Hi, looking for input.
I have an old beater wingmaster that works great but I want to do something with it. Getting “the works” looks like it might be 2k+. I debated making that the next project but can’t justify the money.
Since it’s not a duty weapon but more for fun, I’m deciding on budget-awesome.
Definitely are shorten the barrel, shorten or replace stock, and cerakote.
After that I’m thinking light mount, sling (QD attachments) and maybe ghost rings.
Any suggestions?
All of your above are good. You might call Vang Comp about doing your barrel
Sent from 80ms in the future
Much peace
Jimmy
If you don’t want to shorten your barrel you can usually find 14-18 inch factory barrels in the net. And sell your current one to recoup some cost. I think Botach has the 14" ones regularly. I would do the barrel, furniture w/ shorter stock (maybe Speed Feed stock w/ shell holders and Surefire fore end), at least change the front bead to a tritium or fiber sight, and maybe a side saddle or probably shell cards.
I thought about picking up a project 870 but I think I’ll buy a new 870P instaed. I just wish I could find a factory SBS w/ 14" barrel. I’m not sure Remington even sell a factory SBS though? 
Honestly, the very first (and cheapest) mods I would do is a new Wolff mag spring and Hans Vang follower.
A good gunsmith can shorten the barrel for you for less than the cost of a new or used one.
I’m partial to an XS Big Dot tritium front sight on a shotgun.
A used stock and fore-end can be found on eBay for cheap.
Down the road, find a deal on a Surefire 618 light.
I’ve got four defensive shotguns (I know, I know…) and those are what they start out with as their first mods.
Then you can look into an Aimpoint Micro, Magpul stock, Vickers sling, Mesa Tactical Side Saddle, eyc…
In my opinion the beauty of a shotgun is two fold; simplicity and versatility. Whenever I build a weapon I like to first define the purpose of the weapon. In the case of a defensive shotgun, a lightweight (relative) and short length translates to ease of handling which is very important in a defensive weapon. I usually opt for an 18" barrel for this purpose. I also prefer a shorter than popular length LOP, somewhere between 12" and 13" works well for me. I am 5’9". A shorter stock also allows for better management of the recoil. As far as magazine extensions, side saddles and buttstock ammo carriers go, you may want to ask yourself do you really need 12-15 rounds on the gun to investigate the proverbial bump in the night problem?
When one begins to add lots of aftermarket accessories you tend to reduce the versatility, simplicity and handiness of the weapon. That being said, I do like a dedicated Surefire light. Lights are a necessity on a defensive weapon.
As far as sights go, again, define the purpose of the weapon. A simple bead may suffice or go with ghost rings if you need them.
I know this philosophy may not be popular and it sure isn’t range sexy but it has worked for me for years.
Agreed. Define the tasks you wish to accomplish, and tailor the tool for the job.
The shotgun is honestly my third choice for home defense. But as you say, there are niches that it fills very well. I like to think of them like mortars. Slow to load, more cumbersome to deploy, not very portable, shells that you have to handle manually/one at a time.
But when employed properly, they are devastating in their niche.
Hey,
Check out AI&P Tactical. He refinished my shotgun and has good deals on accessories. Mine was an old express mag. He made it look like new. Good luck!
This is exactly the logic I followed with my beater 870 Police Wingmaster project. Had big plans, hit the brakes and decided to start simple and go from there. Now I like it too much as it sits to add or change anything.
Chopped the wood stock for a ~12.5" LOP and refinished the furniture, threw in an 18" barrel, upgraded some worn internals, slapped on a +2 and sling and called it a day.
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That is sharp looking! Now you’ve got me inspired to build a wood furniture gun.
I was picturing something like that just with a 10-14" Barrel, light, maybe ghost rings, and solid black.
Don’t know if there is a way to just do the wood black vs a full cerakote
If you desire black wood, you could always pick up a cheap set of wood furniture on eBay, then sand the existing finish off. Go to Home Depot/Lowe’s/Ace and pick up some black wood stain.
That could actually look kind of neat if you had some nice grain on the wood, now that I think of it.
I like the looks of it, might I suggest grinding/rolling the heel and toe of the recoil pad just a bit to keep from grabbing/snagging as you mount the gun. I like this profile:
Or the old sporting clays trick… Wrap a couple of layers of electrical tape sides of the pad.
Anything less than 12.5" will require custom mods of the magazine and seriously limit your barrel options later on down the road. I also feel personally that GR sights on an SBS are a hindrance rather than a help, as they tend to make the gun more likely to snag on stuff and harder to deploy. I have 2 14"-ers and they both have Big Dot tritium beads on them and I can still make body hits on an IPSC option target at 100m with both. I like the 14" over the 12.5" as it allows a +1 extension and makes it less likely that I’ll run my hand past the muzzle (I have a 37" sleeve so this may not be an issue for some)…
Perfect timing on this thread. I may be inheriting an old Wingmaster in great shape. I don’t hunt, so I’m looking to do something similar in turning it into something more practical without a second mortgage. I’ll probably go factory or one of the Mossberg made barrels to get it down to 18.5". Any preferences out there for mag extensions? I know the 18.5" barrel will limit me to a +2. Lots of Choates and ProMag extensions out there, steering clear of those. I’ll probably go for the Wilson Combat unless anyone here steers me elsewhere. Nordic looks good, but pricier that I’ve seen so far. Still trying to decide whether to get a pistol-grip stock or just go full Magpul. Either way I’ll probably sell the wood on eBay.
There is very little by way of shotgun parts that I don’t recommend Hans Vang for, with Wilson a fairly close second…
Agreed. Hans Vang makes great shotgun parts, as does Bill Wilson.
On a shorter barrel, the +1 Wilson extension is really nice. On a 20" barrel, I’m fond of the Vang +2 extension.
Question on the SBS and NFA do you have to fill out paperwork every time you cross state lines?
Yes and no. If you have several trips planned you can send in notification once with the states you’re visiting. You need permission to leave your home state with the NFA weapon. With a SBS/SBR you can also just switch out the short bbl for a non NFA one and travel. Leaving the short bbls home.
I like the simplicity of this set up. I really like the shortened stock!