I am going to be checking out a friends 870 16 ga. he is going to sell. I saw the special run a few years ago, but it was a 16 barrel on a 12 ga. frame'. I could see no value in a gun built like that. Were the older 16's built on a smaller frame than the 12s. I have a coupe 20s on smaller frames. Thanks.

My old 16ga 870 (1954) is on a 12 ga frame with a plain barrel is a delight to carry and use. Don't discount it till you experience it. You might pm Trounut about it he is pretty knowledgeable about them. Mb

IIRC, all of the Rem 870 16 gauge shotguns were built on 12ga frames. Here are some links to articles with 870 info for you:
https://www.fieldandstream.com/story/guns/history-of-the-remington-870/
https://www.remingtonsociety.org/a-guide-to-collecting-remington-model-870-shotguns/
https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/the-remington-870-a-look-back/

Thank you for the help guys.

Day late and a dollar short but yes the 16s were all on 12 gauge frames. Still very nice shotguns.

Wrong, 12 gauge 870s and also 16 gauge 870s were built on 16 gauge 11-48 frames. That's why the early 12's and 16's were light compared to late models. The early barrels were also lighter thanks to the evolution of steel shot later model barrels were thicker walled. The last runs of 16's were 12 gauge barrel blanks bored to 16 gauge, that why they were true pigs.

12 and 16 gauge 870s were built on the same 12 ga 870 frame, which was based on the 11-48 20 ga frame, but not identical.

MikeL2 that's what my tape says also with my 16 and 12 ga m870's. Mb

Okay, so either way, the 12 gauge and 16gauge frame sizes were the same and were based on smaller gauge frames than the 12 gauge frames of the time.

No 12 ga frame back then is same as today the old 20 barrels won't even go on today's 20 frame. Mb

Looked at a clean 16 gauge Wingmaster today. Corncob forearm and choked IC.

Now I cannot remember if a little under $600 or just under $700.

That have a rib?.mb

Negative.

Well shoot. You guy's talking about pump shotguns. I haven't shot a pump in years. Have today five SxS's and ont ithica mod 37 16 ga so gonna have to go get it out and fondle it. At one time I was addicted to Mossberg mod 500's! had an 870 Special Field in 20gr that my son ended up with!