870 Wingmaster

8

870-Lefty

Member
Anyone use a 12ga. 870 Wingmaster for their pheasant hunting? My main gun is a 12ga. L.H. Benelli Montefeltro and I am thinking about taking my 12ga. L.H. Wingmaster along also this year to S.D.
 
Yep, great gun. My brother in law uses one as his primary and I use one as a back up. Reliable is the best way to put it.
 
A few years ago I got into semi-autos and that's what I use 95% of the time now.

But my all-around/do-everything shotgun for about 25 years was my late-70's 12ga wingmaster. 28" barrel, fixed mod choke.
It was the only shotgun I owned, and I used it for everything- quail, dove, phez, ducks. Love that gun, and I'll never let it go.
 
I used my Wingmaster on pheasant for most of my life. I switched to a Montefeltro 12 and an O/U 12 but the Wingmaster is tough to beat.
 
Lefty, just a reminder to make sure you pump the 870 after each shot! :) I grew up shooting a pump and the "pump action" became so automatic I didn't even know I had brought the action back and forth. Fast forward about 30 years and having shot nothing but autos and O/U's during that time. A few years ago I purchased a Model 12 in 16 ga. Thought it would be fun to go back to the gun I grew up shooting. I had might as well been carrying a single shot. That automatic "pump action" of mine was gone. Pulled the trigger and fired a round and then continued to try and pull the trigger for a second shot. So just a word of caution if you haven't shot a pump in a number of years.
 
Dakotazeb said:
Lefty, just a reminder to make sure you pump the 870 after each shot! :) I grew up shooting a pump and the "pump action" became so automatic I didn't even know I had brought the action back and forth. Fast forward about 30 years and having shot nothing but autos and O/U's during that time. A few years ago I purchased a Model 12 in 16 ga. Thought it would be fun to go back to the gun I grew up shooting. I had might as well been carrying a single shot. That automatic "pump action" of mine was gone. Pulled the trigger and fired a round and then continued to try and pull the trigger for a second shot. So just a word of caution if you haven't shot a pump in a number of years.
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Thanks Zeb, but I don't have that problem. I have had the 870 since the late 80's and it was my waterfowl gun for years. I shot it at sporting clays about a month ago and did quite well with it. I have never had a problem switching between pumps, SxS's, O/U's, or semi-autos.
 
Dakotazeb said:
Lefty, just a reminder to make sure you pump the 870 after each shot! :) I grew up shooting a pump and the "pump action" became so automatic I didn't even know I had brought the action back and forth. Fast forward about 30 years and having shot nothing but autos and O/U's during that time. A few years ago I purchased a Model 12 in 16 ga. Thought it would be fun to go back to the gun I grew up shooting. I had might as well been carrying a single shot. That automatic "pump action" of mine was gone. Pulled the trigger and fired a round and then continued to try and pull the trigger for a second shot. So just a word of caution if you haven't shot a pump in a number of years.
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I had the exact same thing happen when I took my 870 on a duck hunt the season before last. The first two or three groups of birds that came in, I shot once and then tried to shoot again without pumping. It came back to me after that, but I was pretty rusty at first after about 3 seasons of only shooting semi-autos.
 
I'm left handed, however 40 years of law enforcement where the RH 870 is the gold standard of patrol shotguns has operating a RH 870 left handed so ingrained in me I literally can't use a LH one. So being, I have a number of RH 870s (along with a bunch of other shotguns) and use them for pheasant regularly. Hard to imagine a more rugged, easy to maintain, and versatile shotgun than an 870...
 
oh yes, my dad uses his; I love that gun. I picked it up a couple weeks ago grouse hunting and was surprised how light it was vs my winchester 1300

I love the pumps, even though some of the elitists here may turn their nose on them, but their reliable and how are you going to get a triple with your over under? ;)
 
jmnhunter said:
I love the pumps, even though some of the elitists here may turn their nose on them, but their reliable and how are you going to get a triple with your over under? ;)
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Can’t speak for him but, I’m just that good! 😂 I like a pump, have always shot one. However, I bought a Winchester 101 O/U last year and I love it.
 
MetroGSP said:
Can’t speak for him but, I’m just that good! �� I like a pump, have always shot one. However, I bought a Winchester 101 O/U last year and I love it.
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I would like to get one some day, i love the looks and weight of them...
...i think last year was the first opportunity for a triple....my pump jammed after the first bird....:eek:
 
Labs said:
I'm left handed, however 40 years of law enforcement where the RH 870 is the gold standard of patrol shotguns has operating a RH 870 left handed so ingrained in me I literally can't use a LH one. So being, I have a number of RH 870s (along with a bunch of other shotguns) and use them for pheasant regularly. Hard to imagine a more rugged, easy to maintain, and versatile shotgun than an 870...
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Yeah, I have an 870 sp, and an express.The sp was made in the mid eighties, the express is around 10 years old. This last trip, I only took the pump.I don't like switching guns, it throws off my shooting.
 
Love my 870 Wingmaster. It was my first gun. Got it for my twelfth birthday. It's an early 70s 2.75" gun. Has a thirty inch full choke barrel. I had Carlson Chokes lengthen the forcing cone and install screw in chokes. Now it's much more useful than it was for pheasant hunting. I always bring it as a backup.
 
I’ve sold or traded my Wingmasters for various reasons but this thread makes me want to get another.
 
Yeah, I had a chance to buy a 28 gauge wingmaster last year for 225 dollars, and I passed.Probably have a hard time finding one.Sweet gun.
 
Probably the best and most reliable pump shotgun out there. It's a little on the heavy side by today's standards, but the balance tip to toe make it a pleasure to use. The Remingtion 870 20 gauge wing master was my first gun purchased from Walmart in Kirksville, Missouri. I use that gun to this day. As I've aged I've had to adjust the cast a little, but it shoots true and has excellent knock down power with about any shell. I used an Ithica ultrafeatherlight model 37 for a while. Super light, but not nearly as well balanced so it required a little work to make sure the mount was right. That was never an issue with the 870. It falls into the "great" category for a bird hunting gun for me.
 
Straightup82 said:
Probably the best and most reliable pump shotgun out there. It's a little on the heavy side by today's standards, but the balance tip to toe make it a pleasure to use. The Remingtion 870 20 gauge wing master was my first gun purchased from Walmart in Kirksville, Missouri. I use that gun to this day. As I've aged I've had to adjust the cast a little, but it shoots true and has excellent knock down power with about any shell. I used an Ithica ultrafeatherlight model 37 for a while. Super light, but not nearly as well balanced so it required a little work to make sure the mount was right. That was never an issue with the 870. It falls into the "great" category for a bird hunting gun for me.
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Oh yeah, its a go to gun.It will take a beating, I dropped mine in the Missouri one time, and shot a rooster 5 minutes later.I also like the 11-87 premier, from the late 90's.Mine has never jammed, and I can go back, and forth, with the 870 express, without too much trouble.
 
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