Old C&R 870 Wingmaster, beat up gun project

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

AJAX22

Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2005
Messages
1,161



I dug through the garage and have dusted off this rainy day project that I've been saving...

She's an early 1950's Remington wingmaster 12 gauge, the receiver was found in a barn in the midwest

I have been picking up internals as I find them...

The concept behind this gun is "Honest Wear"

I'm trying to put togeather a rock solid, reliable shotgun, that is pieced together from parts that have honest wear.

The barrel that I'm using right now is wayyyyyy too nice, but its what I had in the parts bin.

It should be a straightforward project, just a matter of tracking down a bit here, a bit there...

I think I'm missing forend nut.... mag tube spring.... some wood.... a truly ugly barrel..... maybe an uglier/more worn shell lifting gate.... a stock bolt.... and i think some internals are missing from the trigger group... and I could use some help putting the trigger group together
 
I really enjoy your video's and effort to keep these old guns alive!

I have some wooden stocks if needed.
 
Nappers said:
I really enjoy your video's and effort to keep these old guns alive!

I have some wooden stocks if needed.
Click to expand...

Thanks,

I derive a lot of satisfaction from keeping them shooting...

A gun that can shoot is a tangible representation of freedom, a broken gun is a travesty
Do you have any well worn wood?

I've been thinking about trying to find a really beat up Law enforcement top folding stock for her... and running a wood forend (probably a police model with the corncob)

not sure yet though... I'm looking for something that 'speaks to me'
 
Do you have any well worn wood?
Click to expand...
This brings to mind the "antique-ing" fad with furniture afficionados to impart the appearance of "honest wear". At least that was the concept, without getting overly technical as to precisely how truly honest the result might be as long as the image is effective to the consumer. The nuances of honest wear versus neglect, repair, induced-wear, parts cannibalized from questionable origin, etc are all insignificant. In that spirit, you have a perfect palate to work with. I'm envious in that this is a project I would also enjoy. Wish I had the parts you're needing, but my wood is the checkered Express. Although I have trigger groups for both Express and Wingmaster, they're like new, so they'd require some work to make them ugly. Have fun!
 
btg3 said:
This brings to mind the "antique-ing" fad with furniture afficionados to impart the appearance of "honest wear". At least that was the concept, without getting overly technical as to precisely how truly honest the result might be as long as the image is effective to the consumer. The nuances of honest wear versus neglect, repair, induced-wear, parts cannibalized from questionable origin, etc are all insignificant. In that spirit, you have a perfect palate to work with. I'm envious in that this is a project I would also enjoy. Wish I had the parts you're needing, but my wood is the checkered Express. Although I have trigger groups for both Express and Wingmaster, they're like new, so they'd require some work to make them ugly. Have fun!
Click to expand...

Thanks, its going to be a great project.....

Its surprising how hard it is to find ugly gun parts
 
Don't add faux patina to good wood, you know as well as I do honest wear can't be faked. Wait for another barn/pawn shop find to scavenge wood from. A surplus police gun could be a good source if it's in fair-to-good condition. Fake wear looks fake to anybody that knows how wear occurs.
 


Receiver is coming along nicely.... dug a known good 870 out of storage... will start testing for functionality with the known good parts and the ugly parts
 


the 3rd round of electrolysis did the trick...

I was able to get the parts from the known good doner 870 into the rusty 870 receiver.

In the process the ejector spring broke, but that was really to be expected.

The receiver is much more pitted than it appeared on initial inspection.... it has a rust type similar to the 1991A1 blood damaged evidence gun, not the buried early 1911. Deep pits surrounded by relatively unmolested surfaces.

Now its a matter of tracking down the following:

barrel (too pretty)
action tube
for-end
action tube nut
mag tube spring
shell stop springs (both sides)
ejector spring
trigger housing pins
topfolding stock (ugly)
ugly for-end wood

she is coming along very nicely
 
I've got a 870 Wingmaster from the mid 50s that has great everything except the exterior of the 28" barrel is a bit scuffed up. The bore looks great though.
Might can do a trade if your barrel is good inside and out.
 


Internals are coming along slowly, but they are coming along


mr.scott said:
I've got a 870 Wingmaster from the mid 50s that has great everything except the exterior of the 28" barrel is a bit scuffed up. The bore looks great though.
Might can do a trade if your barrel is good inside and out.
Click to expand...

I'd love to see a pic

The barrel I have is very clean, I'll have to check it over for scratches, but overall its quite nice....

It is short (I'll have to measure it, its over 18... under 21) with a cylinder bore
 


Electrolysis continues,

Bolt and bolt components are finished.

Slow... but its going...

I'll try to get a comprehensive parts list compiled here while I'm on the plane to Thailand (gonna go shoot rocket launchers in cambodia)
 


Just a recap of where we are at...

I have a donor trigger group on order which I'll be robbing the missing parts out of.

Still need a stock, forend, action tube, magtube spring, stock bolt, and trigger group pins
 
interesting project.

I suggest you contact someone like AI&P Tactical Having worked with 870's for years, I'm sure he's got bins full of older parts that he's replaced with newer parts - maybe nothing as 'distressed' as you're looking for, but they'd be more vintage, sort of like what you're looking for, specifically for some of the trigger group parts you need. Probably has some good vintage furniture as well.

As to the spring that's riveted to the inside of the receiver, not sure what you're going to do about that. AFAIK, that's not a user serviceable part. Normally that would have to be sent back to Remington for repair, so I dunno what your chances are of finding a replacement part or if Remington even offers it.

I recently stumbled across an 870 parts diagram and list in .jpg format that I saved but upon looking at it, all I managed to save was the parts list and not the diagram. Doh! If I find the other half, I'll make sure to post it here for you.
 


Been working on the trigger group.... I now know wayyyyyyy more about 870 fire control groups than I had ever intended on learning.
 
There are any number of products out there that would bring the appearance back to acceptable, cerrokote or any of the cured paint products come to mind.
 
VAPOPO said:
There are any number of products out there that would bring the appearance back to acceptable, cerrokote or any of the cured paint products come to mind.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but that would defeat the purpose.

She came by those pockmarks honestly, it would be a shame to cover up her battle scars.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

dak0ta
  • Locked
Older era 870 Wingmaster/Police parts in 870 Express
Replies
2
Views
694
1-cavediver
1-cavediver
B
  • Locked
OLD Remington 870 Wingmaster help! Calling 870 Guru's!
Replies
11
Views
8K
Dave McCracken
D
U
  • Locked
Police trade-in Wingmaster 870: Bolt to Barrel Gap?
Replies
3
Views
763
uberdog
U
Badger Arms
  • Locked
Ithaca 37 stock bolt question
Replies
0
Views
518
Badger Arms
Badger Arms
S
  • Locked
Wingmaster Riot gun arrives from CDNN
2
Replies
36
Views
3K
RCR29
R
Back
Top