About two years ago, I bought a NIB 1975 Remington Wingmaster 870 with a 20" barrel and rifle sights that is a slightly more fancy version of my issue 870 that accompanied me for a couple of decades.

I cleaned and inspected it, oiled it judiciously, and have run a hundred or two rounds through it. While it balanced and shot perfectly (muscle memory lasts a long, long time), loading was not what I expected and it was easy to not get shells deep enough into the magazine 'cleanly.'

Suddenly I snapped - I had not disassembled the mag tube, follower, and spring. Well, surprise, surprise - there was fairly thick rust preventative inside the tube, on the outside of the follower, and all over the mag spring. Brushed out the tube with an old copper 10 gauge brush, scrubbed it thoroughly with Hoppe's #9, and when the patches came out clean, oiled it lightly, then ran a dry patch through it. The follower, 50 year old plastic, was just a gummy mess, and I got it to new condition with #9 and old t-shirt material - same with the mag spring.

Unsurprisingly, she loads slick and perfectly now.

I'm not feeling particularly smart right now...I should have done this two years ago, but I guess I forgot NIB meant exactly that. Aging sux.

I bought a new wingmaster with 30” full choke barrel for goose hunting back in 1982. Remington wingmaster was a beautifully crafted shotgun for the money back then. Sadly I sold it with a deer barrel to a coworker.

Enjoy your new gun and look out for some wingmster barrels.

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2B1ASK1

Problem solving.

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No baby we aint

Just before COVID hit I picked up a commercial Steyr GB with two mags at a great price. Had a lot of things going on and it was winter here (I always clean outdoors) so it went straight in the safe. I finally got around to shooting it and when I got home and field stripped it I was appalled at the fouling around the barrel. For those that don't know, this pistol uses gas delayed blowback. I thought the ammo I was using must be to blame. Then I looked at the other 9mm pistols I shot that day, and they were not all that dirty, including a Walther CCPM2 which is also a gas retarded gun.

About then it dawned on me that I had never got around to cleaning this Steyr with all the distractions that had come up after its purchase. Poor thing, it's a lot cleaner now. Mind you, it was a great reminder of how many people will sell a dirty gun. SMH.

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Release the Kraken

In ‘76 I bought a used Wingmaster, 32” barrel 12 ga, beautiful finish with very little use, circa 1972 by the S/N. By the end of the 80’s it never saw the light of day. In ‘15 I traded it for a excellent Remington Nylon variant.

About that time I was dealing with shoulder surgery and figured that I’d probably never shoot it again. Regretted the decision later especially after the day I accidentally knocked the 10-C over and cracked the stock when it struck the floor. Still usable, crack is at the muzzle end but still……

I got all excited one day at work, we got in several farm guns, the list had a Wingmaster 12ga on it. Farm guns around here usually have had a pretty rough life, this was no exception. Went to check it out, mechanically so-so. Cosmetically beyond all redemption.

Maybe some day..

Mrs bought me my Wingmaster in 1996 with the oiled walnut stock in lieu of the poly finish.. Those are pretty shotguns. No shade on the express, but I like shiny.

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

I'm astounded by how many dealers will put out dirty (and even rusty) guns. Pawn shops seem especially prone to doing this.

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

The very first shotgun I bought new in the late 70's was an 870 Wingmaster, still have it and still shoot it to this day. I now have 6 assorted 870's in my collection. I have always thought they were a great shotgun!

I have a Wingmaster from the same era...pretty much identical...20" slug barrel...rifle sights...walnut...nice bluing. I bought it new and it works great. The only changes I've made was to add a Choate extended magazine and tritium night sights.