Wingmaster with dimpled mag tube

H

Hazborgufen

Inactive
Hello everybody. I recently bought a new 12 gauge Wingmaster. I was under the impression that Wingmasters didn't have the dimpled mag tubes, but mine does. I know that the dimples can be hammered out or filed off if I wanted to put on an extended mag tube, though I don't think I want to do that. Out of curiosity though, is this normal for Wingmasters now and are there any other changes that Remington has made?
 
I spoke with a rep at Remington and found out that the dimpled mag tube is now standard on new Wingmasters and has been for the past three years. I'd seen posts saying the opposite recently, so I wanted let everyone know. The rep reiterated that the dimples could be drilled out or pressed out to install an extended mag tube and that the magazine tube itself could not be replaced except at the factory. What surprised me was that he said modifying the dimples did NOT void the warranty, so that's interesting.

I'm kinda iffy on the dimples with the plastic retainer being on the Wingmaster. It makes it more of a hassle to modify it. If it was an Express, I wouldn't have any issues, but I'm hesitant to take a dremel to my Wingmaster, though I guess a new magazine tube could be installed if I wanted to go back to stock for whatever reason. Anyway, just thought someone might be interested in this info.
 
I just drilled mine out and inside deburred it. No big deal, took 15 minutes because it was a precious gun lol. More time deburring than drilling.
 
Like a lot of gun makers, Remington is doing weird things.

I've been told that for a short time, Remington used the dimple magazine spring retention system in a few Wingmasters. Apparently they were going to go with the dimple system in all commercial guns.

Now I'm hearing that Remington may be using the old spring detent on all guns including the Express.
I heard that Remington decided it would be cheaper to use the same old style spring retention system on all guns, since their Tactical series needs the old style system.

Whether this is true, I don't currently know.
 
Well, if the rep is to be believed, then all new Wingmasters will have the dimpled tubes from here on out. I guess the thing to take away from my experience is to check the gun before you buy rather than assuming anything.

It isn't really a big deal to remove the dimples, but I don't really need to do it. Plus I'm lazy and I'd rather use the money to buy more ammo rather than on an extended mag tube. Having to mess with the dimples simply means that this will be a future project instead than something I would otherwise do on a whim.
 
I just de-dimpled four 870 Expresses a few months ago.

I tried that socket thing and never did find one that fit the mag tubes well enough to suit me. A scavenger hunt in an old machine shop produced about 6" of 1" bar stock which had been turned down to 0.872" on one end. The smaller diameter will work for driving down the tube to knock the detents down. I then shimmed the bar for a tight fit in the mag tube, drove it in again and started to work hammering out the detent opposite the shim. I use a flat punch a little bigger than the detent itself. Don't get in a hurry. You'll see the dent raise as you work.

Once the dent appears to be fully raised, reverse the shim and raise the other detent in the same manner. When both are finished, feel around inside the tube... if you can feel the slightest bump in there, it is enough to inhibit free passage of the follower. Here's where the sanding drum comes in. Cork the mag tube with a paper towel, etc. so your grindings remain in the end where the detents were. Sand until you can feel absolutely nothing where the detents were. Poke the paper towel out from the receiver end to get rid if the grindings, apply a little cold blue and scrub the tube again. Finish with a coat of oil and you're done, except field testing.

I'm going to turn the bigger end of my home made 'dent raising tool' to an exact fit for 870 mag tubes, less 0.005", to get around using the shims. I worry a little about getting the tube out-of-round and a closer fit for the mandrel should all but eliminate that possibility.

Another good thread on de-dimpling here.
 
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