870 Wingmaster or Express
- Thread starter redrick
- Start date
The Wingmaster is only available with wood stocks and smooth bore shotgun barrels. The Express is available with synthetic stock and both smooth bore and rifled barrels, including barrels with cantilever scope mounts or open rifle sights. I have five model 870 shotguns and my deer gun is the Express Cantilever with a rifled barrel and scope mount with a Leupold 1 -4x shotgun scope. I have taken numerous whitetails with it including two nice bucks running at more than 100 yards, both one shot kills. I definitely recommend an Express with a rifled barrel. If you are willing to buy a scope specifically for shotgun deer hunting I definitely recommend the gun I have - the Express with a rifled barrel and cantilever scope mount.
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I don't deer hunt anymore, but I do use a Wingmaster for Waterfowl. Have off and on, alternating with other guns, for 40 years. I have had an Express too, and it worked well; killed two geese with the first two shots I ever fired out of it. But, sitting in the blind looking at that vintage stained birch stock and matte blued finish was less than satisfying.
Your money, your choice. The extras available for deer are all on the Express' side. Rumor mill aside, the newer Expresses are even better finished - less rough - in my opinion.
Your money, your choice. The extras available for deer are all on the Express' side. Rumor mill aside, the newer Expresses are even better finished - less rough - in my opinion.
If you just want a smooth bore 870 shotgun, the Express is half the price of the Wingmaster. When you wrote you were hunting deer from a tree stand I assumed you wanted an 870 made for that use. What load would you use in 870 smooth bore shotgun for deer? If your load is slugs, a rifled barrel provides superior accuracy. If your load is buck shot, I would guess you would need to experiment with different chokes to find the best load and choke for your purpose.
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Lefteye , here in my county a smooth bore is made for deer and I prefer it where I hunt . You just have to find what choke and shot your gun likes and limit your distance , where mother nature doesn't . Most of my shoots are less than 30 yards , I am not hunting in fields most of the time .
I hunt thick brush too so Im usually hunting with my 20ga slug gun or my .44mag Super Blackhawk. I have a .243 that I use for varmint in the open fields of some of the bigger farms.
Most all of my hunting is stalking too. I cant sit still long enough to be in a stand.
If your going to shoot buckshot, the Express will serve you well.
Most all of my hunting is stalking too. I cant sit still long enough to be in a stand.
If your going to shoot buckshot, the Express will serve you well.
I wouldnt rule out the Pardner pump or the Maverik 88 pump. I have them both in 20ga as truck guns and they are durable. The Pardner is a 870 clone and the new ones even take the Remington chokes. The older ones take the Mossburg chokes. Someone told me the other day that Remington bought out NEF/H&R/Pardner
