Are Remingtopn 870 Wingmaster barrels made after 2006 bad?

[Vitaly]

I have used only regular 870 Express barrels and some of them required polishing but that is simple procedure which takes just 15 minutes.

[faustus]

The Express models are known for rusting easily. However, I have not had any problems ... I keep those guns very very well oiled ... and I don't store them in a soft case, but in a moisture controlled gun cabinet.

Wingmaster barrels are blued and I believe they are not better or worse than any other blued barrel. There are two rules that have worked well for me:

1.) Keep the gun well oiled after use and for storage ... even on the outside.
2.) Reduce the amount of time that the gun resides in a soft case where humidity can be trapped to an absolute minimum ... i.e. transportation only.

Hope this helps ...
Faustus

[Synchronizor]

Wingmasters have blued finishes, which aren't as low-maintenance as many modern gun finishes, but will still stand up well if properly cared for. If you neglect it, it'll rust. This goes for both old and new Wingmasters; I'm not aware of any changes that have been made to the Wingmaster bluing over the years that affect its ability to protect the underlying metal.

[jstanfield103]

You know I maybe wrong about this and probably should not comment, but I work in a factory and have for the last 25 years, Most new factories and their management are always trying to cut production cost's. The quality control department is one place that they cut labor cost's at, they make the employee's that assembly the items look for quality defects and did away with the QC dept. Why not they are actually handling the items through the whole process.
I hear people complain though out the firearms forums from all make's and model's that quality is not what it use to be. Freedom group is not into loosing money, they want to keep the quality up. They are struggling for money right now but they will bounce back. I do not think that quality is any less than it use to be, even for the Marlin rifles, just took them a little while to figure them out.

[Synchronizor]

The only real differences between Wingmaster and Express barrels is the finish, and other cosmetic details like a gold bead rather than a silver one. The chamber & bore machining is all done on the same tooling, as far as I know.

I have seen some rougher chambers on newer 870s, but it's not usually a big issue. A little sticking with cheap shotshells at first, then things break in and it works fine. If the sticking persists, it's easy to give the chamber a bit of a polish to help it along.

[DavidFagan]

Fit finish and some plastic parts like the trigger guard, express means cheaper, they expressed it out the door...

[Synchronizor]

Express means less expensive. Less expensive doesn't mean worse - at least as far as function goes. If you want a show piece, get a Wingmaster. If you want an inexpensive gun that you won't feel bad about kicking around, get an Express. Both guns are mechanically and functionally identical.

For the record, I prefer the plastic trigger plate over the older powdered aluminum ones. I think reinforced plastic is a better material for that particular part.