It was old- I didn't write down the serial number to research later, but I knew by looking at it that it was old. I actually dismissed it after holding it for only a couple of seconds. My lunch break was getting longer than I'd wanted, so I needed to go.
A couple of weeks later, I stopped in again to see if they'd acquired any new items. Nope. The 870 was still tucked away, so I took another look. It was still old. It had rust on the receiver and barrel. The rust wasn't horrible, but it was there, and as dirty and grimy as the rest of the gun was, I figured there was likely more rust in other areas I couldn't see without taking the gun apart. I handed it back to the shop manager and left.
A couple of weeks later, I stopped in again, and yes it was still there. I held it again, and closed my eyes so I wouldn't see the dirt, grime, and rust. I cycled the action- smooth as any Wingmaster I'd ever held, and much more smooth than any new 870 Express I could buy off the shelf of a large store. The gun felt good in my hands. It was familiar, solid but not heavy, and I was beginning to like it. I opened my eyes and looked at the price tag- they were asking almost as much as a new Wingmaster would go for...I handed it back and left. Afterall, I had just recently placed an order for my 1911 frame and slide for a custom build I was going to do (see my other blog- Project 1911: Building a 1911 from Start to Finish), and I didn't need to spend money on an old shotgun that needed restoration. Plus, Christmas was only a couple of weeks away and surely someone would come buy this for their kid as a first shotgun.
About a month later....yep, still there. And it was there again a month after that. I was pretty far along on my 1911 build at this point, and I was beginning to see the end as I only had a few more parts to acquire to make it functional. Then of course, I would need to do the cosmetic work, but the end was in sight and I was beginning to wonder about what my next project would be. One weekend in mid-February I began looking online at 870 options to either build up a home defense gun or do a restoration. It could be fun, right?
I went back to the pawn shop the next week. The 870 just sat there, so I picked it up again. I rubbed some of the rust with my thumb. It came free. Maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as I had originally thought. Maybe a good cleaning and a little rubbing of the rust was all that was needed to bring this old gun back to life. No, it would need to be refinished- the bluing was worn in some areas so even if the rust came free that would need to be addressed, and the buttstock was cracked and would need replacing.
They hadn't changed their price tag, which is probably why it was still sitting there after all of this time. I had a pretty good idea of what the old Wingmasters in decent shape were going for online at auction sites, which was around $300 plus shipping and FFL fees and any restoring costs. I knocked a bit off of that and made an offer. I wouldn't have to pay shipping or FFL transfer fees if they accepted my offer, so I'd be better off than buying one online, even if I did need to do some slight restoration. They took my offer, and although I was $225 lighter when I walked out, I had a new old shotgun to work on. Next step would be to get it home and figure out just exactly what I had bought and what I was going to need to buy to make it a great gun again. I took pictures of the whole effort.
So, what did I end up with? It seems like a stock and forend that were cracked and needed to be replaced, and a lot of bluing wear and rust. The rust is actually doesn't scare me that much, as it appears to be surface rust that will remove with a little elbow grease. The bluing will need to be redone, and I haven't quite figured out my approach on that since I don't have any bluing equipment in my garage and I've never done it before. The internals are very dirty, but are in surprisingly good shape and can all be used- and the trigger assembly is aluminum! New 870s have plastic trigger gaurds, so this was a nice surprise. I called Remington to check the date on the serial number- looks like I'm dealing with a 1976 model, and the 28" Modified choke barrel appears to be original as well.
I think the best thing to do with this Wingmaster is to return it to better than new status- this will not become a home defense shotgun (honestly, you can buy an 870 Express with an 18.5" barrel new for under $300 to be a home defense gun). My goal will be to end up restoring this shotgun to somewhere between a new 870 Wingmaster, which retails for around $800 and an 870 Wingmaster Classic Trap, which retails for around $1100.
A lot of you are thinking that is a lot of money to pay for a pump, and it is. My goal will be to have as close to the Classic Trap model as I can for the smallest amount of money possible...I'm targeting $600 or less total on the project. I love 870 pumps though, so I'm okay spending a little bit of money on this project even though I know I can buy two brand new, perfectly usable 870 Express models for that same $600 budget. This project won't be about getting a functional gun for cheap, it'll be about restoring a classic pump and adding some nice cosmetic touches to make it unique. I also don't intend to sell it when I'm finished, so it'll be something I can pass on one day down the road.
I'm $225 in for the gun itself, which leaves me $375 for restoration...this should be fun!
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