20 replies to this topic

[NorCalRifleman]

I'm looking to buy a used Wingmaster and they are much easier to find locally with a non "magnum" receiver. Should I hold out and try to find one that can handle 3" shells, or will the 2 3/4" do the trick?It will be used primarily for coyotes and turkey.

[Gunorea]

A 3 incher would help you out in the long run. A 2 3/4 will do but a 3 incher would do better.

[dabob]

It is much harder to find good 2-3/4" shells for coyotes and turkeys than it is to find good 3" shells. The 2-3/4" will work but a 3" shotgun for coyotes and turkeys will work better and there are more 3" heavy loads available than there are for the 2-3/4" shotgun.

[NorCalRifleman]

This is tough because there is a used 870 Wingmaster that is in beautiful shape locally for $295, but with a 2 3/4" receiver. I can't find a used magnum locally and I really want a Wingmaster. Gonna have to think hard about this one.

[tawnoper]

A 3 incher would help you out in the long run. A 2 3/4 will do but a 3 incher would do better.

[clampdaddy]

Wow, if it has a ribbed barrel and removable chokes that is a good deal. If so I'd buy it, use it for the various upcoming upland game seasons, and then start saving up for a purpose built coyote/turkey gun. No matter what anybody says, there really is no one perfect shotgun for all types of hunting so you're gonna need more than one eventually anyway. A Wingmaster is about as nice as pump guns get and it's never a bad choice when buying a pump but really, they are a bit flashy for coyote and turkey hunting. They fit in better on a dove, quail, or pheasant hunt. I look at it like this......Eventually you'll want to get a short barreled camo gun with a 3.5 inch chamber anyway so why let that pretty Wingmaster end up in someone elses gun safe?

[NorCalRifleman]

Wow, if it has a ribbed barrel and removable chokes that is a good deal. . . .. . . so why let that pretty Wingmaster end up in someone elses gun safe?

It doesn't have interchangeable chokes, but I totally agree with your second thought. It's a beautiful gun and I'm thinking of just grabbing a 20" with rem-chokes and rifle sights for coyote and turkey. I'll get some camo sleeves for that and leave it purty when I'm dove hunting.

[clampdaddy]

By the time you buy a different barrel and choke tubes it will end up costing almost as much as a new Mossberg and you still wont be able to shoot 3 inch shells. Even though a new barrel might have a 3 inch chamber Remington warns that they should only be fired in magnum receivers. Those older fixed choke Wingmasters are better quality than what Remington is producing right now. You could always have it reamed for tubes if you wanted to.

[Nothinleadcantfix]

honestly in my opponion for cyotes and turkys you can get the job done with a 2 3/4 but if it's hard to find and gonna be dramaticaly more expensive I would just settle for the 2 3/4 I know plenty I people with the 870 an last year at the little lake hunt I was the only one without one I was using my Winchester 1200 (beautifull gun I don't see why people don't like them) but anything a 3 inch will do a 2 3/4 will do but it's just a bit harder and they wouldn't call it hunting if it were easy right?

[NorCalRifleman]

Well, my buddy just bought a .300 Win Mag (God help us) and mentioned that the place had a Remington 870 for $200. At that price, I had to go look. Turns out it is an Express Magnum from back when they still had metal trigger guards and REALLY crappy wood. The finish is almost gone, but there is absolutely no rust and the bore looks great. Best of all, it handles 3" AND has a vent rib rem-choke threaded barrel. I couldn't pass it up, so today I started my ten day purgatory. For a final price of $250.96 out the door, I feel pretty good. Now I need to go buy some Krylon camo paint!

[Braz]

Nice going. Where did you happen to find that?

[NorCalRifleman]

Armor Loan in Marysville.

[clampdaddy]

Turns out it is an Express Magnum from back when they still had metal trigger guards........ Now I need to go buy some Krylon camo paint!

Excellent! The first Express' were great guns. I couldn't even start to think about how many dove and crows my old express has taken down. After I just about wore the finish off mine I gave it a rattle can paint job too.Now I mainly keep it as a spare during duck seasonBut a little green paint and a quick barrel swap and its ready for turkeys.The one thing I changed was the forend. The factory pressed checkering offers no real gripping advantage over regular un-checkered wood so I added a synthetic factory forearm. I liked the dimensions of the wood rear stock alot better than the synthetic one so I left it alone. That's the main reason I painted the gun. It has always been a work gun but it just looked pretty funny with a wood stock and a black fore arm.

[NorCalRifleman]

Good to hear. It just felt wonderful, nice and tight, no rattle, just not pretty (depending on your taste).As for camo, I think I might sand down the forend, camo the rifle, then apply some of this. Should provide the needed grip and for not too much cash. This is gonna be a real working gun. A gun I keep in the back of the safe even after I buy some shiny semi-auto super-mag wonder gun.I hope this coming week is busy or all I'm gonna be able to think about is the shotgun waiting for me to pick it up and give it a home.

[clampdaddy]

One of my buddys did a gun with regular black grip tape and just sprayed his camo over it and it looked pretty good. He just cut out pieces to match the checkered panels on the gun and stuck 'em on.

[NorCalRifleman]

My only concern with painting over the tape is whether the tape will still be as grippy. I'll have to test a patch before I do the gun. Either way, a few black patches wouldn't compromise my camo, lol.

[tawnoper]

Sounds like you got a good deal...nice.Just remember though...camoing guns are more for the hunter and other hunters then the critters you will be shooting.

[NorCalRifleman]

Yeah, honestly, it's mostly because: 1. I like the way it looks2. The finish is so worn I want to give it a little extra protection3. I like the way it looks

[NorCalRifleman]

Here's the new girl in all her glory

[clampdaddy]

Right on. The bolt isn't even worn shiny yet. There's lots of shooting left in that one. If you do any high volume shooting like crow hunting or a long day of breaking clay, one mod I did to mine that you might find helpfull is taking a dremmel to the trigger and de-horn the edges. I ground down the raised center section and the rolled over the outside edges just a little. Mine would chafe my trigger finger after a hundred or more rounds. Smoothing it out helped alot.

[NorCalRifleman]

Smoothing the trigger face is a definite possibility with this one. I can see where it could start to be a pain. The action is smooth as glass though.The wood is ugly as can be, but pretty doesn't make it shoot better.