kenobi_fan
New member
Remington 870. Express or wingmaster. I've owned three, and I have a lefty express right now that I really like. Can't go wrong with the 870, just feels more quality to me than the mossberg. Mossbergs are good guns though.
Best Pump for the $$$
- Thread starter Toad
- Start date
peterpointinglab
New member
I agree whiskey, the express is half the price and you dont have too worry about scratching up the blueing. I own both, they are both great guns. I seem shoot better with the wingmaster but shooting is all mental.
Re bluing and wood.
I ask myself what I would rather see on a gun rack, either mine or a used line-up of offerings.
A matte and plastic hammer that appears much the same despite use or abuse?
Or a scattergun that has stories to tell?
As most scatterguns will never fail to the point of unfixable and few hunters actually require bomb-proof tanks, I will be drawn to a blue-worn, scratched-up scattergun every time.
Blue wear is not a bad thing...it is often representative of effort and passion and success.
I see zero reason to ever regret worn bluing or wood that has been there...and back.
Shooting a scattergun is...almost...all mental.
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cheesy
Well-known member
Re bluing and wood.
I ask myself what I would rather see on a gun rack, either mine or a used line-up of offerings.
A matte and plastic hammer that appears much the same despite use or abuse?
Or a scattergun that has stories to tell?
As most scatterguns will never fail to the point of unfixable and few hunters actually require bomb-proof tanks, I will be drawn to a blue-worn, scratched-up scattergun every time.
Blue wear is not a bad thing...it is often representative of effort and passion and success.
I see zero reason to ever regret worn bluing or wood that has been there...and back.
Shooting a scattergun is...almost...all mental.
I agree.
My Ithaca 37 20 guage was made in 1949. I have no sentimental attachment to it as I bought it from a coworker who only worked with me fora few months. The buttstock had a slip on recoil pad at one time, water had gotten behind it, puckered and faded the finish. I stripped it all down, still left the nicks and gouges, and gave it an oil finish. Much of the bluing is just silver now, the stories it could tell. I don't fear scratching it up, I don't baby it, but I don't go out to abuse it either.
I've also got a Kimber 84M rifle in .308. Fanciest gun I own, nice walnut stock. It was pristine when i bought it used. Now its got a couple of dings and dents in the wood. I don't care. I will never sell it, and I know where I was the moment the dings happened. Almost a written journal without the words.
Dad and I both have some custom knives. I use the heck out of mine, he won't use his wood handled ones unless its in the kitchen butchering an animal. The only ones he takes out in the field are micarta handled for fear he'll mess up the wood scales on his good ones. I understand why he does it, too each his own.
The bottom line though is everything has a place, everyone has an opinion. Nobody is wrong, some just see value in things differently.
wisturkeyhunter
New member
My 870 supermag is camo and it shows some honest wear. If it could talk it could hang with any similiar aged 870 at story time. The areas I grip are just flat green/grey with no camo pattern left. All the moving parts are showing silver and it's smoother than any new wingmaster. They ain't going to look new after years of use at least if you take one apart and see the polished parts.
With that said if a guy wanted a wingmaster the price difference over several years or even decades of hunting and shooting isn't going to amount to anything.
With that said if a guy wanted a wingmaster the price difference over several years or even decades of hunting and shooting isn't going to amount to anything.
Toad
Active member
Thank you everybody for sharing your opinions on the best bang-for-the-buck pump!:cheers: I learn a lot of helpful info by posting questions on this site. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom with me.
In a SURPRISE move, my friend pulled a 180 on me and decided to buy a Beretta 390 he found for a good price. While it wasn't the used pump we went out looking for, he is definitely getting a lot of bang for his buck!
Thanks again.
In a SURPRISE move, my friend pulled a 180 on me and decided to buy a Beretta 390 he found for a good price. While it wasn't the used pump we went out looking for, he is definitely getting a lot of bang for his buck!
Thanks again.
AtTheMurph
Well-known member
+1 Wingmaster is the answer.
I haven't seen the 31 Remington mentioned. I have 12, 16, & 20 gages. Really like them. Also a model 12 & 2 Ithaca's, a 3" & a 2 3/4". Use the 3" in SD for birds. Also have a black BPS that I use in the salt enviroment of the Laguna Madre. Can almost watch it rust ! Being told I should just paint it. Point is they are all nice usable shotguns.
Toad
Active member
One of the outdoor magazines had an article about the history of the pump gun last month. I think the only two I have looked at were Grays and F&S, so it had to be one of those.
It was pretty interesting anyway. One of the things I took away from the article was that the author believed the Remington 31 was probably the best pump ever made, and that everything produced since then has been cheapened to hit a price point. It was also interesting to find out that many of the "new" pumps today are being built off of 100 year old patents.
I got rid of my pumps and now own 7 semi-autos. However I did go back buy a 870 Wingmaster after I had trouble with my semi's freezing up one sleety Winter day. It's a fixed mod barrel which I have no problem with. Only thing is it only shoots 2 and 3/4 shells. We hunt a lot of Waterfowl Production areas which require steel and I don't like going below 3" shells in steel. Good thing is it is a very clean nice looking and I got it for $250. I'm mad at myself for passing on another 870 Wingmaster Magnum with adjustable chokes for $329 earlier this year.