The End!

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Finally- it's finished!  The magazine plug, spring, and aluminum follower arrived from Brownells today.  No picture, but if you look closely in some of the shots below you can see the orange peeking through the bottom of the shotgun.  I'm pretty relieved that this is complete- it was a lot of fun, but I was very nervous that it wouldn't turn out.  I was also nervous that I'd break my budget, but I didn't! 

Here's the breakdown- most of the supplies I already had laying around (steel wool, oils, degreasers, etc.).  The items below are pretty much all I had to pick up: 

• 1976 Remington 870 Wingmaster - $225
• Scuffed/discarded Trap grade (factory second) replacement stock/forend set - $183
• New magazine spring, plug, and follower - $27
• Rust remover and Rust blue - roughly $20
• Loads and loads of elbow grease!

My original budget was $600, and my total came to $455.  That leaves me some cash leftover to put toward my next restoration!

Most of you want to see pictures- don't worry, I'm almost there.

I need to start by saying that the coloring is not what I had hoped- I was looking for more of a matte/satin finish with a black/blue appearance.  I ended up with, well, it depends on the light!  In some light it appears a blue/silver, in others, silver/grey.  In direct sunlight, it almost glows in a rust brown that looks incredibly deep as if it had been applied through several layers of paint much like on an Italian sports car.

For my first attempt, however, I'm pleased.  The goal was to remove scratches, dings, and rust on the metal, and to replace the wood with a better stock.  I've taken the long way to do it, but all goals have been accomplished.  And, if I really want, I can redo it again with another rust blue agent and some different combinations of oil to get a different color altogether.  Perhaps I'll wait on that one, though, until I finish my 1911 (www.project1911.blogspot.com) or some of the remodeling on the house that I promised the wife I'd tackle.

Alright- most of you are tired of reading and just want to see the results, so here!

Remember when I first brought the Wingmaster home?




Here's the transformation!









Some dust and fibers from my cotton cloth ended up on the metal in some of the shots...I guess I need to be better about preventing that right before a photoshoot next time.  Oh well.

Be sure to scroll to my first post to see more photos of the 870 Wingmaster when I first picked it up at the pawn shop...it was obviously a very fun project and I am already keeping an eye out for another to start on.

Thanks for reading!