20 Gauge Wingmaster Questions

neilseitz · June 11, 2010, 02:23 AM

I had some questions about an old 50's Wingmaster that was given to me by a friend of the family when I was a kid. It's been in my closet for years and I dug it out and started looking into updating it a little bit. I was wondering if any 870 stock would fit on it? The walnut stock on it is cracked and I couldn't really distingish if there were any differences in the stocks between any of the 870 models or whether there were any differences between the size of a 12 gauge verses a 20 gauge stock. I also wondered what would be the difference between between the "LW" Wingmasters of today and one made in 1956? I was also looking at getting a new barrel since the full choke of the original 28" barrel leaves alot to be desired. I checked Remington's website and was wondering if the replacement barrels offered on their website would fit this gun? I was looking at order #24608. Would that barrel be for the "LW" version of the gun or would it fit any 20 gauge Wingmaster reguardless? I loved shooting this gun as a kid, but with a Citori and an Extrema in the closet, it doesn't get dusted off very often. I figured I could justify dropping some money into it since it was free anyway. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

zippy13 · June 11, 2010, 05:38 AM

Greetings Neilseitz, and welcome aboard,

To start with, your Wingmaster is a genuine 870. When Remington introduced the stripped down "Express" version, they could have avoided a lot of confusion had they not included "870" in its designation.

Your Wingmaster Model 870 20-ga LW (light weight) was introduced in 1972 and was available in standard and magnum models. They have scaled down receivers requiring some special parts.

When looking at the 870 Remington factory barrels tables you'll see Wingmaster and Express models listed. The difference is the finish: Bright blue or matte black. IIRC, they are interchangeable, EXCEPT for your gun. It uses only 20 LW barrels. At this time, Remington seems to be offering only the slug barrel for the 20-ga LW, but the Barrel Exchange has plenty of LW barrels listed.

Wingmaster 870 12s and standard 20 ga guns use the same stock. But, the 20 LW stock is smaller due to the smaller receiver. IIRC the difference between a LW and a LW Mag stock is the LW has a butt plate and the LW Mag has a recoil pad. I didn't see any LW stocks listed at the Remington site, but Numrich Arms has a few.

neilseitz · June 11, 2010, 01:12 PM

Thanks for the information. There is still some confusion on my part. The code on the barrel for my Wingmaster is "EA", which I understood to be the date of manufacture for Oct. of 1954. Therefore, my gun wouldn't be a "LW" Wingmaster...correct? I guess that's why I mentioned the "LW" Wingmasters in the first place. I wanted to know the difference between my gun and the newer "LW" version. Since I am assuming my gun is not the "LW" version, Remingtons Model #26408 barrel would fit my gun...correct? Also since it is not a "LW" version, what would that mean for the interchangeability between stocks?

zippy13 · June 11, 2010, 02:11 PM

Yes, EA = Oct. 1954.
If your gun is a LW, it will have LW or LW Magnum prominently marked on the left side of the receiver. Without the LW markings, then it takes the #26408 barrel and standard stocks.

June 11, 2010, 02:23 AM	#1
neilseitz Junior Member Join Date: June 11, 2010 Posts: 2	20 Gauge Wingmaster Questions I had some questions about an old 50's Wingmaster that was given to me by a friend of the family when I was a kid. It's been in my closet for years and I dug it out and started looking into updating it a little bit. I was wondering if any 870 stock would fit on it? The walnut stock on it is cracked and I couldn't really distingish if there were any differences in the stocks between any of the 870 models or whether there were any differences between the size of a 12 gauge verses a 20 gauge stock. I also wondered what would be the difference between between the "LW" Wingmasters of today and one made in 1956? I was also looking at getting a new barrel since the full choke of the original 28" barrel leaves alot to be desired. I checked Remington's website and was wondering if the replacement barrels offered on their website would fit this gun? I was looking at order #24608. Would that barrel be for the "LW" version of the gun or would it fit any 20 gauge Wingmaster reguardless? I loved shooting this gun as a kid, but with a Citori and an Extrema in the closet, it doesn't get dusted off very often. I figured I could justify dropping some money into it since it was free anyway. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

June 11, 2010, 05:38 AM	#2
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	Greetings Neilseitz, and welcome aboard, To start with, your Wingmaster is a genuine 870. When Remington introduced the stripped down "Express" version, they could have avoided a lot of confusion had they not included "870" in its designation. Your Wingmaster Model 870 20-ga LW (light weight) was introduced in 1972 and was available in standard and magnum models. They have scaled down receivers requiring some special parts. When looking at the 870 Remington factory barrels tables you'll see Wingmaster and Express models listed. The difference is the finish: Bright blue or matte black. IIRC, they are interchangeable, EXCEPT for your gun. It uses only 20 LW barrels. At this time, Remington seems to be offering only the slug barrel for the 20-ga LW, but the Barrel Exchange has plenty of LW barrels listed. Wingmaster 870 12s and standard 20 ga guns use the same stock. But, the 20 LW stock is smaller due to the smaller receiver. IIRC the difference between a LW and a LW Mag stock is the LW has a butt plate and the LW Mag has a recoil pad. I didn't see any LW stocks listed at the Remington site, but Numrich Arms has a few.

June 11, 2010, 01:12 PM	#3
neilseitz Junior Member Join Date: June 11, 2010 Posts: 2	Thanks for the information. There is still some confusion on my part. The code on the barrel for my Wingmaster is "EA", which I understood to be the date of manufacture for Oct. of 1954. Therefore, my gun wouldn't be a "LW" Wingmaster...correct? I guess that's why I mentioned the "LW" Wingmasters in the first place. I wanted to know the difference between my gun and the newer "LW" version. Since I am assuming my gun is not the "LW" version, Remingtons Model #26408 barrel would fit my gun...correct? Also since it is not a "LW" version, what would that mean for the interchangeability between stocks?

June 11, 2010, 02:11 PM	#4
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	Yes, EA = Oct. 1954. If your gun is a LW, it will have LW or LW Magnum prominently marked on the left side of the receiver. Without the LW markings, then it takes the #26408 barrel and standard stocks.