Winchester Super X Model 1 ('s) What would you do?

[lukester]

(also posted on another site where a few of you might browse... sorry if this is a repeat for any of you...)
...if you were me? To the original, nearly mint-finish gun given to me by an uncle, I recently added two nice SX1's from Gunbroker.com - one for $375 and one for $250.
Here's what I now have:
Ser.#M50xxx, nearly mint, 30"VR full w/ 2 beads & a screw. Very pretty wood, but the butt was cut at some time. W/ the Pchmyr Old English pad it still only measures 13.75" from the trigger to the back of the pad. Has the wide trigger. Everything about this is great, except it's a bit short for me. Buffer in place, but will soon be replaced before I ever shoot it. (Bolt on this one needs to be re-jeweled...)

Ser.#21xxx, very good condition, 28"mod VR w/ 2 beads (no screw). Also very pretty wood, w/ a Pchmyr Decelerator pad. Measures 14.5", trigger to back of the pad. Thin trigger w/ grooves. Just put a new buffer & o-ring in this one... hoping to shoot it this weekend. (gave $375 for this one - middle gun in the pic)

Ser. #14xxx, definitely the roughest of the bunch, but this is the one for which I only gave $250. Fairly nice wood w/ an original black Win. waffle pad. (14.25") The receiver has a lot of surface wear, and was shot w/out a buffer. Bolt seems o.k., but it did wear the back of the receiver some. 28"mod VR w/ 2 beads (no screw). (bottom gun in the pic)

So, I really like the wood on the first (top) gun, but it's too short. Should I just lengthen it with spacers?... or swap out for the third gun's wood.

Barrel summary: one 30" full and two 28" mod's. Sure would like to have an IC (I'm sure a skeet would be too much to hope for...)

What do do? Part out the third one?... (I don't like the "sound" of that as I'd like to own 3 (or 30 of them, but the receiver on third one looks like all its miles were hard ones.) Try and end up w/ a very nice pair for now & maybe one extra barrel?... I'd like to shoot trap, skeet & some 5-stand w/ these, plus maybe the occasional live grey bird.
Thanks for looking.
Luke

 

[huntershooter]

I'd opt for (black) spacers to lengthen stock of #1.
If you "need" an IC barrel in 28", I'd have #3 opened to IC.
I would not use #3 for a parts gun.

 

[JohnBT]

I vote for mix and match until you get the gun you really want. I would put choke tubes in one barrel. SX-1s come apart very easily.



John

 

[1KPerDay]

Those are pretty guns... I've never heard of them. Did they jewel all the bolts?

 

[Howard Roark]

I had one of mine threaded for Colonial thin wall chokes, works great. I bent the barrel to get 60/40 at 30 yards. I wouldn't part out a working Mod 1, just couldn't do it.

 

[lukester]

Thanks guys & a follow-up question or two

JohnBT - love the picture. Where would you send your third barrel to get threaded?

1KPerDay - yes, to the best of my knowledge all of the bolts were jewelled. They obviously don't add anything to the functionality, but they sure do increase the "cool" factor in my opinion - a nice, easily visible, stand-out feature on these guns to go along w/ the rock-solid insides.

Re: lengthening the l.o.p. on my cut stock by adding a black spacer or two... I was wondering: If the butt has been cut like this one, I assume that a "standard" spacer would not work for me - if there even was such a thing. Or, is it likely that the 1/4 or 1/2" this stock has lost off the end did not materially change the height & width of the butt on the end? In other words, will I be able to buy a spacer that fits, or will the spacer(s) have to be sanded/shaped to fit? I haven't searched (googled) around yet for this and I will, but any recommendations on where to look or ask?

(Oh, and on the 3rd gun: I should have known when I was telling myself: "A 'Buy-it-Now' price of only $250?... I have to snap that up!! I could sell the barrel for almost that much..." that in the end I'd end up keeping the whole thing...)

Thanks,
Luke