[WJR]

I have Winchester 1300 Defender, 8 shot model with a truglo front sight, that was my father's before he passed away. I am estimating that he bought it somewhere around 1995, but I may be a little off on that.

Anyway, when he passed away in 1998, I inherited it. I do not believe that he shot it very much at all. I have shot maybe a total of 100 shells through it, a mixture of some 00 and light birdshot to test for function. (I also have some 870s that I have been shooting from time to time).

My question is that if I plan to start shooting the Defender more often, what parts should I be concerned about from a wear standpoint and should I stock up with some replacement parts while I can still get them?

I have an extra barrel already, but nothing else.

Thanks in advance,

WJR

[Thernlund]

There isn't much to it really. I have a Defender that I purchased around '93 or '94. Shot it alot. No issues that I can tell.

I wouldn't worry about it.


-T.

[Dave McCracken]

I've yet to see a 1200/1300 worn out. If it's important to you, I'd pick up a bolt assembly and some springs.

More than likely, the thing will outlast us all.

[WJR]

Thank you, gentlemen.

WJR

[NG VI]

And just in case you want to try them out, Aguila Minislugs supposedly work just as well in the 1300 as ordinary length shells and are both cheap and FUN! They cycle mostly in my mossberg 500A, but not well enough to use for defense.

[WJR]

Thanks for the tip, NG VI. I will have to try those out.

WJR

[LJH]

My 1300 has had thousands and thousands of rounds through it. Still functions as new.

The Aguila Minislugs do function quite well. They are fun and the recoil is very manageable.

[mnrivrat]

Extractor , ejector, & firing pin Those are the three most frequently replaced parts on your Winchester .

[WJR]

Thank you, mnrivrat.

WJR

[Fred Fuller]

Do be careful what solvents you use when cleaning it. If you need to use a plastic-removing solvent to get deposits from plastic shells/wads out of the barrel/chamber, always remove the barrel from the gun for this cleaning. There are two threaded plastic 'clamshells' holding the magazine tube in place in the front of the receiver that are about the only 'odd' vulnerability of this design (see the exploded drawing at http://www.midwestgunworks.com/schematics/1300_schm.pdf , parts #34 & 35). These parts are subject to some wear from loading and functioning of the action, as they serve as the 'throat' to the magazine tube. I have known of them needing to be replaced on some guns which saw hard use.

Some folks suggest using brake cleaner as a substitute for various spray gun cleaning products- be careful doing that, as some of them (the chlorinated variety) can attack plastic parts. The trigger plate is plastic also IIRC, not that it is a real disadvantage, but it is a consideration in selecting cleaning solvents.

There are three or four 1200/1300s here, including the FN- marked Police variety, and they are good shotguns. Enjoy it,

lpl

[Taurus 617 CCW]

If you ever need to get parts for your 1300, you can first look at Numrich Gun Parts Co. and if they stop carrying them for unforseen reason, try Jack First Obsolete Gun Parts Catalog.

[loosecannon]

This model hit the market in 1964 with millions having been, and parts should be around a long time. They are trouble free. Unfortunately, they do not hold their value as well as others--meaning that a repair bill might put you in the hole in that respect. As you visit gunshops, inquire about parts and prices. Eventually you will find some good deals. Look for bolt parts and trigger mechanism parts, and any other parts in the receiver, like an ejector Avoid paying retail.

Loosecannon

[Trebor]

There are three or four 1200/1300s here, including the FN- marked Police variety, and they are good shotguns. Enjoy it,

Lee,

Do the parts of the FN Police Pump interchange 100% with Win 1300 parts?

What about accessories? Chokes?

I know the FN Police Pump is just a rebadged Winchester 1300, but I just wanted to make sure they didn't change something for ease of production or somesuch that makes certain parts not interchange.

[NG VI]

They are fun and the recoil is very manageable.

Yeah, it's like candy! I can't believe how little recoil bothers me now that I have a decelerator pad on it. If I could do it all over again, I very well might have gotten some HD-oriented variant of the Winchester 1300 instead of my mossberg (which I'm also VERY happy with) just because of how cheap and fun those minis are. If they were totally reliable in my shotgun I might consider using them for HD, just because eleven or twelve of those is a good amount, and they are so easy to shoot well for me, I would be quite confident I could quickly and accurately place two, three or four of them into an opponent in relatively short order.