I think that because the Remington 870 has served so many people for so long (Dave McC et al) that there is going to be a justified bias towards the gun.
Justified because the gun is reliable, dependable and does everything asked of it.
Is it a good gun? Yes.
Is it a great gun? Yes.
Is a Winchester 1300 worse or better?
When I was selecting a shotgun I wanted to buy something that I didn't have to mess with. I didn't want to add mag extensions or sling mounts. I liked the idea of an aluminum receiver. (There are just too many quality firearms that use aluminum receivers or frames to worry about the metal).
The 1300 Defender I purchased came stock with 8 rounds capacity (which suited me rather than having to remove dimples and purchase extensions), sling mounts, and Hi-Viz bead sight. It fit me and felt good. I tried an 870 Wingmaster and a 1300 Defender and preferred the pump action of the 1300, the Speed Pump feature due to the rotary bolt seemed very smooth and very, very fast (the company claims 3 shots in less than half a second!!) I also preferred the location of the safety (trigger finger extended same as pistol rather than the on the 870) The action release being located rear of the trigger group also means not having to shift hand firing positions for me.
There is an abundance of accessories available for the 1300 e.g. sidesaddle shell carriers and forearm lights, at the same price as for the 870 so that was not an issue either.
I have over 2500 shells through my 1300 Defender and have not had any problems at all. The last trip to the range it sucked down over 1000 shells with out being cleaned and functioned flawlessly. There is no excess wear in the receiver to cause any worry about the aluminum, as the rotary bolt design locking completely with the barrel places no stress on the receiver.
Another little piece of info is that the Winchester 1300 is actually manufactured by U.S. Repeating Arms Co. and as such is made under license from the famous military manufacturer FN Herstal. FN is world renowned for there excellence if firearms manufacturing.
Check out this link to the FN Herstal Police Shotgun
Winchester 1300 Defender
So the reality of which is superior comes down to which features you like best.
I paid just $239 plus tax for my 1300 Defender NIB and couldn't be happier, the Rem 870 was the same price but I would have had to add the accessories I detailed earlier.
So for a lightweight, strong, reliable pump action the FN (Winchester) 1300 rotary bolt makes a lot of sense.
Well I like mine anyway
Regards,
HS/LD