sm
member
THE softest shooting semi-auto shotgun - Period!
Winchester 1400 , 20 gauge, Deluxe Walnut, no recoil pad. This is a stamped gun, restricted by gas system design to only 3 shells total. NO need for magazine plug for Migratory Birds - it already is! Never a worry to keep up with a plug, or wonder if gun is plugged.
LNIB, 28" barrel, and it come with Skeet, IC, Mod, and Full factory Win-chokes.
I have always liked Win-Chokes, external knurled and with a sensible wrench. These are steel proof, meaning one can shoot steel shot for not only Waterfowl, also any other areas that mandate Non-Tox shot, such as ranges, or preserves.
With Bismuth (my recommendation over steel any day) these guns shine - as they replicate lead loadings.
Easy to tote, balance for me and owner a tad forward of hands. I already mentioned Softest Shooting Semi, which makes this another excellent shotgun to use for introducing new folks to shotguns, and those more sensitive to recoil be it their size, weight, age , physical limitations - you name.
Unlike Remington 1100s and other Semi-Autos , the bolt handle cannot be lost . By design again, it is a one piece stamped piece that fits onto bolt.
Take down is a bit different, still very straight forward once done a time a two.
Only weak link in all the years of my experience - is opposite of loading port there is screw, for layman's terms I will call it the "ejector"...it holds in place a spring.
I have never, nor has anyone close to me every had one come undone - we always cleaned , degreased, and used a dab of nail polish. Clear Nail Polish works...so does Candy Apple Red
(it is what we had and would not fussed at for using)
We did not bother to look up Born on Date, best guess, 1992. So the gun was designed to shoot loadings of the times. One HUGE fault folks have with any Repeating Shotgun is NOT using the loadings the gun was designed to use.
Most often someone with a older 12 gauge attempting to shoot 7/8 oz loads and the gun will not run and owner gets upset.
The gun was not designed to use that 7/8 oz. I was still using 1 1/8 oz loads in Skeet, as were Trap shooters in 1992 .
Owner took down gun, following instructions, including metal removed from wood, treated with Johnson's Paste Wax and RIG as I have shared before.
Being tacky - since Internet "says" you have to use a really expensive gun lube...
We used some Dexron II Automatic Transmission Fluid. Now Dexron is different than Ford ATF. We knew back when the earth was flat, Dexron was the best kept secret to keeping gas guns running.
Grant Cunningham, whom I have never met, and is a THR member , whom I respect his postings and his blog seems to agree-
http://www.grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html
1400 flat works every time and is soft shooting on top of this - with NO recoil pad.
First day using a Mix of the new HS AA Target loads (which I hate as they are NO way the same as the old proven Compression Formed AAs) Remington, Fiocchi and some "forgot what recipe(s) all dumped in together" we shot 300 rounds in one day - with NO malfunctions. Five of us using the same gun shooting skeet, one right after the other.
We did not clean this gun - only wiped it off.
Win-Chokes.
Now some make fun of this choke "looking short and different, and they don't cost very much". Winchester was not stupid when they came up with these chokes and these barrels. I have never seen one non concentric.
I have screwed a $8 Mod Winchoke into a factory gun and it out shoot for pattern density more expensive "gunsmith tweaked" guns, and shot some of the Best Buckshot and Slug Groups.
External Knurled has another huge advantage over internal chokes, it protects the muzzle from dings. Ding a External Knurled choke and if severe, just replace the External Knurled Choke.
Less monies that muzzle work on the barrel itself.
Patterns and Groups - in my experiences and observations have always been great with 1400s. Soft shooting again and I do not recall anyone ever having Forcing cone work done.
So we kept shooting this 1400 in 20 gauge in skeet another 300 rounds. No lube, no patterning - just shooting it - based on the simple fact I had said the gun would run and bust targets.
Now we have a bit over 600 rounds fired with the Skeet and any misc rounds fired.
Again, just wiped off, not even pipe-clean the breech, the extractor and for sure not the chamber.
We patterned the gun. Like most when I shoot these due to gun fit to me - the POA/POI is a bit higher about 60/40 as I prefer, even for Skeet, or Field use I prefer this.
Owner said the gun fit them about the same as it did me - gun fit is great.
Patterns for various ranges with various loads replicated my experiences in the past.
Never saw a need for anything but 7/8 oz loads in 20 gauge - gets into payload to bore we have discussed before. This 1400 did great using #9 shot on up to #3 buckshot.
Recoil on #3 buckshot - What recoil?
Now shooter that owns this gun started out at skeet, later took on 5 stand, and has some experience at Sporting Clays. She knows to point a shotgun.
Like many of us, she wanted a mid bead installed to fit her "pointing" to her "gun fit". This was done.
Understand, we don't "see" the barrel or muzzle per se' - we know it is there, just peripherally if you will. Owner like myself has shot numerous 100 straights with NO beads.
Many of the top shooters with custom fitted guns - do NOT have any beads on purpose. Gun Fit to shooter and Correct Basic Fundamentals - are that important!
