 30inch 2 3/4 chamber full choke that dates it back to 1974, but the receiver is in mint condition, and I mean it looks brand spakin new. I wasnt to pleased with the clear coat finish on the wood, because it looked cheap and very thin. So, with that said, I broke the shotgun down, took off the wood furniture and started the process of refinishing. As I was sanding the stock I noticed a stain coat was coming off and the wood kept getting lighter and lighter, until it was a golden white. Then I did a inspection of the grain, and noticed it does not have the pattern of Dark Walnut. The damn thing is Oak, I even used a boiled linseed oil treatment on the wood, just to make sure, and lo and behold the color came out in a golden brown, not dark brown. Also, the stock does have the flur de lis checkering in the butt stock, and forearm.
So my question is, did Remington ever make a wingmaster with oak stocks? There is no question in my mind that this is not Dark Walnut wood, but I've never heard of a 870 Wingmaster that didnt come in Walnut. I've had four of them over the years, they all dated back to the 70's and 80's and all have Walnut stocks. Like I said, the receiver, bolt, mag tube, everything but the barrel looks like it was built yesterday.
Speculation: I'm thinking the guy who sold it to me did a barrel swap an old wingmaster to a new wingmaster, since the new ones have adjustable choke and this old barrel is a 30" full choke. But I still dont understand the oak wood.
So my question is, did Remington ever make a wingmaster with oak stocks? There is no question in my mind that this is not Dark Walnut wood, but I've never heard of a 870 Wingmaster that didnt come in Walnut. I've had four of them over the years, they all dated back to the 70's and 80's and all have Walnut stocks. Like I said, the receiver, bolt, mag tube, everything but the barrel looks like it was built yesterday.
Speculation: I'm thinking the guy who sold it to me did a barrel swap an old wingmaster to a new wingmaster, since the new ones have adjustable choke and this old barrel is a 30" full choke. But I still dont understand the oak wood.