870 Express Barrel not seating on Wingmaster

[mosinmaster]

I picked up an 18" CYL Express barrel for a good price and tried to put it on my 1967 Wingmaster today. It is tough to seat and it doesn't seat all the way as seen in the pictures. The bolt locks up in the locking lug recess of the barrel, and the shotgun fires, extracts, and ejects fine. It's just a bit of a gap where the original Wingmaster would seat flush with the receiver.

Is this an issue? I'm thinking from the first picture that the ejector groove in the Express barrel is not cut correctly and is stopping prematurely against the ejector in the receiver. I think filing this groove to relieve some material will allow the barrel to slide all the way in. Thoughts?

 

[mosinmaster]

FYI if anybody ever gets this problem in the future. The barrel extension isn't cut square from the factory, so the lower portion is slightly longer and hence makes contact first and is sitting flush; however the upper portion is held off by the ejector where the ejector slot in the barrel is cut and the upper portion of the barrel extension cannot make contact. Functions fine still but looks like a QC issue from Remington. You can also see that the [REP] proof mark is poorly marked.

 

[3macs1]

Sounds like a barrel I bought here on the EE a few years ago. It was also a 18" and was listed with quite a few 870 barrels all new and surplus from Gravel agencies I was told
I was not concerned on the look since it was just for a home invasion gun I was making but do remember doing some grinding and fitting but it functioned as you say just fine
Wonder if yours may be part of that same batch
Cheers

 

[mosinmaster]

What kind of work did you do on yours?

 

[3macs1]

What kind of work did you do on yours?

Honestly don't remember other than I remember that barrel as being real hard to fit into the receiver and super tight, it didnot seat right and would not come off initially once installed
I know I did some grinding to improve that so I could get it on and off but it still never fit right
It would have got a standard chamber polish and fitting of the ball and spring also so I can use the old cap as I do with all express barrels I have put on old wingmasters
Cheers

 

[mosinmaster]

Your story sounds exactly like mine. Also hard to get on and off. Barrel thickness on the Express barrels I would assume.

 

[3macs1]

Your story sounds exactly like mine. Also hard to get on and off. Barrel thickness on the Express barrels I would assume.

Not sure. I have used other express barrels on old wingmasters and never nothing like this one but they were all like standard 26, 28 " etc etc rem choked
That was the only 18" I ever bought and it was a pain right out of the box
Cheers

 

[mosinmaster]

Most likely a combination of differences in +/- tolerances between older Wingmasters and newer production Express barrels. In addition, the Express has a rougher and thicker finish when new that probably wears down with use. I previously haven't had issues with Express 20" barrel on a Wingmaster either. Must have been the batch, my barrel code dates to 2013.

 

[3macs1]

Most likely a combination of differences in +/- tolerances between older Wingmasters and newer production Express barrels. In addition, the Express has a rougher and thicker finish when new that probably wears down with use. I previously haven't had issues with Express 20" barrel on a Wingmaster either. Must have been the batch, my barrel code dates to 2013.

I will check the EE to see when I bought that barrel. I remember the handle of the seller

It was april 2012
Cheers

 

[mosinmaster]

I guess to fix I could file down the lower edge, open up the eject slot top edge, and just polish the outside of the barrel extension to get it to fit "perfectly". Or just shoot it a lot and see how things go. I don't think functionally there's anything wrong or unsafe, just irks your subconscious.