Henry Rifle Forums

Went to check out a few LGS used racks to see what they had. A couple still had the same things they had the last time I was there. I did spot a 30" barrel older 870 Rem. Wingmaster on the rack and got it down and looked it over. Very nice condition. I guessed it had to be back in the mid-to late 70s production. Checked the code and then on my paper I carry with me and it was a 1977. Has the 30" full choke barrel no vent rib and no 3" chamber. Just my kind of shotgun. After checking it over I looked at the price tag and it was $219 so it was an easy decision to give it a new home. I can't believe folks will pay at least a $100 more for a cheap made Express when they can by the real thing with the polished bluing and the nice walnut wood from the years when they were made well. I don't by 3" chambered guns so these old 2 3/4" fixed choke model are my favorites. These are the shotguns I grew up hunting with and in all the years I never broke any thing on them. Here she is after a wipe down.


Bill of sale from the dealer

My feelings, exactly, on those vintage 870s and, in fact, on those old fixed choke guns, in general. Most of my wing shooting was upland, though, so I preferred IC or Modified in my guns. My first "serious" shotgun was an Ithaca 37 20 gauge, but later switched to the 870 and never regretted it. Great memories.

Yup I had one just like her Bandit. They were great guns. Killed a lot of clays with one and a few Pheasants to.

Nice find. I am a long time fan of the 870s.

My 870 was from the early 80's. Another one on my list of guns I should have never sold. But went overseas in the military and we got rid of a lot of stuff prior to that adventure.

That 870 had some nice looking wood. I bought one in 1968 it was one of the last ones with a plastic butt plate and not a recoil pad. I ended up with three barrels for it all three chokes.I still have it. I remember it was $104 including sales tax. You'll notice in the later ones the bolt was blued and not polished.

I actually bought an Express version when it first came out and, yup, still shot great, just like the fancy 870 I had.

NCG, I agree that most of the lower priced models work fine. I have a National Wild Turkey Federation Express and it functions fine and shoots well. It is one I don't mind roughing it up in the the briar patches and the thorn thickets after the hard to flush out late season roosters. Good handling 24" barrel with screw in chokes (which I have a hard time keeping track of) which makes it very versatile as a hunting shot gun for any small game. The problems I usually hear of with the Express is how easy they rust(mine never has) and the poor ejection that is usually a 20 ga. gun having the problem. Something about a different ejector? I just feel really at home in the woods carrying my Wingmasters with the nice bluing and nice wood and the used ones are cheaper than the Express is new. When it comes to going in the stuff that tears your clothes half off and scratches up gun metal and wood the Express gets the chance for a day out. At 70 years old on Jan.18 I still beat the brush the younger guys walk around like they are afraid they might scratch up their smooth pretty skin.

I have an early '80's model 28" vent rib magnum. Never shot many 3" through it but it served me very well for pheasant hunting when I lived in the midwest. I love mine!