I took my 90-91ish Wingmaster Deer Magnum to the range last week for the first time since I picked it up off Gunbroker a few months ago. This one was very clean and appeared unfired, but the action was a little stiff compared to my other 870s that I bought new.
I had noticed a little powdery rust on the inside of the forearm tube when I disassembled and lubed it after I first got it home, so I picked up some Ballistol and gave it a thorough scrubbing yesterday. What I discovered is that a lot of rust had built up on the action bars that wasn't even visible over the bluing. This isn't news to most of you, but rust isn't always visually apparent, especially on nicely blued guns like Wingmasters. Something to look out for if you acquire an older gun, even NOS.
After a thorough cleaning with the Ballistol and re-lubing, the action was noticeably smoother. Looking forward to my next range trip!
