Wingmaster 870

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What makes you think that you can't? I really hope I haven't been damaging my wingmaster all this time.
 
LOL thanks guys, i appreciate your feedback. I had a tactical 870 years ago and it wouldnt extract low brass bird shot from the chamber. I had to literally slam the buttstock on the ground and pull the forend down at the same time to get the shells out, then the tritium front sight came off (poor gunsmithing that I paid $70.00 for him to install it)...I was done w/ Remingtons and i sold it...

im sure there had to have been a problem w/ that particular gun, otherwise i dont think millions of 870's would be produced and sold.

anyway, i found an 870 wingmaster at the pawn shop... it is beat up and the finish is worn...
i put it on lawaway...($150, along with a remington model 10-A 12 guage pump) and I plan on turning it (870) into a tactical shotty...

i love to bring old beat up guns back to life or give em new life.... the 870 is in perfect mechanical condition and the wood stock and original finish is really worn.

i figured some duracoat, new stock/forend, tritium sights, heatshield, sidesaddle and magazine tube extension and maybe a flashlight will give it a new life... the parts alone will cost more than the gun...but i love these projects...

I just wanted to make sure the "Wingmaster" didnt have a chamber that could only handle bird shot.
Thanks guys,

Steve
 
The old Wingmasters are often chambered for 2 3/4" shells, so check and stick to what it's supposed to have.

No problem there in a defensive gun. Those 2 3/4 loads are plenty.

Some old 870s are cosmetically challenged, but I've NEVER seen one worn out past safe operation.

Good luck....
 
About two years ago I bought an older LE trade in. I think these were from the Forestry Department, DNR or something similar. Mine was the classic "trunk gun", stayed in the trunk and fired once per year at qualifying time. The finish was almost gone with some pitting but the action was tight and functions flawlessly. I recently paid a local gun store $80 to strip it, blast it and refinish with baked on Ceracote in flat black. It's not a show piece but it is now protected from further deterioration.

It has the 18.5" smooth bore barrel. I wasn't sure how straight and true slugs would fly out of that type barrel so I bought some .650 Round Ball ammo I found made by an Italian company and marketed under the Law Enforcement brand. I found some at a gun show and tried them. They are very accurate out to about 50 yards so I just cleaned out all but the last two boxes Larry Potterfield had. I would have taken them all since they were closing that item out but they wouldn't make a deal for the whole lot so I left them with two boxes.

I love the 870.
 
Have heard a lot of complaints about extraction problems on the Express models. I have had a few stuck shells in my TB (400,000 rounds and counting) but these were Diana and Kemen shells which seem to have a harder than normal steel head..plus, I'm still on my original extractor which is getting rounded. Polish the chamber with a brake hone a little and you should see an improvement. (I carry a shell knocker-outer made from copper tubing filled with lead and wrapped with electric tape).
 
Just be careful about steel. Older barrels shouldn't have steel put through them. I have a couple of older 870's that I put steel through years ago when the big steel shot thing came about, that was during the save the water fowl movement, 1980's. Those barrels are clearly marred from all the steel shot.
 
Remington says any barrel from 1950 on, modified choke or less, and #2 steel or smaller are fine for steel. I have shot a bunch thru my choke tube fitted 1960 barrels with zero ill effects. Almost all the damage I saw early on was in the choke area with full choke barrels.
 
From my understanding it has to do with extractor placement. Unless the wingmaster serial number ends in "M" it will not extract 3" shells reliably. I have seen many with after market 3" labeled barrels, but that alone does not dictate what you can shoot it is a total system that determines this. There are retrofits and mods that can be done to this, but I just stick with 2-3/4" shells.
 
It's not the extractor, but the ejector and ejector spring, that are different on 3" model guns versus the 2-3/4" ones. But more than a few of the 2-3/4" guns actually got 3" set ups from the factory.
 
I have a couple of older 870's that I put steel through years ago when the big steel shot thing came about, that was during the save the water fowl movement, 1980's. Those barrels are clearly marred from all the steel shot.
Click to expand...
Shot cups have come a long way since then. And I suspect the shot has too. I still avoid steel in old fixed full choke guns, but I have various modified choke guns that date back to 1937, that I shoot steel through with no detectable issues yet. All of them have had more than a 100 rounds of steel through them to date. I'm not saying you should do it, I'm just saying I have.
 
As long as the barrel choke is not too restrictive you can shoot slugs or buckshot in them all day long. If your gun is made for 2 3/4 inch shells then use the 2 3/4 inch shells. They will be able to handle most situations. The 3 and 3 1/2 inch shells were originally designed for bird hunters who wanted more range when shooting into the air to get high flying birds. All my shotguns are 2 3/4 inch chambered and I have no problem with them at all.
 
Virginian said:
It's not the extractor, but the ejector and ejector spring, that are different on 3" model guns versus the 2-3/4" ones. But more than a few of the 2-3/4" guns actually got 3" set ups from the factory.
Click to expand...
Good call on my bad info...brain vs fingers error. This is why i don't like to type "advice" Thanks for the correction
 
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