Wingmaster/Express Barrels Interchangible?

As far as I know the difference is in the cap that holds the barrel on. A Wingmaster has a spring loaded detent ball and the Express uses a cap that ratchets on the plug. I would say that a Wingmaster barrel would work on an Express but not the other way around. The barrel will fit, I just tried my Super Mag Express barrel on a Wingmaster and it fit but if you can't lock the barrel down it wouldn't be a good idea. Too bad.
 
Tom, I think you can, but you may need to also buy a new magazine cap.

Call Remington parts and ask: 1-800-243-9700.
 
The Express cap needs the plug to lock against and the Wingmaster magazine tube doesn't have the raised rib on the inside to keep the Express plug from turning. The Express barrel doesn't have the spring loaded detent ball that locks the Wingmaster cap in place. Hope that makes sense to you. If anyone finds a way to do this, please post because it will open up more options for me.
 
Tom (and Tom): I've heard that if you purchase the mag cap from Remington that lets you add a sling, it will work with either an Express or a Wingmaster.

I haven't done this and you know what they say about information you find on the internet, so I'd check with Remington.
 
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If the Wingmaster came with a "Light Contour" barrel, I believe you will more than likely need a forend with a larger "Barrel Groove" or some sandpaper to make it fit.

As to Tom's point about the ball detent vs. the internal ratcheting dealio, I think that has to do with the vintage of the gun - Didn't they switch all the 870s, 1100s, and 1187s over to the ratcheting thing?

At any rate, the (newer vintage) 870 express barrel that I bought for my (older vintage) Wingmaster had a hole for the detent, so I bought the parts and installed them. I actually used the express barrel for a year or two w/o the detent and it wasn't a big deal as long as I kept an eye on the tightness of the magazine cap.

Another thing I had to do with the (cheap crap) Express barrel was polish the chamber so my (cheap crap) Federal Blue Box steel shot would eject after firing. Common problem with expresses I found out.

Good luck!
 
Tom (and Tom): I've heard that if you purchase the mag cap from Remington that lets you add a sling, it will work with either an Express or a Wingmaster.

I haven't done this and you know what they say about information you find on the internet, so I'd check with Remington.
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That would be true if the mag cap was the only thing being switched out. In this case, there's a question of whether the barrel has a ball detent installed and/or whether the magazine spring retainer has the ratcheting top.
 
I've got the sling cap already so maybe that will allow me to use the express barrel. I talked to a couple of gunsmiths today and they thought it should work. I ordered an express barrel off of ebay so I'll keep my fingers crossed. If anyone is interested I'll post my results after I get it. Thanks everyone for your help.
 
Like I said, I haven't done it, but there are a bunch of internet references that suggest the barrels are interchangeable.

If I had two barrels I wanted to interchange, I'd call Remington and see if there's a way to do it.
 
ive swapped barrels and mag caps and trigger housings and mag follwers out of dozens of 870s, from a 1964 model to the latest express, and Ive never had any part that couldnt go back and forth. When you pick up an 870, you ck the action and tighten the magazine cap, its just like a habit cause they all come loose... travis
 
rowdy, Good to hear from you again, I thought you "quit" hahahah. Good point about the interchangability of parts. I have always thought the 870 was the small block Chevy of the shotgun world. Yes I do chack the cap tightness when I pick one up. Gotta love something that has been around since 1950 just like me! ;-o))
 
The first Express guns had the same magazine retainer cap as the regular Wingmaster. Then they replaced it with the plastic retainer that you push in and turn. They also put little pressed in indentations into the tube on the Express. Other than that, they are the same. So it depends on if you have the metal spring type retainer or the plastic one as to which cap you will need. But they will still work if you mix them up. You just have to keep an eye on the barrel as for how tight it is.
 
Brownells has a washer that replaces the detent ball. It goes over the the magazine between the cap. You can put a 1100 o ring there and tighten the cap...
 
Capt. Rich, A classic example of why I spend so much time here. Thanks for the tip, will check it out tomorrow. Like I said this will open up some opportunities for me.
 
