Winchester, a shotgun that fits right out of the box

[MCgunner]

I am probably getting old to most folks braggin' how my Winchester M1400 fits me so well, perfect drop and comb and pull length. My Mossberg pump kicks pretty bad and part of it is because of the lack of sufficient drop. I have to kind of crawl the stock and it kicks back into my cheek bone and even lays it open now and again. The Mossy is my goose/waterfowl gun what with the 3" chamber, but I've started shooting the Winchester more on ducks because, well, I just like the fit. It also recoils much less being a gas gun.

Anyway, my son-in-law is off for another tour of Iraq and left me with a few of his guns, one is a Winchester M1300 pump. I'd glanced at it and thought it was just another 870 and didn't pay much attention until I was diggin' through the closet and checked it out a little more in detail. Well, I was curious and shouldered it and, low and behold, it fits just like my 1400! NOW, I'm going to cruise the local gun shows for used Winchesters. I think I might could find a ranger for a decent price. I don't know if they were ever offered with plastic stocks or camo, but I'd pay extra for camo finish. I really like the Mossy's lack of a shell elevator in the way of reloading and the tang safety, but man, fit means a lot in a shotgun and I think a 1300's recoil would be more tolerable due to the better fit of the gun.

 

[zinj]

Winchester definitely made both synthetic and camo versions of the 1400. I would check the stores, they may still have some in stock (I know my local GM has a couple of 20 gauge slug 1300's).

 

[JeffGirard]

Here's a picture of a camo 1300:

 

[ilmonster]

If you are looking for a used 1300, I have a pristine one I had on the "classifieds" board a few weeks ago. My email is [email protected] if interested. Otherwise, good luck in your quest, they are great guns.

 

[MCgunner]

I'm just going to keep an eye out when I cruise the gun shows. Thanks. Don't wanna mess with shipping a gun. I, frankly, have enough handguns, this and that. But, I've only got five shotguns and that ain't enough, so I've been wanting more shotguns, ROFL! I've got a buddy that buys shotguns at estate sales, gun shows, police auctions, etc. I was up there dove hunting with him last year, will be up there next month....and he didn't even know how many 870s he had, let alone all the other stuff. ROFL! He's got a big walk in closet he's boxed off with a false wall into a little room that's FULL of guns. He's got hundreds, it's amazing. Well, I'm not that crazy, but I could use 1) A Winchester 1300 and 2) perhaps a nice old Ithaca 37 featherweight just because I want one. So, that's going to be my target in that order for future gun shows. If I find a nice camo waterfowl 1300, I'll be all over it. But, a nice wood stocked one would be a nice cousin to my 1400. I might also consider getting a Browning BPS in the future if I win the lotto or something. I'm going to be looking for deals on the 1300, think I could find one or two since they're not all that popular and the ranger was a cheap (as with Remington's "express") price point gun that was fully functional. My 1400 is a Ranger and it's not that hard to look at, shoots just as good as the higher priced stuff.

 

[cameron.personal]

Did someone mention Winchesters???

SX2 Practical MKII




1300 Defender


I have a Mossberg, actually it as a 5500MKII Special Issue... it languishes in the back of the safe in a gun sock...

Cameron

 

[Clipper]

Try a M-12 and you'll throw rocks at the 1300 and 37...

 

[zinj]

Try a M-12 and you'll throw rocks at the 1300 and 37...

I'd say the Model 12 and Ithaca 37 are in the same class.

 

[Dave McCracken]

In nigh 50 years of shotgunning I've yet to see a bad Winchester pump.

I freely admit that the 1200s used briefly by MD DOC failed to hold up under abuse, neglect and maintainence by unmotivated, poorly trained personnel. But, given a modicum of PM and TLC, they run forever.

They also fit a fair amount of folks fairly well, although "One Size Fits All" is still a big fat lie.

 

[Crow61]

I am not much of a shotgunner, but I prefer the Winchester model 1300 over the Rem. 870 and the Moss. 500. I have owned all three and the Winchester was my favorite. My son still has it today.

I guess that I like the 1400 too. My uncle bought my dad a 12 guage 1400 years ago. The next year he bought me and my aunt each a 1400 in 20 guage. He brought the boxes in and told me to pick one. I did and there happened to be something wrong with mine. My aunt's was fine.

Well, he took mine back to the hardware store and they didn't have another one. So, he brought back a Remington 1100 in 12 guage for me. Wow! That was a step up. And that gun has accounted for many, many deer and turkey over the years.

But, my aunt has long since quit hunting, so now I have access to her Winchester 1400. I plan on using it for dove this year.

These guns do fit well.