Success! A Very AWESOME Day For my Grandfathers 870 Wingmaster!!
- Thread starter CamDelle
- Start date
Ok. SO it looks like I have a few options here.
1. Ream the choke or get removable chokes. (this will allow me to shoot steel right?)
2. Get a new barrel. (this will allow me to shoot steel and maybe 3 inch shells?)
3. Get a new gun.
I am thinking I would like to get a new barrel for it. That way it can shoot steel.... Maybe 3 inch shells.... and then I can use it for all my shotgun applications.
What else would need to be done to allow it to shoot 3 inch shells?
So I am thinking I would get a new 28 inch barrel and cap and be ready to go?
I have found a lot of barrels online but am confused at what to get. I think I would like a 28 inch barrel and would like to be able to change the choke. will this work?
I found this at cabelas.
Remington 870 Wingmaster Replacement Barrel
Article # 60
Quantity:
Price:$269.99
Product Description
The only fitting choice for your Remington shotgun. If you own a Remington shotgun you know quality and, that when it comes to replacement parts, there’s only one brand good enough - Remington. Includes Full, Mod and I.C. chokes, and a choke wrench. Model: Rem 870 Wingmaster. Gauge: 12. 3" Chamber. Length: 28". Finish: Gloss Finish. 28" Vent Rib.
Is this what I need. Almost the price of a cheap shotgun.
Heres some pictures.
The blemishes on the shotgun are from when I was playing with it as a 11 year old.
1. Ream the choke or get removable chokes. (this will allow me to shoot steel right?)
2. Get a new barrel. (this will allow me to shoot steel and maybe 3 inch shells?)
3. Get a new gun.
I am thinking I would like to get a new barrel for it. That way it can shoot steel.... Maybe 3 inch shells.... and then I can use it for all my shotgun applications.
What else would need to be done to allow it to shoot 3 inch shells?
So I am thinking I would get a new 28 inch barrel and cap and be ready to go?
I have found a lot of barrels online but am confused at what to get. I think I would like a 28 inch barrel and would like to be able to change the choke. will this work?
I found this at cabelas.
Remington 870 Wingmaster Replacement Barrel
Article # 60
Quantity:
Price:$269.99
Product Description
The only fitting choice for your Remington shotgun. If you own a Remington shotgun you know quality and, that when it comes to replacement parts, there’s only one brand good enough - Remington. Includes Full, Mod and I.C. chokes, and a choke wrench. Model: Rem 870 Wingmaster. Gauge: 12. 3" Chamber. Length: 28". Finish: Gloss Finish. 28" Vent Rib.
Is this what I need. Almost the price of a cheap shotgun.
Heres some pictures.
The blemishes on the shotgun are from when I was playing with it as a 11 year old.
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Go with the new barrel option.
You could ream out to a more open choke, but then you are hooped if you want to shoot another pattern.
If you ream and thread for chokes, then you are into the gunsmith for the cost of the job, and you need to buy some chokes (~$20ish ea) and a wrench. WSS has new 28" Wingmaster barrels for $209, with vent rib, mid barrel bead, choke wrench and 3 chokes (IMP, MOD and FULL). You also have the wait time for a smith job, vs. the 30 seconds it takes to change the barrel.
To shoot 3" shells you need to have the ejector spring replaced. It is riveted in to the receiver and is not (generally) a DIY job. The rivet may need to be replaced, and the rivet head may need to be refinished to match the receiver. While everything I know, have read, and believe leads me to think this is 100% safe, you are still shooting 3" shells in a receiver designed, spec'd, tested, and generally set up for 2 3/4" shells. If you called them, Remington would almost certainly advise against it. Based on cost alone, I would say try the 2 3/4" shells first and see if they do the jobs you want to get done, then revisit this choice.
The wingmaster is a great shotgun, and bit at a time upgrades to make grand dads wing meet your needs make sense. I would put a fair amount into this gun before buying another, even without the sentimental value it has for you.
You could ream out to a more open choke, but then you are hooped if you want to shoot another pattern.
If you ream and thread for chokes, then you are into the gunsmith for the cost of the job, and you need to buy some chokes (~$20ish ea) and a wrench. WSS has new 28" Wingmaster barrels for $209, with vent rib, mid barrel bead, choke wrench and 3 chokes (IMP, MOD and FULL). You also have the wait time for a smith job, vs. the 30 seconds it takes to change the barrel.
To shoot 3" shells you need to have the ejector spring replaced. It is riveted in to the receiver and is not (generally) a DIY job. The rivet may need to be replaced, and the rivet head may need to be refinished to match the receiver. While everything I know, have read, and believe leads me to think this is 100% safe, you are still shooting 3" shells in a receiver designed, spec'd, tested, and generally set up for 2 3/4" shells. If you called them, Remington would almost certainly advise against it. Based on cost alone, I would say try the 2 3/4" shells first and see if they do the jobs you want to get done, then revisit this choice.