Funny you should mention that because I was wondering if a lock washer or rubber/teflon type washer would help secure the barrel. I was studying the make-up of the barrel cap and ring that fits over the magazine with the knob/bump. Nice set up. I wonder why Remington got away from it with the express line?
 
Since 870s are the topic I venture an observation that will probably result in my being bombarded: I bought my first 870 in 1964 when I discovered to my horror that Model 12s had vanished overnight. (So it seemed to me; there was no internet or equivilent to put out the word that Winchester management had lost its mind70.) The thing they had put in the pipeline to replace the Model 12 looked like junk to me and an 870 still was steel and walnut the way guns are supposed to be. Plus my first .22 at age six was a Remington (my brother still has it)and my first big game rifle was a 700 in 7mm Mag that shot a half-inch out of the box with the best trigger I've ever found on a production gun. Years later when a cracked cervical disk reduced me to one-handed duck gunning, I bought an 1100 riot gun with a Choate pistol grip that functioned flawlessly and killed me ducks I couldn't have hunted with my pumps that year. BUT...
But that 870 was a lemon. About every third pump it would let the extra shell slide into the receiver jamming it so tight it was impossible to get loose unless I sliced the shell to pieces with my old Buck. I wound up buying a Beretta single-shot for the blind to back it up with. A good gunsmith said the little spring steel fingers that were supposed to dispense the shells properly were weak and replaced them. Didn't help a thing. Another gunsmith years later said Remington had redesigned the lifter with a little "bump" to catch the second shell before it could jam. I saw some 870s with that little bump, but no way would I ever trust another duck hunt to an 870.
Years later the Olympia PD got rid of their 870s and bought Mossbergs; the line guys told me they had the problem I had and didn't like not knowing if they would get off any shots past the first one...That was the only independent confirmation I had of the 870 problem. Everybody else seems to sing their praises to the sky. A good duck hunter of my acquaintence said if my BPS 10 was getting too heavy for my aging arms, Walmart sells 31/2-inch 870s for an excellent price. Which appears to be true, but I wasn't tempted. Found a lightly used Model 12 Heavy Duck at the local gun show for the same price as the Walmart 870; feels like a 20-gauge after all the years of lugging that cannon.
So: am I (and the Oly PD) alone in lack of enthusiasm for 870s? If they're being compared to Chev 350s, a llot of people must like them.
 
Bill......I've had a vintage 1960's Remington 870 Wingmaster 20 ga since 1976 that I bought from my neighbor with my lawn mowing money when I was 16yrs old. Never-ever had a problem with it. Over the years since, I've heard nothing but good things about Wingmasters. And then came along the Expresses. Seem quite a few bad comments about these though I'm sure there are those that swear by that model as well. I hunted with a guy that had an Express he's had since he was a kid 20+ yrs ago and wouldn't trade that gun for nothing. I saw him drop 3 teal once faster than I could pull the single select trigger twice on my double. I don't think the wood on his gun had any finish and had plenty of rust all over it. I guess there's lemons in any brand of gun. Maybe more in some than others.
 
My Dad saved his pocket change for years to buy an 870 Wingmaster back around 1975 or '76.
My Dad shot tons of birds and rabbits with that gun, my brother and I followed suit. My brother has it now.
Smoothest pump action I have ever handled, points incredibly well. In the 38 years it has been in the family, I can't remember it ever jamming. Not once.


To contract, I bought one of the first 870 Express models when they came out back in '86 or '87. Action was rough, causing me to short-shuck it a lot. No comparison to the Wingmaster in regards to smoothness or quality. I never liked the way it pointed and got to the point I had no confidence in it and couldn't hit shit with it. Sold it and never looked back.
 
By now everyone here knows where I stand on this issue (and a few others) but I can honestly say I've never had a double feed that the new style shell lifter is supposed to fix. One of our Thurs trap shooting group has an 870 that he has had for decades. Last year he was having a bit of trouble with it so I volunteered to take a peek. THE HAMMER WAS ALMOST WORN THROUGH!!! Until then he had no trouble with it. Any guesses how many rounds it took to do that? I stand by my 870's. The Express's do have a finish problem but a good coat of rattle can dead grass covers up most of that. Anyone considering a 3 1/2" Super mag= try one first if you can, those roman candles bite on both ends.
 
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