Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main differences between a Remington 870 Wingmaster and an Express model?

The remington 870 Wingmaster represents the premium lineup, featuring a highly polished, deep-blue finish on the steel receiver and beautiful, high-gloss walnut furniture with crisp checkering. In contrast, the remington 870 Express was engineered as a budget-friendly utility version, utilizing a matte bead-blasted finish and either hardwood or synthetic stocks to lower costs while keeping the identical mechanical action intact. Both firearms utilize the legendary dual-action bar system, meaning the core reliability and cycling strength of the remington 870 remain completely unchanged regardless of which finish you choose.

To find out exactly when your remington 870 rolled off the factory assembly line, you need to examine the two-letter date code stamped on the left side of the barrel near the receiver, rather than relying solely on the serial number. These letters correspond to the month and year of manufacture based on a cyclical factory dating master chart. At remington870.ca, we provide a simple lookup tool that allows you to decode these markings on your remington 870 barrel instantly, which is highly useful for collectors verifying the absolute authenticity of a vintage Wingmaster.

What is the legal magazine capacity for a Remington 870 in Canada?

Under current Canadian firearms law, manually operated pump-action shotguns like the remington 870 are generally exempt from the strict five-shot capacity limits that govern semi-automatic long guns. This means you can legally install a high-capacity magazine extension tube on your remington 870 for sport shooting or wilderness defense without breaking federal storage and transport regulations. However, you must always double-check your local provincial hunting regulations, as many provinces restrict your remington 870 to a maximum of three shells total when hunting migratory birds or big game.

What is the best way to clean and rust-proof a matte-finish Remington 870 Express?

The bead-blasted matte finish on a remington 870 Express has microscopic pores that can trap moisture and trigger surface rust if the firearm is left dry after a rainy day in the marsh. To properly protect your remington 870, you should thoroughly saturate the metal surfaces with a high-quality firearms oil or specialist corrosion inhibitor, letting it soak into the finish before wiping away the excess. Regularly stripping your remington 870 down to clean carbon out of the receiver will guarantee that moisture never gets trapped beneath the moving parts

Removing the spring retainer on a remington 870 requires caution, as the internal magazine spring is under significant tension and can fly out unexpectedly if not controlled. On older remington 870 models, a simple metal detent plug can be pried out carefully using a flathead screwdriver while keeping a firm thumb over the opening. Newer remington 870 iterations utilize a plastic green “Express style” retainer that requires a specialized tool or pliers to twist and unlock from the internal magazine dimples safely.