Converting a 2,3/4" Wingmaster to a 3" Wingmaster Magnum (instructions)

[Claven2]

A forum member was asking me about this via PM, and after typing it up, I thought it might be worth posting as someone else will maybe benefit from it.

I did't take pics when I last did this job (a few days ago), I didn't think to at the time, but here are the steps involved (written) as I relayed them via PM:

The member asked:

Need to pick your brain. What's involved in converting a 2 3/4" Wingmaster to 3"?
I know experts like Casey at TacOrd can do anything 870 related.

Your thoughts?

My answer (Part 1):

Hi ###X:

It's pretty simple but you need to either buy or make a couple specific tools. All access is through the ejection port, and you should strip the gun down to just a receiver first.

First, you grind a punch or other hard steel rod into a narrow chisel that will fit inside the profile of the ejector assembly. You need to first shear the head off the pin that retains the ejector spring. Make sure the tool is made or harder steel, like a punch, so it will cut through the soft steel rivet. Remove the spring from the rivet.

Next you need to shear off any remaining riveted-over material from both the front and rear rivets. Use the chisel again for this purpose. You could also grind them off with an appropriate sized dremel bit, if that is easier for you. With a punch, pound the rivets out from the inside of the receiver (they fall out the back side the the receiver (the side with no ejection port).

The whole ejector assembly will now lift out. You now have two choices, you can either buy a $25 3" ejector, or if you have one to measure, you can file back the ejector lip on the 2,3/4" ejector to match the dimensions of a 3" unit. I usually re-use the older one and just file to to the right size, that saves $25 on the job.

Next you re-install the ejector base. To do this you need the rivets (you can buy from Brownells for about $7US each), or if you have time you can make them on a lathe. They are not interchangeable. You need a front rivet and a back rivet. You put the rivets in from the back side of the receiver. You need to rivet in the front rivet first and you need to make or buy the right tool. It's a hollow punch that has a rectangular tip with a hole in the middle so that you don't round over the "tit" that the ejector spring fits on. You support the back of the rivet on any flat steel surface (anvil), you get a friend to hold the receiver steady, and you use the punch to hammer/squeeze the rivet until it's tight. When you remove the punch, the "tit" should be un-peened. The ejector spring will sip over that later.

Now you repeat that process with the rear rivet, except this punch is NOT hollow. You must rivet the head over completely. Nothing will attach this this later.

At this stage, if you want the outside of the gun to look more "Wingmaster" (vs. Express), you hold the punches you used in a vise and get your friend to balance the receiver over the punches with the punch tips resting on their respective rivets. You take another steel punch or gunsmithing peen (a type of hammer) and you "smush" the backsides of the rivets to ensure they expend and fill the shoulder recess in the receiver. The rivets are about 2mm round of the receiver before you do this, and will crush down to about 1.5mm proud as they expand and fill any remaining gaps. If you don't do this, there will be a hairline around each rivet. No big deal, but it's a cleaner job if you flatten them. Flip the receiver back over when done.

Now you slide the ejector spring over the "tit" on the front rivet and use the same punch from the rear rivet to flatten the exposed tip of the "tit". This holds the ejector spring in place. You are almost done. At this point, the gun is already functional for 3" mags.

Flip the action back over and look at the rivets that remain proud of the receiver flat. You need to file these almost flush. I protect the surrounding receiver with some masking tape and file them pretty flat. I remove the tape and switch to 180 grit paper wrapped around a mill file and I file them perfectly flush with the receiver. Then you go through the different paper grits until I get the surface finish I'm after.

Obviously, you will have to either touch up the area with cold blue, or re-fiinish the receiver. But functionally, the gun is now 3". The ejection ports are the same size on all Wingmasters the only differences are in the ejector and spring.

Hope that helps? TacOrd can definitely do this job if you want to pay for it. Most smiths should charge around $75, I think. About half that is parts cost. Maybe more if they don't re-use the old ejector.

Claven2

Then after a follow up question, I responded:

No worries ###X. This job is WAY less complicated than it sounds, it's no more difficult than what you do at ######XX, you just need a few tools. Assuming you already have a few weights of light ball peen hammer and some punches, you really only need these tools:

http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/shotgun-tools/staking-tools/remington-870-rivet-staking-tool-set-prod653.aspx

This rivet:

http://www.brownells.com/shotgun-parts/receiver-action-parts/ejector-parts/ejector-hardware/ejector-rivet-front-prod10795.aspx

This rivet:

http://www.brownells.com/shotgun-pa...or-hardware/ejector-rivet-rear-prod10796.aspx

This spring:

http://www.brownells.com/shotgun-parts/receiver-action-parts/ejector-parts/ejector-springs/ejector-spring-prod10803.aspx

And (potentially) this ejector (if you don't just mod the one you already have):

http://www.brownells.com/shotgun-parts/receiver-action-parts/ejector-parts/ejectors/ejector-prod10802.aspx

The hardest part is to re-blue the gun. The last couple I did, I was getting the guns cerakoted anyhow, so it didn't matter. They sandblast the guns before applying the cerakote.

If you were nearby, we could do it together to show you. Really pretty easy.

Cheers,
Claven2

Again, sorry I can't offer pics, but I still hope you find this of interest here on CGN.

Now that I think of it, stating the obvious, you ALSO NEED A 3" CHAMBERED BARREL! A 2,3/4" barrel can be chamber reamed to 3", if desired.