Slugs, Cloverleaf at 15 steps (a step is about one yard for my stride). All slugs stayed inside a 6" paper plate out to 35 yards from walking up, low gun, mount gun to face and shoot as fast as can.
Taking our time, we each had 3 shot cloverleaf at 21 yds on a playing card.
We even got cocky and with a safe background - portable trap cranked to throw low - shot a clay bird with a Slug - first try. We were feeling a bit tacky about some Internet postings we see...
Decided to NOT post what loads worked with what choke at what distance. Reason being :
It does not matter what a barrel or choke is marked - only the Pattern Board can reveal
and
It does not matter what Internet, Gun Magazine, or anyone else says works in their gun - each barrel, choke, lot of ammunition can and will perform different.
All it "should" give one is a starting point.
No disrepect - one cannot buy skill and targets and Can't buy it - Gotta Earn it.
We that have earned kinda feel like others should as well...
At ~ 1500 rounds the gun still has not malfunctioned. Dexron II as lube was used @ ~ 1000 rounds as we figured " oh heck - why not?"
Barrel removed, cleaned chamber, bore with cordless drill as shared before on THR, and receiver wiped out, bolt wiped off [ATF allows easy clean up] and put back.
Now some say a Gas Gun in 20 gauge is NOT a defensive weapon. Internet also says one much have more shells. And not way in hell can a 28" barrel be a defensive length.
Tueller drill. We improvised using a water balloon suspended in a "house" if you will. Basically tarps and frames, with cardboard boxes for "room dividers.
We used skeet loads, and We did not know, nor could we see if and when, but round a corner, and here comes a balloon and "wristwatch time" was a "second" from time balloon sighted, gun mounted to face and balloon busted.
Later on a timer My best time with same gun using slugs from low gun was .8 seconds hitting a 8" pc of wood.
Owner did it in just under a second.
Another drill we did is BG confronted, and having to dial a phone and keep gun trained on BG with 911.
Do this for about 3 minutes and let me know how your gun feels.
WE also did this for 2 minutes,and "threat" caused to have to fire this shotgun one handed.
Another nice something to practice/
Gun ran port up, port down, upside down while on our backs and having to back over our heads.
No malfunctions.
This a great gun - especially in 20 ga for teaching new shooters, or loaning to them.
Great for a first General Purpose Gun. Allows one to shoot 12 ga and 20 ga events in skeet, 5 stand, sporting clays, and hunt.
Find a good buy - I recommend them.
Steve
Winchester 1400 , 20 gauge, Deluxe Walnut, no recoil pad. This is a stamped gun, restricted by gas system design to only 3 shells total. NO need for magazine plug for Migratory Birds - it already is! Never a worry to keep up with a plug, or wonder if gun is plugged.
LNIB, 28" barrel, and it come with Skeet, IC, Mod, and Full factory Win-chokes.
I have always liked Win-Chokes, external knurled and with a sensible wrench. These are steel proof, meaning one can shoot steel shot for not only Waterfowl, also any other areas that mandate Non-Tox shot, such as ranges, or preserves.
With Bismuth (my recommendation over steel any day) these guns shine - as they replicate lead loadings.
Easy to tote, balance for me and owner a tad forward of hands. I already mentioned Softest Shooting Semi, which makes this another excellent shotgun to use for introducing new folks to shotguns, and those more sensitive to recoil be it their size, weight, age , physical limitations - you name.
Unlike Remington 1100s and other Semi-Autos , the bolt handle cannot be lost . By design again, it is a one piece stamped piece that fits onto bolt.
Take down is a bit different, still very straight forward once done a time a two.
Only weak link in all the years of my experience - is opposite of loading port there is screw, for layman's terms I will call it the "ejector"...it holds in place a spring.
I have never, nor has anyone close to me every had one come undone - we always cleaned , degreased, and used a dab of nail polish. Clear Nail Polish works...so does Candy Apple Red
(it is what we had and would not fussed at for using) We did not bother to look up Born on Date, best guess, 1992. So the gun was designed to shoot loadings of the times. One HUGE fault folks have with any Repeating Shotgun is NOT using the loadings the gun was designed to use.
Most often someone with a older 12 gauge attempting to shoot 7/8 oz loads and the gun will not run and owner gets upset.
The gun was not designed to use that 7/8 oz. I was still using 1 1/8 oz loads in Skeet, as were Trap shooters in 1992 .
Owner took down gun, following instructions, including metal removed from wood, treated with Johnson's Paste Wax and RIG as I have shared before.
Being tacky - since Internet "says" you have to use a really expensive gun lube...
We used some Dexron II Automatic Transmission Fluid. Now Dexron is different than Ford ATF. We knew back when the earth was flat, Dexron was the best kept secret to keeping gas guns running.
Grant Cunningham, whom I have never met, and is a THR member , whom I respect his postings and his blog seems to agree-
http://www.grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html
1400 flat works every time and is soft shooting on top of this - with NO recoil pad.
