Gun question????

[shiloh]

Can I shoot steel through a Remington Wingmaster Modified barrell? I think the length is 30".

[RobertM]

Don't quote me, but I think it's ok on a Remington. I've been told not to shoot steel through an older Browning.

[Greenhead22]

I wouldn't recommend shooting steel through a barrel without screw in chokes, but the wads in the shells today keep the steel shot from touching the barrel.

[Welldoggie]

I shot steel through a rem wingmaster 30" barrel the first few years that I duck hunted (only gun that I had that wouldn't jam). My gun barrel was even a full choke. I noticed no damage to the barrel shooting steel 3's (win drylocks).

A 30" full will reach out and touch. We called it the mowing gun...whenever we winged a bird that fell a ways out and came up swimming, the mowing gun could pronounce an instant death sentence.

[Hambone]

I shot steel out of my old 870 that I got in 1978 with no problems...the original full choke may be a little more open now, but that's better for steel anyway.

[MSDuckmen]

Remington 870 shotguns produced before 1981 use a soft carbon metal to make their barrels. The continued shooting of steel shot in those barrels could and would exspand the choke to something greater than the choke's original choke bore.
I have shot dozen's of cases of steel through a 1975 model 870 wingmaster and the only change I have seen is that what was once a modified choke is now somewhere in between mod and improved. Since I like shooting my 870 I will give it up for nothing and continue to hunt with it today.
Once you have put as many shells through yours as I have mine you will find some slight scoreing on the choke end of your barrel. This should give you no problem as mine has had it for years now. Looks like sand paper ruffing.
Bottomline is that you will be able to use that gun for steel shot but can not exspect it to hold the original choke dia. over a long period of shooting.
My Rememington contacts told me that if the barrel was considered unsafe for steel shot a disclaimer would have been mailed out to everyone telling them not to use steel in older non-screw choke guns. This was not the case with Remington but was with browning. Remington knew there was no safety problem and it was fine but over a long period you would lose the original choke. We are only talking microns here not like it will resize the bore to open choke.

Better Days

[shiloh]

Thanks for all the info guys. I have really good success in the dove field with that gun, and thought I could carry that over to the duck blind. I don't know why I shoot it so well. I guess it's just one of those things?????

[Super-X]

Very well said, Duckmen [img]images/smiles/icon_cool.gif[/img]

I used mine for several years before getting a newer version with screw-in chokes & synthetic stock [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] , that old 870 still shoots awfully good though. [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]