Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire How Old is Your Model 870

Bought mine new in 1974, 12 gauge, vent rib with modified choke. Still have it.

I bought a 12ga Wingmaster in 1974. I think it was about $110 at the time. It had the pressed checkering. Still have it along with a slug barrel I bought about 20 years ago.

Jerry

I bought a new 1100mag 30" full choke in 1970 shot it hard till 1980 and really had a deluxe case of automaticitis so I bought a new 870 Wingmaster mag 30" full choke, a year or 2 two later I picked up a 28" VR 2 3/4" barrel modified choke at a gun show and by then we were getting into the steel shot mandate. One day at the LGS I frequent they had a very dirty Sportsman 12 3 rd year model where Remington put Rem Choke barrels on them instead of fixed chokes and bought it for $169 with tax. I pulled the Rem choke barrel off it and put it on the Wingmaster stuffed the original 3" 30 " VR full choke barrel in the safe.It shot to good to ever even consider selling it. The rest of the Sportsman 12 went on the gun show table and sold for $135 to a guy with a slug barrel. So I only ended up with 35 bucks in my Rem choke barrel. Shot it ever since. A few years ago I picked up a 2 3/4" Wingmaster with a VR choked Imp cyl for a song and it shoots nice. 2 870 TB Trap guns one with a MC stock and the other wit a std Trap stock. In the early 90's I had a 20 ga Special Field with the 21" barrel, it simply swung to fast and made me shoot in front of everything I ponted it at so I peddled it. I looked for some kind of pump to replace it with and ended up with a 26" Express in 20 ga. rough when I got it but is smooth and slick now as I used it for bird hunting and skeet a lot. It's damn tired looking because of the cheap varnish stain Remington put on those hardwood stocks and the rock hard recoil pad got replaced with a Limbsaver model but for shooting and killing I'll stack it against any 20 out there. MB

My present Rem 870 is a "Lefty" 20 gauge which were only built on 12 gauge frames in the late 70's. I found the 870 for sale on a shotgun shooting forum in almost unfired condition and quickly snagged it....and paid dearly for it. I sent the barrel to Mike Orlen in Amhurst, Mass to have choke tubes installed and later added some very nicely
figured Remington factory wood. I primarily use the gun on the skeet fields shooting 3/4 oz loads....a real pussy cat.

Thanks, I looked mine up and surprise, It's 1978.

I could be the only person on the Campfire without an 870.................I have a Model 12, 16Ga. Never checked the Mfg. Date but it's older than me and that's 1/2 a century plus.

I worked all summer doing odd jobs at the age of 15 to buy a Wingmaster. Since we were big on duck hunting, my dad told me to pony up the extra bucks for the Magnum, he knew steel was coming. That was 1983. Target had a flyer in the Sunday paper and had them on sale, Wingmaster Magnum, 30" full choke, $299.

That gun has been all over the country with me. It has been reblued once and is on its 3rd set of stocks. It was the only shotgun I owned until about 1997. I dont shoot it like I used to, but I still take it out a couple times a year and shoot doves.

Mid 70's. My first pump and first 12ga.

Mine is a 1975 Wingmaster 20ga. Slickest pump I've ever shot. Came with a 28" fixed Mod choke and a 26" fixed I/C choke. Both barrels have no VR.
Maybe someone here can answer this: Why some early/mid '70's Wingmaster's have no rib, others do? Doesn't seem to bother me, curious tho. Mine is 2.75" shells only, and is built on a 12ga receiver. Still use it for dove.

I don’t own one, but my wife got her 20 ga. (2 3/4” chamber) , about 1975 or ‘76! memtb

I got a minty standard around '83, a pair of Remchoke magnums around 90.
Have had a couple Special Fields, and an 80's era Police and turkey Special Purpose.
Had a couple Express deer guns and three Supermagnums.

They've all been fine.

Just have the turkey Supermag Express now. Its been a champ. Pissed off a lot of dove hunters when that cheap rig was tops in the dove field.

Have had a dozen 1100's too, some minty magnum and standard. Now all I have is a bastardized Special Purpose.
It too runs like a champ (SP base, Steel Shot Remchoke bbl, synth stock).

