I just recently purchased an 870 Wingmaster at the local pawn shop for $225. The gun is in excellent condition. I thought that this was a great buy for a Wingmaster. When I got home, I looked in my Gun List's Standard Catalog of Firearms. It had listed a Wingmaster with plain walnut stock in excellent condition for around $250. I think that this model was discontinued. Next it had a Wingmaster with a checkered walnut stock and screw-in chokes for around the $350 mark. My Wingmaster has the checkered walnut stocks but has a modified barrel. The serial number starts off V737xxxV. Can someone tell me when this gun was manufactured? I didn't see any listing for this gun. Could maybe someone have switched out barrels or did some Wingmasters come like this? What would be the average value for this gun in excellent condition? The barrel is chambered for the 2 3/4" shells only. If I put a barrel chambered for 3" shells could I fire them or would this put too much pressure on the receiver? I didn't see anywhere listed on the receiver that it was a magnum. Are the receivers the same on the Wingmasters are are built stronger to handle the 3" shells?
870 Wingmaster dilema
- Thread starter Lee M.
- Start date
The "V" prefix of the serial number was used from 1978 to 1983. There is a two letter code stamped on the barrel that can pin it down to the month and year if yours is the original barrel. The stamp is usually on the chamber area on the left side of the barrel. It should be the only mark with two small letters close together.
Post them here and I'll look it up.
Your Wingmaster is for 2 3/4" shells only. It would have a "M" suffix if it was meant to fire 3" shells.
Post them here and I'll look it up.
Your Wingmaster is for 2 3/4" shells only. It would have a "M" suffix if it was meant to fire 3" shells.
Dating 870s
Here's the thread concerning dates:
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=57924
Note that the letter codes are stamped on the barrels, not on the receiver. If the barrel is not original this chart will not help. Don't misread the letters on the Serial numbers as the date indicators as I did
My Express has the code LO on the left side of the barrel, I assume this means it was made in Feb of 94. No codes on the 28" barrel on the wingmaster, but a short 20" barrel I received with the gun (came with 2 barrels) has the code EG on the barrel. (10/86?)
A 30' barrel I purchased several years ago for the express has no date code on the barrel. Perhaps only barrels that came with guns had date stamps on them?
Would be nice to have a listing of dates of manufacture to go with serial numbers. Remington must keep records.
Geoff Ross
[Edited by K80Geoff on 05-21-2001 at 12:01 AM]
Here's the thread concerning dates:
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=57924
Note that the letter codes are stamped on the barrels, not on the receiver. If the barrel is not original this chart will not help. Don't misread the letters on the Serial numbers as the date indicators as I did
My Express has the code LO on the left side of the barrel, I assume this means it was made in Feb of 94. No codes on the 28" barrel on the wingmaster, but a short 20" barrel I received with the gun (came with 2 barrels) has the code EG on the barrel. (10/86?)
A 30' barrel I purchased several years ago for the express has no date code on the barrel. Perhaps only barrels that came with guns had date stamps on them?
Would be nice to have a listing of dates of manufacture to go with serial numbers. Remington must keep records.
Geoff Ross
[Edited by K80Geoff on 05-21-2001 at 12:01 AM]
Lee, congrats on your purchase....
Adding a 3" bbl will not make your shotgun capable of handling 3" loads, but it's not from pressure. Adapting a 2 3/4" 870 to 3" requires some internal mods, including changing the ejector. The receivers are the same.
You got a nice deal, stick with 2 3/4" loads unless you've got an overriding need to shoot steel or heavy turkey loads, and even then the improvement is marginal.I'd pay $225 for what you have in a heartbeat.
And yes, lots of 870 bbls are not original equipment. Yours sounds like it is.
Adding a 3" bbl will not make your shotgun capable of handling 3" loads, but it's not from pressure. Adapting a 2 3/4" 870 to 3" requires some internal mods, including changing the ejector. The receivers are the same.
You got a nice deal, stick with 2 3/4" loads unless you've got an overriding need to shoot steel or heavy turkey loads, and even then the improvement is marginal.I'd pay $225 for what you have in a heartbeat.
And yes, lots of 870 bbls are not original equipment. Yours sounds like it is.