870 Wingmaster, good deal?

[toivo]

I'm not a Mossberg hater -- I have a Mossberg 500 in .410 -- but an older Wingmaster is two or three grades above the Mossberg. Absolutely go for it.

A full choke is fine for trap, but skeet is another story. You want something very open for that. You could even use a cylinder-bore "defense" barrel for skeet if money is tight. They tend to be the cheapest barrels. Cabela's has them now for $119. You want 18" cylinder-bore with a bead sight. It will be a matte finish, which won't match your nice glossy Wingmaster receiver, but the clays won't care.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

I have 3 870's, two of which are Wingmasters. Love em!

 

[RightCoastBiased]

One day, maybe, I'll get to a point where money isn't tight.

I generally shoot a round of sporting clays and 2-4 rounds of skeet. Sometimes 5 stand and trap. But every sunday AM is sporting clays and skeet for sure. I've been shooting both/everything with an 1100 with a mod barrel. And while i have no real success shooting skeet (not my strong suit by far!) I do fairly well dusting a few in sporting clays.

I'll most likely end up with the current barrel cut down somewhere inthe 26"-28" range, with adjustable chokes. And then have an 18.5" barrel for the house. The 870 will be my everything gun until money allows otherwise.

 

[ironvic]

I keep wanting to buy a new shotgun to keep my 870 company in the safe. Only thing is, that late 70s era Remington is all I need. It's a an ex-police shotgun, original walnut and a deep blued Wingmaster. Tried to like the Mossy, but I always go back to the short barreled Remington, it just feels more comfortable, lines up on the bead quick and a joy to shoot.

 

[RightCoastBiased]

Went and picked up my 870 today, gun is in great condition. A few scratches on the receiver and wear on the mag tube are the only cosmetic "issues". I'll be threading the barrel and picking up some chokes in the next few weeks.

It's certainly shaping up to be a good weekend. Got my pistol permit in (finally), picked up the 870 and will be shooting it sunday and a Ruger rep is coming to the gun club with a bevy of things to try out. I'll be trying the LC9 for sure, held one at the gun shop today and it felt great in hand. So much for the M&P9c plans!

Thanks all for pushing me in the right direction. I am very happy with my purchase.

Enjoy the pics.

 

[janobles14]

any wingmaster for under 3 bills is a great deal. i pick them up all the time. i personally own 6 wingers all of which were pawn shop grabs under 250. i will NEVER pass one up if its in this range and not in horrible shape. i have had many others that i have converted to home defense guns and have ALWAYS made a profit on by reselling. simply the best shotgun ever made...period. you did VERY well.

 

[RugerMcMarlin]

You will love your wingmaster, Only thing I would add, to what others have said BEFORE you change barrel length, or have it tubed, Pattern it! You may find
even though its marked full, it may throw Modified or improved mod patterns, it may also throw a perfect full pattern , an even well regulated pattern is is more important than any thing else,and is something you can work with.
Also 60s 70s vintage wingmasters are old enough repeated shooting may have opened it up a little. I also wouldn't let a rib be a deal breaker, I dont even see them, and I couldnt tell you which of my shotguns are ribbed.And which aren't.

It is also my opinion that 60s-70s vintage 870s are better than a new one today.

 

[Virginian]

my762buzz
I stand corrected. That certainly does look like a MIM extractor all right. I knew they had gone to the dimples on the magazine tube, but I looked at a new one a couple of months ago and it had the old forged standby. I hope yours is just an aberration that some new employee stuck in there my mistake. Of course a MIM unit may outlive us all, but the odds of a failure sure are a lot higher.