First day using a Mix of the new HS AA Target loads (which I hate as they are NO way the same as the old proven Compression Formed AAs) Remington, Fiocchi and some "forgot what recipe(s) all dumped in together" we shot 300 rounds in one day - with NO malfunctions. Five of us using the same gun shooting skeet, one right after the other.
We did not clean this gun - only wiped it off.
Win-Chokes.
Now some make fun of this choke "looking short and different, and they don't cost very much". Winchester was not stupid when they came up with these chokes and these barrels. I have never seen one non concentric.
I have screwed a $8 Mod Winchoke into a factory gun and it out shoot for pattern density more expensive "gunsmith tweaked" guns, and shot some of the Best Buckshot and Slug Groups.
External Knurled has another huge advantage over internal chokes, it protects the muzzle from dings. Ding a External Knurled choke and if severe, just replace the External Knurled Choke.
Less monies that muzzle work on the barrel itself.
Patterns and Groups - in my experiences and observations have always been great with 1400s. Soft shooting again and I do not recall anyone ever having Forcing cone work done.
So we kept shooting this 1400 in 20 gauge in skeet another 300 rounds. No lube, no patterning - just shooting it - based on the simple fact I had said the gun would run and bust targets.
Now we have a bit over 600 rounds fired with the Skeet and any misc rounds fired.
Again, just wiped off, not even pipe-clean the breech, the extractor and for sure not the chamber.
We patterned the gun. Like most when I shoot these due to gun fit to me - the POA/POI is a bit higher about 60/40 as I prefer, even for Skeet, or Field use I prefer this.
Owner said the gun fit them about the same as it did me - gun fit is great.
Patterns for various ranges with various loads replicated my experiences in the past.
Never saw a need for anything but 7/8 oz loads in 20 gauge - gets into payload to bore we have discussed before. This 1400 did great using #9 shot on up to #3 buckshot.
Recoil on #3 buckshot - What recoil?
Now shooter that owns this gun started out at skeet, later took on 5 stand, and has some experience at Sporting Clays. She knows to point a shotgun.
Like many of us, she wanted a mid bead installed to fit her "pointing" to her "gun fit". This was done.
Understand, we don't "see" the barrel or muzzle per se' - we know it is there, just peripherally if you will. Owner like myself has shot numerous 100 straights with NO beads.
Many of the top shooters with custom fitted guns - do NOT have any beads on purpose. Gun Fit to shooter and Correct Basic Fundamentals - are that important!
Slugs, Cloverleaf at 15 steps (a step is about one yard for my stride). All slugs stayed inside a 6" paper plate out to 35 yards from walking up, low gun, mount gun to face and shoot as fast as can.
Taking our time, we each had 3 shot cloverleaf at 21 yds on a playing card.
We even got cocky and with a safe background - portable trap cranked to throw low - shot a clay bird with a Slug - first try. We were feeling a bit tacky about some Internet postings we see...
Decided to NOT post what loads worked with what choke at what distance. Reason being :
It does not matter what a barrel or choke is marked - only the Pattern Board can reveal
and
It does not matter what Internet, Gun Magazine, or anyone else says works in their gun - each barrel, choke, lot of ammunition can and will perform different.
All it "should" give one is a starting point.
No disrepect - one cannot buy skill and targets and Can't buy it - Gotta Earn it.
We that have earned kinda feel like others should as well...
At ~ 1500 rounds the gun still has not malfunctioned. Dexron II as lube was used @ ~ 1000 rounds as we figured " oh heck - why not?"
Barrel removed, cleaned chamber, bore with cordless drill as shared before on THR, and receiver wiped out, bolt wiped off [ATF allows easy clean up] and put back.
Now some say a Gas Gun in 20 gauge is NOT a defensive weapon. Internet also says one much have more shells. And not way in hell can a 28" barrel be a defensive length.
Tueller drill. We improvised using a water balloon suspended in a "house" if you will. Basically tarps and frames, with cardboard boxes for "room dividers.
We used skeet loads, and We did not know, nor could we see if and when, but round a corner, and here comes a balloon and "wristwatch time" was a "second" from time balloon sighted, gun mounted to face and balloon busted.
Later on a timer My best time with same gun using slugs from low gun was .8 seconds hitting a 8" pc of wood.
Owner did it in just under a second.
Another drill we did is BG confronted, and having to dial a phone and keep gun trained on BG with 911.
Do this for about 3 minutes and let me know how your gun feels.
WE also did this for 2 minutes,and "threat" caused to have to fire this shotgun one handed.
Another nice something to practice/
Gun ran port up, port down, upside down while on our backs and having to back over our heads.
No malfunctions.
This a great gun - especially in 20 ga for teaching new shooters, or loaning to them.
Great for a first General Purpose Gun. Allows one to shoot 12 ga and 20 ga events in skeet, 5 stand, sporting clays, and hunt.
Find a good buy - I recommend them.
Steve
