Wingmasters ???

metcalfe said:
I wish I could share your enthusiasm. I really do.
I need to replace my express with an old WingMaster.

Do you figure the express trouble is in the action, or in the chamber?
I have 3 barrels for my express, (all have perfectly smooth chambers) and have thought about finding an old wingmaster receiver so that I could have a nice reliable 870 too.

If you have been pumping them for almost 40 years like I have and still to this day shooting trap and skeet with them you would experience the same. My 1st new gun was a 16ga wingmaster which I still have and it has never given me a minutes problem
I also like you have quite a few express barrels that I use on the vintage wingmaster receivers for the sole reason it is cheaper to buy them already fitted for rem chokes than to have one of the old barrels fitted.
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3macs1 said:
Just because you could not get that mint 1966 1100 to work don't kick the old remingtons.;) Lets see if our brownings are still going in 62 years like one of my wingmasters or if they make/ sell over 11 million of them.
Lets be honest and I have an entire set of BPS from 410 to 10ga, they fit the average guy terrible and you need long arms to cycle them comfortable as a start, nose heavy and heavy overall, bluing rusts just looking at it, etc etc. The old 870 as soon as you put it on your shoulder is like an old shoe.
Not to mention have you ever taken a BPS fully apart to clean it. I bet 3/4 of the owners could never get it back together.
If you found an old remington wingmaster in the woods move some leaves and you will find the original owners bones under it since they are life time guns and most die with their owners.:stirthepot2:
take care:D
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BPS works for me and wouldn't think of ever trading mine for a Wingmaster, not that its a bad gun I just can't stand the stock and trigger profiles.I f you don't like BPS so much why do you have so many? The BPS isn't as easy to disassemble as the Wingmaster that's a fact, but its not difficult at all and really not necessary. Browning doesn't include instructions for disassembly/assembly in the owners manual because they don't think the user needs to give that area attention while performing maintenance. I'm sorry to hear you've had such difficulty with disassembly/assembly, I've put thousands of rounds through the gun since the last time she was truly stripped and cleaned and have yet to experience any issue and the action still cycles very smooth.I just pull through with the bore snake, Q-tip on the breech block and lube the action bars and we're good to go. There is no reason the BPS should take any more effort to clean than the 870.
 
RedRabbits said:
BPS works for me and wouldn't think of ever trading mine for a Wingmaster, not that its a bad gun I just can't stand the stock and trigger profiles.I f you don't like BPS so much why do you have so many? The BPS isn't as easy to disassemble as the Wingmaster that's a fact, but its not difficult at all and really not necessary. Browning doesn't include instructions for disassembly/assembly in the owners manual because they don't think the user needs to give that area attention while performing maintenance. I'm sorry to hear you've had such difficulty with disassembly/assembly, I've put thousands of rounds through the gun since the last time she was truly stripped and cleaned and have yet to experience any issue and the action still cycles very smooth.I just pull through with the bore snake, Q-tip on the breech block and lube the action bars and we're good to go. There is no reason the BPS should take any more effort to clean than the 870.
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Same reason I have a set of ithaca 37, 1100's , wingmasters etc. I like to gather shotguns in sets. When you shoot a 10ga or 12 ga BPS out in the rain duck hunting you have no choice but to take them totally apart to clean or I can assure you it won't be long before it rusts up inside. The quick wipe is fine for sunny day hunting.
This line here makes me think you have never had one totally apart or got lucky putting the receiver back together. They are a bear to do until you clean them a few times and know what to do and I am no stranger around shotguns guns. Not for the average shooter that is for sure until shown.
"There is no reason the BPS should take any more effort to clean than the 870" Don't agree it doesn't say in any wingmaster manual to only remove the barrel and take the gun to a qualified gunsmith to totally clean like it does in a BPS manual. Easy if you got the special tool from brownells or learned the hard way to use heavy grease to hold the latches.
I keep this post in my favorites for those special days. He does a good job of covering it
http://shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=201861
take care
 
I guess I'm a bit smarter then the average shooter then, I didn't even get to cursing the first time I had my BPS apart. If your mechanically challenged and/or strip her down with out paying attention to the orientation of the shell retainers you might run into problems. In the end though that's your fault and not the guns, if your scared go to church or buy a Wingmaster. I don't hunt waterfowl so I shouldn't comment but i've had the gun out in the rain before many times and the internals usually do a pretty good job of staying dry as long as the muzzle stays looking at the ground and your not carrying her upside down. I am currently conducting a experiment to see how long the gun can go without being stripped and having no snags or evidence of corrosion ill be sure to keep you posted.

edit: I'm at almost 1 year and 2200 rounds ;)
 
