What is my Remington 870 worth?
More than ten million made, which means most are working shotguns worth working-shotgun money. The one thing that consistently separates them is which line it came from, and that is stamped on the gun.
Made 1950–present.
No page can price your gun, and one that offers to is guessing. What this does is show you which one you have — because that is where the money is.
How to tell which one you have
- Read the barrel or receiver for Wingmaster or Express. That single word is the biggest divider in the model.
- Check the barrel code, which dates Remington barrels and is usually the quickest way to place the gun in time.
- Confirm the barrel belongs to the gun. Remington shotgun barrels swap freely and mismatched sets are extremely common.
- Look at the finish. Wingmaster guns were polished and blued; Express guns have a matte finish that is easy to recognize once seen.
The versions that change the number
| Version | What it means for value |
|---|---|
| Wingmaster | The properly finished version — polished blue, better wood, machined parts. Good original examples hold real money. |
| Express | Introduced later and built to a price with a matte finish. Solid working guns, priced as working guns. |
| Early production | The first decades of Wingmaster production, particularly in good original condition, sit above the rest. |
| Special-purpose and police | Different configurations that some buyers seek specifically. Worth identifying rather than lumping in with field guns. |
What actually drives the price
- Wingmaster versus Express, before anything else.
- Original barrel, and whether extra barrels came with it — a spare barrel is worth money in its own right.
- Condition of the bluing and wood, which is where most of the spread sits on common guns.
- Gauge, with 16 and 20 generally less common than 12.
And the two that apply to every gun on this site: do not clean it, and keep the box and papers. Removing original finish is permanent, and on the right gun the packaging is a real part of the total.
"It is the most common shotgun ever made, so it is worthless"
Common is not worthless. There is a steady market for clean original Wingmasters and always has been. What is true is that condition does nearly all the work: a beaten Express and a clean Wingmaster are separated by far more than the years between them.
I have two barrels for it. Does that help?
Yes, bring both. A second barrel — particularly a shorter or differently choked one — is worth money separately, and selling the gun without it usually leaves that money on the table.
Getting a number for yours
Send photographs and we will tell you what we will pay for it. We buy nationwide — a single firearm ships to us prepaid and insured, and for a collection we come to you. More on what separates one Remington from another.