Help with age on Wingmaster 870?

sphen

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Hey guys, my dad recently passed and I'm the only one in the family with a license. He has an older model Wingmaster and I'm trying to discern the markings and therefore age. What are your thoughts on this?



Here is the Remington codes page:https://www.rem870.com/gun-manufacture-date/remington-serial-number-lookup/

Am I looking at all three letters for the age or just the "EF" or the "FJ"? There is no month code for "F" so I'm thinking that the "EF" means October 1985? What do you guys think?
 
I guessing the date on the barrel is Oct 1985 and that the J is a repair stamp. Need to see the entire gun though. Stock, recoil pad. Lots of things point to date of manufacture. What letter does the s/n start with? Like the man said. The letters only date the barrel.
 
Ya what sticks out to me is the 4 digit serial number which makes the receiver and wood 1950 with a sept 58 barrel on it from the old chart I have here for shotguns only not rifles and shotguns which is on line Real nice gun
Cheers

Month
B - Jan L - Feb A - Mar C - Apr K - May P - Jun
O - Jul W - Aug D - Sep E - Oct R - Nov X - Dec

Year
M - 1921 N - 1922 P - 1923 R - 1924 S - 1925
T - 1926 U - 1927 W - 1928 X - 1929 Y - 1930
Z - 1931 A - 1932 B - 1933 C - 1934 D - 1935
E - 1936 F - 1937 G - 1938 H - 1939 J - 1940
K - 1941 L - 1942 MM - 1943 NN - 1944 PP - 1945
RR - 1946 SS - 1947 TT - 1948 UU - 1949 WW - 1950
XX - 1951 YY - 1952 ZZ - 1953 A - 1954 B - 1955
C - 1956 D - 1957 E - 1958 F - 1959 G - 1960
H - 1961 J - 1962 K - 1963 L - 1964 M - 1965
N - 1966 P - 1967 R - 1968 S - 1969 T - 1970
U - 1971 W - 1972 X - 1973 Y - 1974 Z - 1975
I - 1976 O - 1977 Q - 1978 V - 1979 A - 1980
B - 1981 C - 1982 D - 1983 E - 1984 F - 1985
G - 1986 H - 1987 I - 1988 J - 1989 K - 1990
L - 1991 M - 1992 N - 1993 O - 1994 P - 1995
Q - 1996 R - 1997 S - 1998 T - 1999 (*) U - 2000 (*)
V - 2001 (*) W - 2002 X - 2003 Y - 2004 Z - 2005
A - 2006 B - 2007 C - 2008 D - 2009 E - 2010
F - 2011 G - 2012 H - 2013 I - 2014
 
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Canadian assembled 870. Chromed carrier and low serial number along with wood style makes my estimate of manufacture date of 1959-60. It is probably even older than my guess.

Darryl

?? both of my 1950 have low serial number and chrome carrier one was from you ( cannot remember if that was canadian was it ) and one 100% us made??
 
Well at least the barrel is marked made in Canada. The wood is a puzzle. 1950 and on for a few years the wood was AP or ADL grade. The AP models were very slim and tubular. The ADL models were extension type with hand cut checkering. The fore wood on that gun is a match with early 1960 production guns. Then the early serial number cancels that idea. I guess it is possible the is made up of parts from different era guns but it looks right so speak. Another Remington mystery.

Darryl
 
EF dates it to Oct 1959 and the J may indicate the time it was assembled, 1962. Maybe a 1959 barrel and receiver with 1962 wood. The curved plastic buttplate definitely indicates a 50's to 60's model. Except for the mag extension, a nice looking gun that someone hasn't turned into a "project".
 
here is the original wood gun never fired on a 54
PMxLzlS.jpg
 
Looks a lot like a 1957 I had.

I sold it though, because I wanted a 3-inch chamber gun with Rem-Chokes.

Slick gun to shoot though.
 
Look again. While that is a beautiful example of an early 870, the forestock is different than the OP's gun. I don't know that that makes any difference though. The OP's gun is clearly an early model 870.

Only difference is the taper cut off same forend is the point I was making way before the 60's. So what year is his . When I get time I will check my 1950's
 
Its likely either a 59-60. The Remington Canada made/assembled guns have their own serial number range. If it was a 1950 receiver it would be quite different, the wingmaster logo would be lower/more centered between the trigger mech pins, Remington used a different blueing process at that time, not the immersion bluing as seen on the above example.
There are a few other things that you wouldn't see from the outside, the early guns had no locking block retainer and they did not have plate between the receiver and stock to prevent the stock from cracking. Early guns also serialized the barrel and butstock to the receiver.
 
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