1953 Remington 870 Wingmaster Value??

R

Racenman

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I bought what I thought was a decent gun at an auction and upon closer inspection it was very rusty and pitted. After a few phone calls, I was able to find someone to work on it and they actually ended up sending it back to Remington to have the metal redone. I just got it back and it looks almost brand new again. I was told not to touch the wood as this would lower the value of the gun. It is not in great condition but not in bad condition either. The code on the barrel is AZZ. Anyone have any idea what this gun may be worth now?
 
value depends a lot on condition overall ...metal and the stock ....and what the gun is choked at...so without photos its hard to value a gun...

But value on the old Wingmasters...in a 28" barrel....is around $ 250 on a fixed choke gun - especially if its a Full choke barrel. It might be $ 50 more if its a Modified choke ...( assuming there are not many dents or scratches on the stock or forend).
 
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I know that it is a fixed choke but not sure what choke it actually is. The stock is pretty nice considering this was made in 1953 and I don't think it was used a lot. I was told that this is a rare gun by a few people who looked at it but they did not get into details. I do not plan on shooting it since I just had it redone, and they told me not to, but I am not sure what to do with it. Thoughts?
 
Wingmasters aren't particularly rare...( but then I was born before 1953 ) ....and they were common pump guns when I was younger.

Rem 870 Wingmasters are very serviceable guns ...but the fixed choke doesn't make it particularly versatile ...depending on what it is. But even if its a fixed choke...its safe to shoot lead shot thru it ( not steel ). The barrel should be marked for length of chamber and choke ...if you take the barrel off there should be marks on it .

Find out what the choke is ...and chamber length ...and sure, you can shoot it them, with the appropriate shells.

Market value on these old Wingmasters..is very weak ..../ and its weak on fixed choke shotguns in general. Most of us these days...in guns we use for clay target games ( skeet, trap, sporting clays ) or with any guns we hunt with ...have guns that have changeable screw in chokes in the end of the barrels....where we have one gun ...that we can hunt with - as well as shoot all the clay target games ...( skeet choke for skeet - very open / a Modified choke for Trap ...kind of a mid range gun / and for sporting clays most of us will shoot a Mod most of the time - but carry a skeet, improved cyclinder, modified, an improved mod and a full choke - so we can change the ballistics or the pattern size of the gun for the inteded target).

That's why I say ...if its a Modified choke ..its reasonably versatile ../ a Full choke ..not so much....

Honestly - a buddy I have owns a used gun shop .../ even for a Wingmaster - in a fixed Full choke...he'd only offer you $ 50 for it ...hoping he can sell it for $ 100 - $ 150 ...because there is no demand for them / unless someone just wants a relatively inexpensive pump gun. He probaly has 150 shotguns in inventory ( used ) ...and 150 more new .../ and he tries to keep about 5 fixed choke - older pump guns in stock ...and he sells a lot of guns / but not many of these...

I was at a big gunshow over the weekend ( 300 or more tables )...and there were at least a dozen Rem 870 wingmasters for sale ...mostly Full choke.../ and I didn't see anyone show any interest in them ...let alone buy one...
 
I bought a 1960 wingmaster for a $139 in excellent condition a few years ago... Everyone passed it over due its 30" inch full choke barrel with a 2 3/4 chamber... I cashed in some Cabela's gift cards I had and purchased a new light contour rem choke barrel which now allows me to shoot any 2 3/4 load through it..

Sadly I was stupid and I sold this gun to my brother so I could get an 870 magnum for ducks... The new gun I got to replace it was a piece of crap, nothing but problem... Worse case of seller's remorse i've ever had..
 
If you look on the left side of the barrel, down by the receiver, the choke may be stamped there. Or not. I've seen some with the choke listed, and some without. Before I go on, I should admit: I'm a terrible collector. If I can't shoot it, I don't want it. That means that I have done absolutely zero research on the collectibility of shotguns. With that said, I wouldn't expect a 1950s Wingmaster to be a big collector's item. It may, however, be a helluva shooter.
 
This is what you're running up against ....in new guns....in a quality level that is equivalent to any Rem 870 Wingmaster in my view / and its the pump gun I prefer over the wingmaster...( Browning BPS - Hunter model ) ....it ejects out of the bottom, nice clean look, nice wood, its a 250,000 shell gun ..maybe more...( I still have the 12ga and 20ga versions of this gun, I bought new in the late 1970's or so ...) ...and they've been thru my 2 boys ...and 3 or 4 grandkids now....

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?fid=011B&cid=012&tid=211&bg=x

Fresh out of the box...the BPS Hunter - with changeable screw in chokes lists for $ 660 ...but commonly, in my area, sells new for around $ 500.

Here are my old BPS's ....( with the older screw in chokes..) still nice guns... worth maybe $ 200 - $ 250 each....as they sit, in this photo ...not that I'd sell them ...but they just aren't worth much ...and I have about 8 extra chokes for each gun...even though I'm an Over Under shooter today ...I still shoot them once in a while...

http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=43354&d=1236031619
 
These guns are worth more as shooters than collectors. Keep it, use it like it was made to be, and enjoy it.

There are a lot of aftermarket barrels for these old girls too. Check them out to make it more useful.
 
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