Why not Winchester?

J

jnsn

New member
I am wondering why more people don't seem to use Winchester shotguns. Is there any specific reasons? For my money the Winchester pump action is the smoothest on the market. I have owned and sold off a Mossberg 500 and Remington 870 because of how they cycled. The only thing I can see they have over the Winny is aftermarket parts. Any thoughts?
 
I agree...

Had a Mossy that was all dressed up with GR sights and sidesaddle--sold it for a large profit during the Y2K paranoia.

Had a Rem 870 SuperMag that patterned oddly with light 2 3/4 loads. Sold it to an avid turkey hunter.

Pick up a 1300 Defender and love its smoothness. No malfs after several hundred rounds fired--still want to take it to a class to wring it out proper.

All 3 brands work equally, I think its a case of Chevy vs Ford vs Dodge...
 
I've shot a few Winnies when I was instructing, student's gun. They did everything I wanted them to, and no glitching. To be fair, I doubt I put more than 10 or 15 shots through any of them.

I think Winnies are good shotguns and well worth the money.And they do cycle fast, tho the difference between the brands is infinitismal,IMO.

I cherish and like my 870s, but if all I had was a 1300, or even a 500 Mossie, I'd be well armed...
 
I've got 2 Winchester Defenders. I bought one and got the second one in a trade. Now, for that trade, I had a choice between a 870 and the 1300 and I opted for the 1300. While my 870 is a nice gun and I like it, I have to admit my preference is with the 1300. The 870 has been tight to pump after a shot a couple times. Never had that problem with the 1300, as the 1300 already opens up after it fires. My 1300's are lightning fast. I like the fact that the Defender comes with the magazine extension already on it. My 870 is for hunting and target and my 1300's are for self-defense and target shooting.

I've never been real impressed with Mossbergs when I looked at them, but I'm probably wrong about them. I see a lot of folks who like them and swear by them and I don't think they are all wrong.
 
as far as pump shotguns go.... I wouldn't own anything but a Winchester. SUPER fast, ultra reliable and the price can't be beat.
 
I was given a Model 12 recently. Nice old gun. It can be taken down into two pieces. What are the differences between the Model 12, 1200 and 1300? I'm assuming they dropped the ability to split the gun in half. Are the newer guns still all steel? Quality? This old one cycles fine. The shells don't seem to load into the magazine quite as solidly as my 870. Maybe I'm not used to it yet, but it seems to easy to hit the shell "flipper" and dislodge a shell. Except for the first one they don't seem to stay far enough in the magazine, tough to describe. I have only run a few through it so far. I will have to play with it some more. So far it is a nice shooter though.
 
The main reason you don't see any is because they don't market to the Law Enforcement crowd therefore, they don't get the notoriety.

I have a camp defender and I love it. One problem is you can't find a tactical sling for a Win.
 
they don't get the notoriety.
Click to expand...

There you go. It's not "chick" to have a Winny. For those of us who have ignored the hype and given them a try, the Winchester is king. Personally, I think it offers a good compromise between useability and durability. I have an older 1300 Defender that has thousands of rounds through it, all 1 oz slugs and 3" Magnum buck. It gets treated like an Afghan AK, and it just keeps getting smoother.
 
Growing up in the '50s and '60s shooting my father's Win Model 12 20ga, I remember Winchester getting the reputation as "The company that discontinued the Model 12".

What year was that anyway, something like 1959 or 1964? Things have never been the same for them, shotgun-wise, since that fateful day.

I know, I know, forgive and forget, right? :)

John
 
Have owned/shot Rem 870, Mossy 835 and Win 1300. All very similar. Variations on the theme. The 1300 is a worthy smoothbore.
 
Makarov, the 12 was discontinued because it was costly to make,and the 870 was taking its market share. The 1200 and 1300 were designed to use stamped parts and have alloy receivers.

Your 12 is a classic. While some are quite worn, most have generations of use still in them. And the worn ones can be brought up to speed by the smiths that specialize in them.

Carry that 12 out to a trap range and watch eyes light up. Then shoot it and watch yours do the same.
 
A lot of the problem with the 1300s and 1400s is that they are Winchesters and NOT model 12s or 97s. The winchester fanatics love their old guns and don't seem to have any use for new designs.

Dave and John are right. The new models are solid servicable arms but don't have the romance of the old Winnies or even the Rem 870s.

Chuck Graber
 
Now just hold on a minute- The romance of remington 870? Maybe one lusts for some quasi-military, l.e.o.-tactical feeling they hope will rub off if they have a 870 with a heat shield and a bayo lug, but real romance is sharing a long smouldering look at some approaching ducks with my rust covered Winny.
 
I have a 1300 Defender pump in 20 gauge, I love it. I had one in 12 gauge, it was a great shotgun, but I like the 20 gauge a lot better. After a good session at the range with it I don't have to soak my shoulder anymore, and my hit factor is a lot better with the 20, than with the 12, especially at longer ranges. I use slugs in it because where I live I can't find 00 buck in 20 gauge. There is one thing about the gun, the box and all the literature that came with the gun, say the gun holds 8rds., all I can get in the gun is 7. One in the chamber, and 6 in the magazine, and thats with 2 3/4 inch shells, but I still love the gun.
 
I have Remington 11-87, Mossbergs and a Winchester 1400. The Winchester is as good as any of them. It is better than a Mossberg semi-auto. They stink!
Jim Hall
 
Another Happy Winchester Model 1300 Defender Owner.

Another Very Happy Winchester model 1300 Defender owner. :)
In addition to two Rem 870's, and one Mossberg 590, and two Norinco M97's, I have 7 Winchester Defenders, and like all seven of the Winchester Defenders, and have not had a single malfunction out of any of them.
Thay are without a doubt the best looking of the combat pumps, and very positively poccess the smmooootthheest action on the market---- bare none.
I personally believe that the reason the Remington 870 has such a strong following is because in had such a head start (about 30 years) on the other brands.
I do believe that there is a possibility that the Mossberg 590A1 might have a pretty good whack at "De throning" the 870, as the 870 has been at the top for along time, even tough I like the Winchester, I don't think it is in position YET(Just wait).
The 870, the Moss.590/590A1/Winchester Defender/IthacaM37 all are good quality guns over all.
I just happen to be partial to the Winchester Defender because it is simply the best one of them all.:D .
SeeYa-StevieB.
 
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