Winchester Model M-59

M

MNhuntero1

Inactive
I have a shotgun that my step-daughter's grandfather gave me. It is a Winchester that has the markings "WINCHESTER M59-12GA", on the right side of the receiver, which is also etched with ducks over a pond with other fancy etching. The left side of the receiver is etched with a pointing dog, a flying pheasant, mountains, trees and more of the fancy stuff. The left side of the barrel is marked "WIN-LITE - 12GA - 2 3/4 CHAM - FULL -". It has a 27 3/4 inch fiberglass over steel insert barrel, a gold colored, brass?, trigger guard and bolt release button and the serial number is 11XXX. There is not a single scratch on the reciever or barrel nor are there any worn spots. The fore stock has a few minor brush scratches. Does anyone know the birthdate and approximate value of this fine shotgun? Or where I can find that information?
 
Win 59 Shotgun

I'm no Winchester expert, but I believe it was made about 1961-2. Value here in South Florida where shotguns aren't popular about $350-400.
 
In top condition and in the box, they bring more, but they are not a high ticket item. The receivers sometimes cracked, as did the stocks, and the barrels tended to show the fiberglas at the muzzle. The Win-Lite barrel is made with a thin steel tube wrapped with miles (yes, that is correct) of fine fiberglas filament for strength. The problem a lot of folks found was that the gun was simply too light and, while it was nice to carry, it was hard to control the swing. Add the fact that the Winchester used about the plainest wood that could be found, and the guns sold poorly. The trigger guard is not brass, it is anodized aluminum.

If you like it, it is a good shotgun, with the caveats I mentioned.

The guns were made from 1960-1965. They made around 82,000, so yours was probably made in the first year of production.

HTH

Jim
 
A History of Winchester Firearms 1866-1992 by Henshaw has a page on the
M-59. Basically it was the Winchester M-50 with an aluminumn reciever and
the steel and fiberglass Win Lite barrels described above.
 
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