[ajacobs]

I can't help but to buy used 870's whenever I see them, no matter how homely, I think it is related to the sure "bang for your buck you get". They are almost always reliable, you can spend 150-200 bucks and be done, no shopping for mags, holsters, specialty ammo crazy assesories etc.

Sure I have some "tactical" 870's that I bought back before I had put 20,000 12 ga rounds through a shotgun (Dave is laughing right now remembering that his 20,000th round was expended when he was 14 or so). I thought I needed all the toys and since I never sell a gun I have a couple from the old scattergun tech and a couple with Vangcomp and a half a dozen or so with surefire forends. I even have 2 20 gauges with 3 shot extensions. I even bought one of those sling bandaleers at one point. All of those sit in the safe and get oiled once a year.

I have 12 870's now and all of my shotguns are 870's except a lonely ithaca 87. But the simple ones are the ones I use. The simple ones are near the bed at night, follow me into the woods and ride in the back of the truck.

The one I brought home today cost me 85$ and was probaly somebodys dad's nice hunting gun as some point until the kid got a hold of it. It is an older wingmaster. That the kid choped the vented barrel down to 19 in and through a scattergun 2 shot extension on, speedfeed stocks and fiber optic sights (striving for the all be it cheeper but same tactical look I was when I was younger). And some point in its life it must have been getting to rusty as they sprayed it down with some rustoleom spray paint. Hence the great deal I got. It seems spray paint doesn't handle gun scrubber very well and had a nice melted rusty look.

I already had a drawer of spare parts, any one who has as many 870's as I so has a drawer of spare parts. I stripped of the side saddle and the paint. I then had a choice. I could put a full barrel on it or leave it as is. I had a couple of vent rib barrels, one was for a wingmaster and had the nicer finish but I decided against it as it was too nice for the beat up receiver, one had the duller finish of the express line and wouldn't match. dismissing both of those I got out the old drill and using an old trick I made a smooth wider section just before the muzzle, a poor mans choke if you will. I then refinished the gun in some green bake on laquer that I had laying around from redoing some magazines on another progect. I returned the scattergun 2 shot extension also in green now and mounted a bead site as well returning the supper tactical plastic stocks it had. I was left with a supper ugly 870 that only a father could love. I took her out back with some s&b buck and got some fairly decent patterns for what she is, certainly suitable for my new truck gun.

No matter how ugly she started out, I can't turn down an old 870, I left her maybe a little big uglier with the green finish, but atleast she is functional and patterns now. I will leave of the sidesaddle and the sling. Of course I will have to name her big green.

Funny thing is regardless of what the previous owner had done to her I had no dought that for no money and a little work I could get her functional and reliable. If that insn't a testament to the design I don't know what is, given my level of mechanical ability.