Rem 870 Wingmaster

Basher81

Basher81

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Hey Everyone,

I just inherited a Rem 870 Shotgun 2 3/4" Full Choke from my grandfather. He has not hunted in years and I am wondering if the old girl is compatible with today's steel shot.

Thanks Basher
 
You should have the forcing cone lengthened to accommodate 3'' shells and the receiver altered to eject 3'' shells and the choke opened then it will be brought up to industry standards of the day.
 
You mean chamber, not forcing cone. And I wouldn't. You can do just fine with 2 3/4" shells. A replacement barrel shouldn't be too hard to come by and you can: try to find one in the choke you want; have it opened up by a gunsmith; or have some sort of interchangeable or adjustable choke system installed.
 
I mean the forcing cone which is the area just at the end of the chamber it is the lead into the bore if you lengthen it about a 1''-1 1/2'' you would be able to shoot 3'' Most new production gun come with this in place it helps reduce recoil and helps with less deformation of shot which results in better patter performance.
 
My Father has the same shotgun, and he transitioned to steel just fine. Didn't even get the unsightly "Ring Bulge" when he started shooting steel. as for modifying to shoot 3", just wait till they get closer, and you'll do fine. :)
 
My condolences for your loss.
"...just inherited a Rem 870 Shotgun..." Nice. I believe any 870 barrel is ok for steel. You'll want to either have the FC opened up(about $65. Epp's prices but it'll be close locally), have changeable chokes installed(about $100 plus the cost of the tubes) or buy a barrel with Remchokes though. Any barrel made for an 870 will fit with no fuss. Including fully rifled. They're not astronomically expensive either. Mind you, Remington brand barrels are more expensive than aftermarket barrels. Bought a rifle sighted smooth bore a while back for a bit over $200 with taxes. The same thing in Remington packaging was about $100 more.
If you opt to buy another barrel, remember to clean it before shooting.
"...You should have..." Nope. 3" receivers are built a bit heavier. It's not recommended to shoot 3" ammo out of a 2.75" receiver. No real need for a 3" anyway.
 
I had the same question a little while back. When I called Remington they told me steel was okay, but not to use it regularily. Not at all regularily. My problem was that the wingmaster also had an old polychoke that the polychoke guys said was no good with steel.
These old shotguns are beautiful, eh?
 
Steel shot of #1 size or smaller is OK through the full choke, but opening it up will give the best results in terms of patterns.

The only difference in the receivers between a 2-3/4" and 3" gun is the ejector. Replacing the ejector will ensure that 3" shells don't hang up on the ejection port. The only drawback is cosmetic; if the original rivets can't be reused, the new ones will show on the side of the receiver. This plus either a 3" barrel or rechambering the old one will allow you to use 3" shells if you wish. That said, I would probably be satisfied with 2-3/4" only.
 
I have the same gun it shoots steel fine, i checked with my local gunsmith before i used steel and he said it would be fine, if i were you i would not worry about 3" shells, i use mine for hunting ducks and geese and i do just fine with it. Plus, there are loads of aftermarket custom goodies for the 870 its one of the joys of owning one.
 
Thanks for all of your Help on this matter. just picked up four boxes of #2 and I am going to see if Pops old gun still has what it takes for a couple of geese on Saturday.

Basher
 
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