RedRabbits said:
I guess I'm a bit smarter then the average shooter then, I didn't even get to cursing the first time I had my BPS apart. If your mechanically challenged and/or strip her down with out paying attention to the orientation of the shell retainers you might run into problems. In the end though that's your fault and not the guns, if your scared go to church or buy a Wingmaster. I don't hunt waterfowl so I shouldn't comment but i've had the gun out in the rain before many times and the internals usually do a pretty good job of staying dry as long as the muzzle stays looking at the ground and your not carrying her upside down. I am currently conducting a experiment to see how long the gun can go without being stripped and having no snags or evidence of corrosion ill be sure to keep you posted.

edit: I'm at almost 1 year and 2200 rounds ;)
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Yes sir running a gun a year and 2200 rounds without cleaning as an experiment says it all. I will stay in the stupid average shooter group that totally strips them down after any wet exposure.
To each their own. All the best
 
Ive got nothing against Remingtons,I loved that old 1100,just couldn't make it work. For years I had an old 870,but since I dont much care for pumps I traded it for a Savage-Fox model B. Last Sunday while shooting sporting clays out at the club we came to one station and found someone had abandoned a shotgun in the rack,obviously to pick it up on the way back because of problems.Yep,Remington 1100 LOL. The owner was in another squad so I never learned what the problem was.
 
3macs1 said:
Yes sir running a gun a year and 2200 rounds without cleaning as an experiment says it all. I will stay in the stupid average shooter group that totally strips them down after any wet exposure.
To each their own. All the best
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The gun still gets cleaned as per what the manual recommends, I don't mistreat my firearms. To the OP sorry to hijack your thead IMHO the new Remingtons are probably the most aesthetically pleasing pump action guns that I could buy new over the counter. New Ithacas are NICE but I don't have a dealer around here, I lined up all the pump guns on the counter and I chose the BPS for a number of reasons but reagrdless I would still be proud to own a new Wingmaster. My partner has a brand new one and a handful of older ones too and he likes the new one better, must be the screw-in chokes :)
 
I've owned a couple new (within the last 8 years) Wingmasters and they have been nothing but stellar. Still have one and will likely add more. Now, they aren't as smooth as my older ones but, I'm sure they'll get there.

I've owned an Ohio made Ithaca and it was a great gun but, didn't fit me very well. I've shot BPS's; another great gun. But, I keep coming back to the Wingmaster. They have the right feel, aesthetics and reliability to keep me a happy customer.

YMMV.
 
I know the wingmaster has a much finer finish than the express line but do they have better internal, better materials etc... or is the difference in price just due to finishing ?
 
Wingmaster has a alloy trigger assembly as opposed to the Express lines polymer and better finishing. I dont want to be a snob but the express barrels are gross. i've heard of rough chambers, misaligned chokes and instead of fine matting on the rib you have ugly serrations
 
I see a model listed as field grade "wingmaster" by some dealers. Is this a true wingmaster or a fancier express ? It has a gold trigger but the bolt is black rather than the chrome bolt typically found on a wing master. Also, they sell for about $450 +/- rather than the $600 plus for the wing masters.
 
powdergun said:
I see a model listed as field grade "wingmaster" by some dealers. Is this a true wingmaster or a fancier express ? It has a gold trigger but the bolt is black rather than the chrome bolt typically found on a wing master. Also, they sell for about $450 +/- rather than the $600 plus for the wing masters.
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Fancy express. Seen epps calling them wingmsters no idea why???
 
Do you still have your 66? I had a 66 supersport with the double hump heads ,and the console shift (about 2500 made) I still

have the original (Oklahoma Lincoln County 66 )tag . Would you be interested in it?

Bob
 
bobbyjack said:
Do you still have your 66? I had a 66 supersport with the double hump heads ,and the console shift (about 2500 made) I still

have the original (Oklahoma Lincoln County 66 )tag . Would you be interested in it?

Bob
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Are you asking me Bob?? If so send a pm.
I have one 66 impala left an original paint 427/4spd car that I plan on doing a full frame off on some day. SS's are sold.
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I bought a 870 Wingmaster new back in 1977 12g 2.75 in. still have it works great. Purchased another 870 Wingmaster 12g 3 in. that was made in 1979 this past January. The reason nothing like the old time quality of the Wingmaster compared to todays quality.
 
My Wingmaster's a '51. Great quality. My buddy bought a brand new Express and it can't even come close to mine. Even with the years worth of dings and scratches my '51's still the better gun. The only thing his new Express has is that it's reciever handles 3" shells. Mine was never designed for it so they usually won't feed properly and need to be loaded one at a time directly into the chamber.
 
NintendoDuckHunt87 said:
My Wingmaster's a '51. Great quality. My buddy bought a brand new Express and it can't even come close to mine. Even with the years worth of dings and scratches my '51's still the better gun. The only thing his new Express has is that it's reciever handles 3" shells. Mine was never designed for it so they usually won't feed properly and need to be loaded one at a time directly into the chamber.
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***STOP***....Never load a 3" shell into a shotgun chambered for 2 3/4 shells...it's a very dangerous thing to do...this should have been explained to you on your PAL Safety Course. Take another look at your Safety Course handbook...the reason for not doing this is well explained.
 
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