The wingmaster is a great shotgun, and bit at a time upgrades to make grand dads wing meet your needs make sense. I would put a fair amount into this gun before buying another, even without the sentimental value it has for you.
Interesting for sure. It was always also on the 1st page of the Q&A on the site also. I could not find it last night at all on their site. I wonder what happened to change their position.
Strange
Pick up an express barrel 28" fitted for rem chokes and that will cover upland and waterfowl etc
Unlike a 1100 a 870 wingmaster the only differences between 2 3/4" and the 3" receivers is
The factory supplied original 3" capable guns with an "M" as the last letter in the serial number.
The 3" capable receivers have a different ejector riveted in the receiver wall.
Remington some where in the run even supplied the 3" ejectors on their factory 2 3/4" guns but so far no one has been able to nail down the serial number or year this took place.
If there was design changes like the 1100 would love to know what they were since no one has ever mentioned any in my 40 years around these
On the mag cap .The Remington factory kit for adding sling swivels to your gun which you will probally want eventually will have a mag cap set up for both the old ball detent and new rachet spring retainer systems.
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remember, on an old wingmaster/870 the barrel nut is prevented from undoing under recoil by a ball bearing like detent that matches dimples under the outside of the nut where it rides on the collar that slips around the mag tube.
because of this a take off barrel from a newer gun which uses the ratchet on the mag tube spring retainer (which older wingmasters do not have) will fit, but the nut will loosen under recoil after just a few shots.
make sure any barrel you buy has the detent ball (that's the little ball bearing thing on the front of the collar that slips around the mag tube and makes the clicking sound when you tighten the mag tube cap).
new aftermarket/extra barrels from remington have them, but barrels that ship with new guns (including new wingmasters) sold as take-offs do not. a gunsmith can add them, I just had a couple done and it was about $40 per barrel.
because of this a take off barrel from a newer gun which uses the ratchet on the mag tube spring retainer (which older wingmasters do not have) will fit, but the nut will loosen under recoil after just a few shots.
make sure any barrel you buy has the detent ball (that's the little ball bearing thing on the front of the collar that slips around the mag tube and makes the clicking sound when you tighten the mag tube cap).
new aftermarket/extra barrels from remington have them, but barrels that ship with new guns (including new wingmasters) sold as take-offs do not. a gunsmith can add them, I just had a couple done and it was about $40 per barrel.
From what you gents are saying it seems to make more sense to buy a new remington barrel from say wss for 209 that comes with the 3 chokes and should have the proper cap and all instead of trying to buy used?
If you can find a deal, great, but I think barrels with both interchangeable chokes and detent ball bearings are pretty rare. I faced the same problem and went to WSS to get the obvious solution
Thx for all your help. I think I will do the obvious as well!!!!!
CamDelle, if I recall correctly the Remington Express barrel from any retailer only comes with the one choke(keeps the costs down)
It will in all intents and purposes be a modified choke tube.
The Full choke and an improved cylinder will be extra.
I am just telling you this so as not to be totally surprised when it comes time to pay .
You can not go wrong with this simple upgrade to your Granddads gun...
Just my experience with the Remington 870 Wingmaster and Expresses over the years.
Rob
Just a suggestion for next time to save yourself some money. New barrels are either going to have the spring/ ball set up as you state, have a empty hole drilled where you can fit it for about 12.00 or a dimple where you can drill and fit it for again about 12.00.
Or buy a 1100 wave washer from brownells that is also used to retain worn old style 870 mag tube nuts but also secures the old style nut on express or newer style barrels for about 2.00 each. Pack of three $5.99. A wave washer with a bit of teflon tape on the mag tube threads works on 99% of the old 870's with newer unaltered barrels.
So Clint would you mind saying who did your reaming? You could PM me if you don't want to name names on here.
Has that been reciently you asked. I will have to check exactly when it was but know for sure we have bought them there in the past with the last bunch maybe feb of 2012?? Like you say if the hole is already drilled which many are fitting the spring and ball is no big deal. take care
Some good pics here of the new style tube end not 870 but close enough. That ring or wave washer they are using looks like a standard hardware store item never thought to try one of those.
http://www.trapshooters.com/noframes/cfpages/thread.cfm?Threadid=267962&SortBy=DESC&ShowDeleted=No
Nice. Sounds like they are going the way of a few other US suppliers many of us have been dealing with for years.
I am cool with that on one condition and have no problem paying the extra to buy it from their canadian distributor but please at least have it in stock when we need it. Not naming what company but my last order from another that went this route took 5 months to get apparently he was waiting to put in one large order vs 10 days when I was ordering direct. Just getting tougher and tougher in canada to keep our guns in repairs. take care
Remington shotguns are fine to shoot steel with a full choke as long as it's #2 shot or smaller, and in your case, 2 3/4 shells. You'll eventually get shot-lines in the choked part of the barrel, but that's no big deal. I did this for years before I could afford a new barrel.
