Bit by the 870 bug...

C

colostomyclown

New member
so, being a devout Mossberg guy (currently have a 590 mariner and two 590a1s an 18.5 and a 20") aside, I just caught the 870 bug. I've owned a few 870's before, couple expresses and a 2 3/4" only Wingmaster I converted...other than the shell elevator, I think I may prefer them now. Not going to get rid of my Mossbergs, but I want an 870p/Wingmaster conversion. I'm hoping the 870 cult can chime in and help me out with my build.

So, I'm thinking of finding an old Wingmaster gun with a 3" chamber, having it parked, and adding a Remington factory +2 extension and an 18-18.5" police barrel w/ bead. Keeping the gun in PGO configuration UNTIL I can find the proper wood set (ribbed wood forend especially). This being said, is there any real functional differences between the Wingmaster and 870p? Will a modern Remington factory extension thread onto an old Wingmasters mag tube?
 
For one, I believe an 870P has a much heavier trigger and some of the springs are heavier (magazine spring for one). You may also want to consider screw in chokes. You may want to check this guy out for having a old gun parkerized. http://www.aiptactical.com/
 
Klawman,

I will definitely look into AIP when it comes time. He's one of the 870 authorities for sure. And I will for sure go with a remchoke barrel...
 
If you get a used 870 with a short barrel, they are often not threaded for chokes, but I think JD has a place he sends the guns he builds to for threading. IIRC, he has a limited stock of new wooden P stocks, but they are reserved for primary police customers (like the guys that approve the orders).
 
I have the express 7 shot.

Planning on getting it threaded ($30)
Drilled and taped for optics ($20)

Hoping to get some wood instead of synthetic and a recoil pad.
 
I was an 870 nut a few years ago and a fan of Rem in general. At one point I had five 870s in 12g, two in 20g. Loved the heck out of those guns, they were great shooters and took all forms of punishment.

Then I got a sweet deal (Bud's Gun Shop, the road to Hell!) and bought a NIB 870 Express Synthetic Magnum 12 with the factory 2-shot mag extension. I didn't get to the range with it for a few months and when I did, there was a problem with it; load a shell directly into the chamber, by hand, through the ejection port, slam the fore-end into battery, fire it and BOOM! Load up the magazine tube, cycle the action briskly, gun's in battery, pull the trigger /click/.

Now I give new guns a pretty good going over and cleaning before first use. Took it home, detail stripped and cleaned it again, back to the range, same deal. It would not feed out of the tube to the elevator and go into battery. Called Bud's, Gurnee told me to please call Remington.

Remington customer service was awful. I called twice and each time the service person told me to ship it back to them on my dime and 'if' there was a problem and 'if' it was their fault they'd return it to me repaired free of charge. Pay almost a hundred dollars to send a brand new defective three hundred dollar gun back on a lot of ifs. I told her I'd be selling ALL my Remington products and switching to other manufacturers and she told me to have a nice day.

I now have a Maverick 88 12g six-shot, a 590A1 with the six position stock, ghost ring sights and factory mag extension, a 500 Persuader and a Mariner.

870s are great guns but if the customer service is lousy, I'll pass! Good luck to you and me, I'll stick with Mossy!
 
rem 870 exp. magnum

keep it simple

RemEx12.jpg
 
Sgt.Fathead, I am sorry you got a problem 870 out of the box. Did you ever find out what was wrong with it? As for Remington asking you to ship it to them, what do other gun makers do and did Remington say it would reimburse shipping if it found the gun to be defective?
 
thanks for the responses. I found a Wingmaster locally with only a few EXTREMELY minor blemishes and a spotless 30" barrel for 225. I'm guesing it's from the 60s or 70s (tt- serial number). Honestly it has few faults, I'm surprised it's in this good of shape - most guns even 5 years old I see look more worn. That's a testament to Remington's construction..this isn't to bash Mossberg (I own THREE - two 590a1s and a 590 Mariner), but the finer Remington pumps are in a class of their own as far as craftsmanship goes...


that said I'd trust both guns about equal.
 
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