My latest frivolous shotgun project. with pics

[Gungho_1989]

My latest retro shotgun project. with pics

A few years ago I picked up a Wingmaster receiver pretty much all there was No barrel no guts. Then a year or so later I managed to get my hands on a MK1 front end. I took a bit of an Artists liberty and shortened the Barrel to 18.1" Instead of the reg 20"

Slowly the rest of the parts and pieces started to come together then finally the wood, IndyGunWorks Parked it up for me and finally I got it put together and smoothed out and ready to run.
Hopefully within the next week or two Ill get a chance to get out and make confetti with it.
Wingmaster receiver.
Mossy replacement 18" mil Barrel
MK1 Front end.
Wingmaster trigger group,
Various 870 standard small parts.
Great set of Mil spec replacement wood.
The only item I need to get my hands on now is a good rear swivel set with the solid base that needs inletted into the wood of the buttstock then it will almost be done.
The last thing is to find a reliable engraver to do some engraving on the receiver for me. I want to put an Big EGA on the port side behind the Ejection port. than below that something witty and inspirationl.

 

[tuoder]

 

[shooter521]

Ron, what's a "Mk1 front end"? That mag clamp/bayonet lug/sling swivel getup? Was it a military issue item? Curious to know more about its history.

 

[Fenway]

Very nice Ron

 

[Thumper]

It will be mine.

 

[Gungho_1989]

It will be mine.

ummmmm not likely lol I'm thinking about unassing my Vang Wingmaster and putting this in its place.

 

[Colt556]

I want that stock set!!!! O=O

 

[lovemywoods]

ummmmm not likely lol I'm thinking about unassing my Vang Wingmaster and putting this in its place.

A good salesman always has a price at which he will sell the merchandise!

 

[Gungho_1989]

A good salesman always has a price at which he will sell the merchandise!

Very true but I am still at the stage of gauging his desperation, at which time I will be able to determine just how bad I can gouge him.

 

[Lock n Load]

Very true but I am still at the stage of gauging his desperation, at which time I will be able to determine just how bad I can gouge him.

Ron, nice Remmy..... and this will be interesting w/ Tim..... good luck Thumper !!!

 

[JohnP82]

Sweet!! Very nice

 

[AllenM]

That's hot

 

[fordmech_2000]

I like the assault look with the wood!!! makes you take a double take. how many will the mag tube hold??

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

I've got $300 burning a hole in my wallet... I think I need to stop by TSG. Again. :-)

 

[KingWeb50]

Ron, what's a "Mk1 front end"? That mag clamp/bayonet lug/sling swivel getup? Was it a military issue item? Curious to know more about its history.

the mk1 was the USMC combat shotgun

 

[Dawall]

Nicely done.

 

[Gungho_1989]

Ron, what's a "Mk1 front end"? That mag clamp/bayonet lug/sling swivel getup? Was it a military issue item? Curious to know more about its history.

The MK1 shotgun was adopted by the USMC back in 1966 It was used by the Marine Corps for a number of years and last I knew there were still 870 MK1's in use with some units.

There were images from the early part of the war on terror where the MK1's were still seen among FMF units.


When I was in the Corps I had a chance to mess with some shotguns when working in the Armory and we did a familiarization fire as well during our Combat town stint. This is where I first got my hands on MK1's.

The front ends out here usually command a premium due to there rarity in the Civilian world. I am always on the hunt for them as I would like to get enough together to do a small run of Custom Commemorative 870s


The Airforce Navy and Coast Guard also had adopted the Remington's the Army I am not sure about.

The current Magazine extension exists only due to the MK1 and its variants. The military required a Bayonet to be mounted and Remington never changed the drawing for civilian and LE guns.
Mossberg made replacement barrels for the old MK1's and eventually won the contract due to their meeting the requirements set forth as well as coming in significantly cheaper on unit price. Alot of salts I knew and know still believe the Remington was the better gun for combat use and it would still likely be the issue gun today in FMF units if its cost would have been at least close to Mossberg's pricing.

 

[shooter521]

The MK1 shotgun was adopted by the USMC back in 1966 It was used by the Marine Corps for a number of years and last I knew there were still 870 MK1's in use with some units.

Thanks for the info! And for those wishing to do a little more research, I discovered that the nomenclature for the complete weapon is "Shotgun, 12-Gage, Remington, M870, MK1, Riot" and it has NSN 1005-00-143-8509.

Based on that, I found this:
This was originally a USMC development of the Remington 870P that was designed in the mid-1960s, and saw long service with that organization until officially replaced by the Mossberg M590 in the early 1990s.

The Model 870 was announced by Remington in 1950 as a hunting shotgun for the civilian market. As military requirements for combat shotguns were recognized in the Vietnam war, the Model 870 was selected for acquisition by the Marine Corps in 1966 followed by other services in the 1970s, including the USAF Security Police. As issued, it was equipped with sling swivels and a bayonet adapter for the M7 bayonet used with the M16 series rifles.

The first combat use of the Model 870 Mark I is reputed to be in the Mayaguez incident, May 1975, when the American ship was boarded and captured by Khmer Rouge troops off Cambodia. According to Bruce Canfield's book on Combat Shotguns, "The Mark I was a key weapon employed by the Marine boarding party which retook the ship and the subsequent operations against the Cambodians on a nearby island."

And a little pr0n:

 

[Gungho_1989]

There were a couple three different variants that I have seen over the years.
The Standard model as shown had a 21" barrel and rifle sights, All the ones was ever around had the Sights removed and were used as standard ribbed or beaded shotguns. Its not impossible to become proficient with them this way but even then I felt it was not the best way to go.
I never seen the synthetic stocked version but plenty of taped up wood. Now days the Corps has much better equipment and has arguably the finest fighting shotgun produced to date, but the MK1's were all wood and steel for along time.
Notice the Sliding stock on the Recon Marines 870 up top. Meeting that guy on a beach on some tropical island in the middle of the night probably didn't end well for a few bad guys.

Another quote from a decent article on them.

The Model 870 shotgun has been used by the USMC and USAF Special Operations Command (AFSOC), USAF Security Police, Navy SEALs, and law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Border Patrol. To accomodate the various roles, the Model 870 has been procured with folding stock, barrel lengths from 14 to 20 inches, and different magazine capacities.

 

[mrjarrell]

Much goodness is there! That's a nice piece.