I do like the old rigs, walnut (buddy still has his bought new in '79- Magnum on side in tall lettering halfway up- not the thick stamp low like the 80's).
But my cheap matte rigs w plastic stocks kill stuff over and over and over. And I don't give a flip about dinging them up.

Smoothest of the 870's? Had an Express that was super smooth. And my Police model was no slouch. First 870 Special Field (21" mod choke, 20 ga).......was my favorite.
Once I figured out the gun was fast enough and slowed down, I quit shooting out front of stuff.

Dove and rabbit killer SUPREME.

Yup, I learned to shoot birds w that picky bastard. Was rough the first couple times, til the lightbulb came on.

Yeah I'd like a minty RKW Magnum 870 and 1100, just to have.
They're cool.
But I have the cheaper used ugly versions that go afield and do the same thing.

I will get another Special Field 20 ga though. Stupid prices on em. Aint worth it.
But they are cool and Remington junk fits me very well.

My Browning BPS Upland wasn't bad. But the 870 I didn't even think, it was an extension...........made some great shots w that little rig.

My Dad bought my first one when I was 12, back in 1966.

Rifletom ,they didn't have ribs on yours because you didn't buy the ribbed model. 870's back then basic model was a plain barrel next up was a 2 3/4" VR model at about $30 more. Same with Magnum models basic plain barrel 3" gun and $30 more got you a rib. In 1980 my VR model 3" gun was $200.00 even ,on sale at Kmart in Yankton SD. The gun guy there at the time was also a loony ,he let me look thru 10 new ones to select the wood I wanted. Ah the bad old days. Magnum Bob

Bought my first in 1977 it is in 12 gauge.

Since then i have bought 2 others and they are 16 gauge.

The first was made in the 60's and the other was one of the first years run.

They all shoot.

I forgot the one i got from the pd that was in a flooded cop car.

It is short barreled and has a lighted forearm from surefire.

Had to wait for the wood to dry and reblued the metal and now you can't tell it was in a flood.
It has a cyl.choked barrel.

I picked up a Special Field 20 ga. recently at a local pawn shop for $400
Slick and light. Perfect for the local grouse and quail hunting. I also have a 20 with an extended magazine and gray cerekote that I installed Wilson combat sights on which throws slugs very well and is always stoked with buckshot. I’ve owned at least a dozen 870’s in 12. 16, 20 (both LW and std wt.) and even though I’ve had $3000 shotguns I think the 870 is the greatest shotgun ever built. FWIW I shot 1100’s in competition for years and feel that they are no slouches either.

Ok, thanks MB; that clears things up. Couldn't remember the details of the purchase. Fine shotgun tho.

I think my oldest was made before 1955. It is a 20 gauge, but has a 12 gauge magazine tube and receiver, and a corn cob fore end. I had a hell of a time finding a 26" modified ventilated rib barrel for it. It will only feed 2 3/4" shells. Slick as snot. Came with a plain full choke barrel. We have killed truckloads of doves with it over the years. One year my wife beat me at trap with it when I borrowed a Winchester SX3. Ouch.

I like them, older ones are my faves.

My oldest now is about 30, but.

A crystal clear memory for me. 1974, traded my pocket knife collection for a Walther P38. I didn't really want it but needed a gun to trade for a gun.
My first shotgun, traded the Walther for a new Wingmaster 12 ga. with a vent rib mod. barrel. Not sure I've taken better care of any gun as much as I did with that one. It eventually got traded, but I can't remember a time since that I've been with out at least one 870.

Later I bought a rough 50's model to make my first riot gun. 30 years ago I bought a new Special Purpose Synthetic Turkey & was loving the 21" vent rib barrels. Soon found Express Turkey models from about the same era, one synthetic 23" super mag, one wood 21". They were cheap so I picked them up. Time frame maybe, as some Express' get a bad rap, but these two don't take a back seat to any pump. A couple more live here in guard dog configurations.

Winning the powerball would have me with Parkers, LC Smiths, & Perazzis. But there would still be 870's at my house.