Please help! Gun Value - 870 Wingmaster

[wrenchman]

lol skeet i bought one of those ugly 870 expess guns over 10 years ago bought it at gander mountain when they had a sell and i got a rebate when it was all said and done i paid 179 dollers for it.
I have sense spray painted the wood stock I bought this gun just to hunt hard with and beat up.
I have also lost count of the deer that have been killed with it.

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Saw quite a few over the weekend at various pawn shops and gun stores w/ used gun racks. The older guns with the better finishes were going for $250-$275; these were with plain barrels (w/ vent ribs, add about $15-20). All were 12 gauge.
Quite a common find in the used racks around here, and as skeet said, the newer "Express" models have caused prices to take a bit of a tumble. I have an express model that I use for waterfowling; bought it specifically for that purpose in mind, as I new it would get dunked, dinged, banged around, stepped on, muddy, ect. I put a synthetic stock on it after I found that the wood one swelled up horribly and changed my POI when I shot it. It still serves me well, and with a little TLC I think it will last many more seasons.

[skeet]

Originally Posted by wrenchman

lol skeet i bought one of those ugly 870 expess guns over 10 years ago bought it at gander mountain when they had a sell and i got a rebate when it was all said and done i paid 179 dollers for it.
I have sense spray painted the wood stock I bought this gun just to hunt hard with and beat up.
I have also lost count of the deer that have been killed with it.

Luckily I do not have one of them ugly 870 Express guns. But as you have found out..they work and work well. Still better lookin than one of them Menelli Plastic pumps...which also work..but they work really ugly. I did have one of the express finished lemon 87s. It was a bit ugly but shot really well. Went duck huntin one Saturday a few years ago..Eastern Shore Marsh..oh that gun was mucked up pretty good..Next day I went to a gun club I belonged to..just to say hi.. Guy there shamed me into shootin the club championships..He laughed when i brought the ol lemon 87 out..wiped the mud offin it..proceeded to shoot a hundred..He was really torqued when I beat him in the shootoff for the club championships..him with his 20 grand Krieghoff...and me with a muddied up 4 hundred buck gun.. The 870s are ok guns they work and that is what the everyday shooter/hunter needs..Like Mr 16 said.. He bought it cause he was certain it would get messed up..dunked etc etc..Keeps on working..just like a Timex..takes a lickin and keeps on tickin. Just as an aside..all those years I guided Md waterfowlers and deer hunters..the 870 was probably the most prevalent gun with real hunters..There were a lot of others of course..like the Auto 5 and others..But the 870 was a workin guys gun...I mean a guy that worked at hunting.. The guides #1 gun I used a M-12 till steel shot came in..after that I went to an 1100...one of the few that shot one...but I maintained it too.