870 model numbers

[butch72]

I have a Rem. model 870 12 ga Vent rib wingmaster, and am curios as to the born date. Here is the picture below , also with receiver serial num , some blocked out. Any help as to the weird horse shoe mark and the circle with the line on top would be great, thanks.

[Synchronizor]

An "S" serial number prefix points to a manufacture year somewhere between 1968 and 1974. An "RW" barrel code indicates November of either 1972 or 2002. If that's the original barrel, the two seem to agree on a 1972 manufacture date.

Not sure about the other markings.

[butch72]

Thanks!

[butch72]

Also I bought a Rem 870 Express for my son today. The two letters are not stamped well and seem to say KC bit each letter is backwards if I turn it upside down (gun) its CK. Serial RS47785Z and help on year born? Some one didn't do a great job at stamping. It also has that barcode for scanning. The square one. The rest of my serial on other is S658686V any help? Thanks again.

[Synchronizor]

Barrel date stamps are sometimes tough to read. The "RS" prefix on the serial number is part of Remington's new serial number format, which they started back in 2009 or 2010 (still trying to nail that down). A barrel date stamp of "KC" points to May of 2008, while "CK" indicates March of 2016, which is probably the accurate interpretation. Early 2008 wouldn't mesh with the serial number, Remington wasn't stamping machine codes next to the serial number then, and since I'm assuming you bought this gun new, it's doubtful that the retailer had it in stock for eight years.

The prefix and (sometimes) suffix of an 870's serial number are the only things that can be decoded with publicly-available information. The numbers in the middle only mean something to Remington. The "V" on your older 870 means it was originally a non-magnum model only intended for use with 2 3/4" or shorter shells, though these guns can be converted to handle 3" shells fairly easily. The "Z" on the end of your other serial number doesn't mean anything in particular, since it's from the new serial number format.

[butch72]

Thanks again, that makes perfect sense of the gun not sitting there for 8 years on the shelf. The box shows it was ordered in May of this year. The Oil was still fresh with a little browning where the end of the barrel going into the receiver. Also found several other inspection stamps in this area, like the REP stamp and a stamp 'CH' inside a square. great help and find your videos helpful.