Old wingmaster barrel mod?
- Thread starter langbanger
- Start date
I asked my Smith the same question, said it would be cheaper to buy a new barrel, then you could keep the original one for the wingmaster.
Somebody chime in on this but to date your wingmaster, you can't by the receiver's serial number, only the barrel's number if it's original?
Somebody chime in on this but to date your wingmaster, you can't by the receiver's serial number, only the barrel's number if it's original?
No. The chamber length has no bearing on shot speed.
You need about 18" of barrel for the powder to burn virtually completely. The length of barrel you have over the 18 inches is for balance and handling, not for acceleration.
You are correct, there is a 2 digit code on the left side of a remington barrel that tells its age. To cut, crown, then drill and tap for a bead should run about $100 (Vented rib may cost more). To ream, and tap for tubes plus the price of one tube should be about $125. So you're looking at roughly $225 vs $270 for a new, vented rib, 3" chamber wingmaster barrel from cabelas, which comes with 3 tubes.
Ok so could I just have the barrel reamed and tapped for 125 dollars and eliminate the cutting altogether?
That's what I would do. Providing you like the way it handles as is, and the gunsmith's prices are decent. But always remember, good work ain't cheap and cheap work ain't good. Another thing to to be mindful of is what thread the gunsmith has taps for. I'm pretty sure the most common are Hastings, colonial, and briley. You will need to consider this for acquiring more tubes.
x2
I don't understand why anyone would mess with working on a fixed choke barrel when new barrels are reasonably priced and readily available.
But do they actually have a new wingmaster barrel in stock? Most places I had contacted in the last year didn't and weren't sure when they would have more that's why I bought an entire second used wingmaster with an interchangeable choked barrel. I would get an 870 wingmaster barrel fitted for chokes simply because I'd rather that then stick an express barrel on it.
My nearest gunsmith will thread a barrel for chokes and include one choke for approximately $130 for lead chokes or $150 for an extended steel choke. This is still cheaper then the $270+ shipping price for new wingmaster remchoked barrels.
My nearest gunsmith will thread a barrel for chokes and include one choke for approximately $130 for lead chokes or $150 for an extended steel choke. This is still cheaper then the $270+ shipping price for new wingmaster remchoked barrels.
I'm pretty sure that any Remington 870 barrel, including express barrels, should fit your action. Just buy a new barrel and be done with it. This will give you standard Remington threads and you will have a greater selection of chokes which will likely be less expensive than custom thin wall chokes.
