

So I have strong hopes that the legacy and reputation of the 870 Wingmasters will endure. Personally, I like a bit of heritage in the guns I shoot anyway.Īs for the future of the Wingmaster line, the restructured Remington Arms is once again producing 870s under new ownership. If you so choose, there are also plenty of older 870 Wingmasters in great condition on the used market to choose from.
USED REMINGTON 870 WINGMASTER SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBERS
A quick external once-over after a few range trips has sufficed for most maintenance. Decoding remington serial numbers model 870 letter prefix 1950 to approx 1968: no serial number prefix 1968 to present: letters used (in sequence) s-68, t-74, v-78, w-84, x-90, a-91, b-94, c-97, d-01, ab-05 model 870 letter suffix (designates gauge) v 12 ga. Blued or not, moister and exposure to the elements are threats best mitigated through reasonable maintenance and storage practices.Īfter initially getting this gun, I simply field stripped it and applied gun oil. However, I would still recommend occasional oiling – especially to protect the ventilated rib and anti-glare texturing – and caution against storing a blued shotgun in a soft case for extended periods of time. Regardless, the Wingmaster line is also generally known for higher quality, and this shotgun has been nothing but smooth and a joy to shoot. That, however, is a training issue, and this style of safety is very common regardless of my meager opinions on it. I have gotten burned on a duck hunt and missed a fast flier while trying to push a front safety that didn’t exist. Still, I dislike safeties that require me to either adjust my grip or move my trigger finger behind the trigger itself. It proved fine even when shooting on unannounced – launched without warning – targets at the range. There’s only one thing that a really don’t fancy on the Wingmasters, and that is the safety located behind the trigger. You can find Wingmasters with fixed chokes, but this one is adjustable, which is also to my liking. There are few distractions, and the sighting system encourages you to aim small, miss small, and shoot fast. The front sight bead is a low, flat black affair with a silver mid-bead. Sights on my sample Wingmaster are minimalist, and I like it. We even had a few over-unders on the range that day for Sporting Clays, and the Wingmaster kept pace just fine. The Wingmaster was by far the most enjoyable to shoot.

On my first range visit, I tested this gun alongside Tristar semi-auto shotguns, my personal Benelli Nova, as well as a Mossberg 500 and 940 Pro. In my first box of 25 shells, I was busting doubles with little effort and thoroughly enjoying the breeze-like swing of the Wingmaster.
