The first 870 AP Wingmaster was priced around $70-if you still have one in pristine condition, it’s worth more than 10 times what you paid for it. It also reduced production costs because Remington was able to manufacture the same action for two different guns. That assured the 12-gauge 870 would be lighter. Remington went back to the drawing board and decided to build a new, more affordable pump based on the action of the 16-gauge 11-48 semi-auto shotgun. It was a smooth-running, heavy pump gun that was too expensive.

As a result, there were high labor costs involved in building it. It was a fine shotgun, but it was also expensive and over-built: The Model 31 had more than 500 different machined parts. Remington first built the Model 31 to compete with Winchester’s iconic Model 12 pump. The History of the Remington 870īefore I get into which gun you should purchase, let’s take a look at the origins of the 870. So, which is the better buy? Wingmaster or Express? I’m finally going to put the debate to rest. In hunting, there’s probably no more hotly-debated shotgun topic (besides “Do you shoot a Benelli or Beretta?”) than which model 870 is in your gun closet. They are also available in self-defense and duty models that sit in the squad cars of countless police officers across the country.

There are skeet and trap models for clay-target shooters as well-the first 100 straight trap doubles at the Grand American in 1950 were broken by Randy Etchen with an 870. Turkey, deer, upland, and duck hunters have been carrying Remington 870s afield for more than 70 years now. Then in 1987, Big Green introduced the Express, a cheaper knock-down version of the pump-action Wingmaster that could be had for half the price. In 1950, Remington debuted what is arguably the most iconic-and successful-shotgun in American history: the 870 Wingmaster.

Remington 870 wingmaster serial number