I recently became the proud owner of this Wingmaster & got to wondering what it's history might be.

What I know:
1975 Wingmaster, 2-3/4" only, pre "Flexitab", matte finish, 18" cylinder barrel with bead sight.
The stock is not original. No extended magazine tube. The barrel code (EZ) falls in the correct "T" series serial # range.

What I'm wondering:
Since the "Police" version did not come out until sometime in the '90's (?), did Remington market a LE version of the Wingmaster before then?

I bought it thinking it was an older Wingmaster that had been coated with a matte finish & fitted with a short barrel as a custom home defense project. Now I'm leaning towards a factory job - partially because if it is aftermarket, why didn't the builder also up-grade to the flexitab modification. If factory, was it offered to the general public?

Opinions?

Have any pictures...!?

No Photos. I could take some, but not sure I could get them posted.

Remington has made and sold 870s to law enforcement and the military since the '50s. They used to have guns exactly like you describe at a police specialty retail store back in the early 70s. They did make some that were marked LE I believe. The earlies flyer I have on LE stuff is 1969, and it doesn't show the receivers close up. That early the matte may indeed be Parkerizing, which is far superior.


Edit - I found one from '76 that said 870P, and Parkerizing was an option, and you could get your police department name rollmaked on the receiver, or with 50 or more you could provide the design you wanted - badge w/name, etc.

Thanks for the info, .270. The black matte could well be parkerizing. Just used to thinking of parkerizing being gray. The bolt is also black. I've pretty much convinced myself now that this is a factory configuration, less it's original stock.

Even the original 1950 870 launch lineup included the 870R - "Riot Grade", and I've seen catalogs listing "Police" 870 models & barrels as early as the 1960s.

I know this is an older post, but did you ever get it figured out?

I also noticed your location is Knoxville. I was down at Fort Sanders hospital not too long ago.

Small world.

No more than per the previous posts.
My youngest daughter was born at Ft. Sanders (the original one actually near the old Union Fort Sanders site). She turned 40 last week. Made me feel sort of old.

Yeah, I imagine so. My oldest son is almost 24. Still doesn't feel like it should be that long ago either. I think I blinked and missed a lot of it.

I don't remember Ft Sanders being anywhere other than where it is now up on the hill.

The original one is still there. There's another newer complex about 12 miles west.
Fort Sanders itself sat on top of that hill. 17th St goes right through where it was.

That's the one I normally go to. I didn't know they opened up a newer one.

The childrens center and the cancer center is across the street and the emergency room entrance is around the back side of the building.

My Mom had a stem cell transplant at the cancer center. Since we were out of state, they let us stay at the fellowship center next door for a couple of weeks.

You couldn't ask for better people.

Good to hear. I've lived here since 1975 & like the area.