 

[blasted_saber]

Before anyone tries this put a fired 3" shell in your gun and see if it will cycle

My non-magnum Wingmaster receiver required no changes whatsoever to fire and cycle 3" shells. All you'll need is a barrel capable of handling 3" shells

 

[Claven2]

Before anyone tries this put a fired 3" shell in your gun and see if it will cycle

My non-magnum Wingmaster receiver required no changes whatsoever to fire and cycle 3" shells. All you'll need is a barrel capable of handling 3" shells

Good point, that is an easy thing to check. The majority will not eject and will foul by about 1/8" of rear travel, depending on ammo brand, but it's worth checking before reaching for the tools.

 

[dogzilla]

You can buy the tools from Brownells. You can also get a cutter that you use on the front rivet. You use it by hand, and it has a hole going up the center. What it does, is cuts away the peened section of the rivet allowing the spring to come off without actually replacing the entire rivet. You put the new spring on and re-peen it. It doesn't always work, but I have done it a couple of times and it saves having to re finish the gun. It's called the 870 ejector spring rivet cutter. It's $40, but if you don't want to re finish, it's worth it. You can also get the proper punches specifically to do the job (rivets too)

 

[Claven2]

You can buy the tools from Brownells. You can also get a cutter that you use on the front rivet. You use it by hand, and it has a hole going up the center. What it does, is cuts away the peened section of the rivet allowing the spring to come off without actually replacing the entire rivet. You put the new spring on and re-peen it. It doesn't always work, but I have done it a couple of times and it saves having to re finish the gun. It's called the 870 ejector spring rivet cutter. It's $40, but if you don't want to re finish, it's worth it. You can also get the proper punches specifically to do the job (rivets too)

That will work to replace an ejector spring, but not an ejector. The ejector does require a refinish and new rivets.

 

[Tactical Ordnance]

All good points above and a nice step by step procedure.

Here are a couple of points from my experience in doing it:

- the best way I have found to remove the rivets is with a cutting disc in a dremel tool. Reach in through the bottom of the receiver and grind the rivet heads off. The rivets are countersunk on the outside of the receiver and if you are too rough with trying to just sheer them off there is a change that you can ruin the receiver wall. I have tried many ways including a milling machine but he dremel tool works the best and is the fastest.

- support the receiver well on a flat surface when driving out the old rivets that you have removed the heads from.

- the ejector itself is different on 2 3/4" and 3" guns. It also needs to be replaced or modified when changing from a 2 3/4" to 3" set up. The ejector stop surface is 1/4" further back on 3" guns so the ejection occurs later when pumping the action backwards. The ejector is what ejects the shells, not the spring as one might initially think. The spring aids in keeping the empty casing on the extractor as there is room in the receiver for it to slip off. The hump on the spring is even with the stop surface on the ejector. (20 gauge guns do not have nor do they need an ejector spring since there is not enough room for the empty shell casing to fall off of the extractor.)

- when peening the head of the front rivet on the ejector spring, take your time and pretend you are a wood-pecker. If you hit it too hard, the "tit" will bend and you end up with a crappy looking job.

Casey

 

[Claven2]

Thanks casey, all good points. When I was taught how to do this some years ago, the Remington literature advised to shear the rivets, more recently, I've sometimes demelled them as you suggest, though I had not thought of the cutting wheel, I was using a diamond burr.

Do you usually mod the old ejector (something I usually do), or do you more often just install a new 3" unit? Just curious.

 

[hoytcanon]

I have one underway... using a cut-off wheel to take off the rivet heads and installing a new 3" ejector... I replaced the original barrel with a new 3" chamber 28" vent rib Rem choke barrel.

 

[Tactical Ordnance]

Thanks casey, all good points. When I was taught how to do this some years ago, the Remington literature advised to shear the rivets, more recently, I've sometimes demelled them as you suggest, though I had not thought of the cutting wheel, I was using a diamond burr.

Do you usually mod the old ejector (something I usually do), or do you more often just install a new 3" unit? Just curious.

If we are not refinishing the receiver and we can save the front ejector spring post, then we can modify the existing ejector as long as it is good. More often then not, it is the tip of the ejector that locates the rotational position of the barrel that is either cracked or broken. In that case of course the ejector itself needs replacing. I always use a new ejector spring.

Casey

 

[Claven2]

Interesting. Even if I'm totally removing the ejector, I've been filing the shoulder back and re-installing the original one to avoid buying new ones all the time . Maybe I should have just been removing the spring and modifying it in-situ, then re-peening the front tit. What have you been using to move/grind/file the shoulder back without removing the rivets?

 

[Tactical Ordnance]

Interesting. Even if I'm totally removing the ejector, I've been filing the shoulder back and re-installing the original one to avoid buying new ones all the time . Maybe I should have just been removing the spring and modifying it in-situ, then re-peening the front tit. What have you been using to move/grind/file the shoulder back without removing the rivets?

Milling machine, end mill.

 

[flipincanadian]

Thanks Claven and Casey for this. I've been thinking of having my old wingmaster converted to 3" to go along with my new Remington 14" bbl. I still think I will have a smith do it or send it to Casey along with a barrel for vangcomping.

 

[Claven2]

Ok, honestly, I never checked to see if I'd have clearance. Next time, I'll use the knee mill and not remove the ejector base.

Casey does GREAT work, by the way., I sent them some stuff recently because I did not have a good business case to buy the needed tooling for a job. They did GREAT work.

And since I don't take gun work at the shop (except my own), I have NO PROBLEM recommending them for all your shotgun smithing needs.

 

[VLT79]

I've done well over 2 dozen conversions, yet I have only ever needed to instal one new front rivet. The rest were all saved and the ejector shoulder was simply moved back 1/4" while it was still riveted in place. Only tools used are a dremel and then a punch to restake the new ejector spring.

 

[cantom]

btt for interest.

Necrothread resurrection!