FN or Winchester (I know...just read!)

[Steve Smith]

Another shotgun question from the "newbie."

Ok, supposedly the 1300 Defender and the FN Police are the same, right? Well, doing a little investigating, I find that the FN comes with "rifle sights" so I'm wondering if that's a goor or bad/fragile thing. Could always add the fiber sight cheaply. Also, the really interesting part is that on the FN page it says the stock is shorter for use with body armor. Checked both OALs and sure enough, the FN is 3/4" shorter. Also, it appears (according to the pics) that there is a knurled ring around the end of the FN barrel, suggesting a different choke system than the Winchester. That choke would also add to the OAL, meaning that the stock is more likely 1" shorter total, which is exactly where I planned on starting (remember, I'm 5'7 and 175#). Adding to this is the fact that I'm a closet sucker for all things FN, and I'm really leaning toward this since its only $30 more than the Winny. I'm ASSuming that the FN has the same "speed pump" whatever as the Winny since they are the same actions?

I appreciate ALL of your responses!

 

[Preacherman]

Yep - same pump action in both guns.

If you can find an FN for only $30 more than the Winchester, go for it - no reason not to. The sights, choke threads, etc. will be identical to the Winchester, so if you can find a choke, front sight, etc. that are made for the Winchester, they'll fit the FN with no problem. You can also buy chokes from Briley threaded for the Winchoke system, which is a plus.

I'm surprised that the difference in price is so small, though. Last time I checked, I could get a Winchester 1300 Defender for about $230, while the FN was well over $400. What prices are you getting, and where from? Perhaps the model of Winchester you looked at has more bells and whistles than the basic Defender I saw.

 

[Steve Smith]

Winny is $250 my price, FN is $289...oops, that's $39 difference. Big deal, right?

Remember, I haven't paid "retail" in years.

The sights, choke threads, etc. will be identical to the Winchester,

Preacherman, according to the two pictures and descriptions, that's not true. ???

 

[Preacherman]

Steve, it depends on the model. Some Winchesters will have different sights, I'm sure, but compare these two pictures and you'll see what I mean.

FN Police Shotgun:

Winchester 1300 (upper picture):

You can see that the sights are identical, to judge from these pictures. Also, the FN choke tube may protrude beyond the barrel (a good thing, IMHO, as it does away with the need for a choke wrench), but I'm willing to bet that the choke thread is the same as the Winchoke system. You can get external chokes for the Winchoke system from a number of sources (for example, Briley).

 

[Steve Smith]

Well, specifically the Win 1300 Defender. Has that Tru-Glo sight on it. Wonderin' if I can put a tru-glo on a FN police easily, and still keep the rifle sights on for longer distance stuff. Sounds handy, not sure if it would work well though.

 

[Preacherman]

You might be able to replace the front sight with a Williams unit?

Williams makes these to fit a number of rifles - perhaps the dovetail set would fit the shotgun sights, or could be made to fit? See here and scroll down to the dovetail sight sets for more information.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

I find the glowy sights harder to use, because the glow ends up being a giant, fuzzy, ill defined dot. I have the same trouble with my mossberg front, which has an orange panel on it, but to a considerbaly lesser degree.

try it before you buy it.

 

[Steve Smith]

try it before you buy it.

Will do.

 

[Steve Smith]

Ok, went and tried the Win, FN, and Rem guns today. I was very happy to note that the Win and FN mounted best, with the edge toward my on-paper favorite (FN) due to its slightly shorter stock. I don't think I'll have to shorten it at all, but maybe if I ever meet someone who knows shotguns he'll show me differently. Did the "point it at a definite spot" thing and it pointed just fine. Also found some tru-glo dovetail sight replacements, so I can play that game a little with it. I'll get this after Perry.

 

[Preacherman]

Sounds good! I wasn't aware that TruGlo made dovetail sights... must check on these. Let's have a range report when you get it!

 

[Steve Smith]

Preacher, I think this is the one:

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=13193

BTW, dealer price is $10.79.

What I need to know is what the height is and if its considered a "ramp" or "barrel "sight. Gut feeling tells me ramp, but the height has be concerned. I can go into my local well-stocked gun store and check fit before I order from a distributor, but I can't very well go in with a set of calipers and start measuring. Their price on that sight is $26 and their price on the FN Police is $399! LOL!

 

[Preacherman]

Thanks for the link, Steve. Looks basically similar to the Williams unit.

As for measuring height, why not call up FN and ask them? I'm sure their technical support gurus could give you that information. Their US Web site is http://www.fnmfg.com/, and has contact information.

 

[Steve Smith]

Sometimes the simplest answers are the hardest to come up with.

 

[toddler]

Steve,

On their web site photos the Winchester and FN look like they have different finishes. Is that not the case when you compared them?

Also, are the prices you listed dealer prices or your gun shop's prices.

Thanks,

Todd

 

[Steve Smith]

You know, it might have been but not being much of a finish guy I didn't even notice.

 

[Preacherman]

not being much of a finish guy I didn't even notice

Steve, we're still talking about guns here, right???