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Excellent info, Puma Guy and Scott B. I had read something about the desirability of pre-64 Winchesters, and that helps explain why. Good to hear the 1200/1300s are still reliable, albeit less popular than the Rem 870 and Moss 500.

equin wrote:Excellent info, Puma Guy and Scott B. I had read something about the desirability of pre-64 Winchesters, and that helps explain why. Good to hear the 1200/1300s are still reliable, albeit less popular than the Rem 870 and Moss 500.

Glad to help. That 1964 .243 was the first firearm paid for myself at age 16. Had to have my dad with me to put it in layaway. It was $96 if I remember correctly.

I was going to reply to this last week but figured I'd wait until after I had gone to the range this past Saturday to give a better report.

I used to have a Winchester 1200 Defender and now currently have a 1300 Defender. It's rarely been used as I really don't know of any gun ranges where I could shoot it. But I had some friends going out to ETTS to shoot in a Tac Bay last Saturday and figured I'd bring the 1300 along to get a feel for it. I asked a buddy of mine to bring his 870 and another friend of mine happened to have brought his Stoeger pump.

I was surprised at how "bad" the Winchester trigger was compared to either of the other shotguns. Real gritty where as the others were fairly smooth. The shotgun is over 20 years old and has mostly sat in a closet the whole time; I think this is only the second or third time it's been shot. Other than the trigger, cycling the action was smooth on the Winchester but I found myself short stroking all of the shotguns on occasion unless I made a conscious decision to be forceful with it. Guess it goes to show that having a shotgun handy doesn't automatically make it the best option unless you've had some time practicing with it.

Anyone else shot the 1200/1300 and had issues with the trigger? I'm really kinda bummed out about that but maybe it will smooth out after more trigger time.

Jose_in_Dallas wrote:...The shotgun is over 20 years old and has mostly sat in a closet the whole time; I think this is only the second or third time it's been shot....

Cleaning and a couple judicious drops of lubricant might do wonders.

Scott B. wrote:

Jose_in_Dallas wrote:...The shotgun is over 20 years old and has mostly sat in a closet the whole time; I think this is only the second or third time it's been shot....

Cleaning and a couple judicious drops of lubricant might do wonders.

That's the plan

Scott B. wrote:

Jose_in_Dallas wrote:...The shotgun is over 20 years old and has mostly sat in a closet the whole time; I think this is only the second or third time it's been shot....

Cleaning and a couple judicious drops of lubricant might do wonders.

Shotgun triggers are not made for precise shooting, since SG's are mostly used in snap shooting. If it's bad enough to occur under those conditions and if cleaning and a little lube (not on the sear) don't fix it something else may be wrong.

The 1300 was my go to for many years until I got an auto. Its quick and smooth.

same here, but I think I will sell mine to someone who will actually use it.

Syntyr wrote:

puma guy wrote:

Syntyr wrote:

puma guy wrote:I have a 1300 and a couple of it's predessesors Model 1200. They are smoother and less clanky than all the other pumps I own. I bought one back in 1966 that I shot sleet with. It was stolen, but the point is it was smooth and fast enough to shoot doubles with no problem.

I have a Benneli Supernova pump that is fast enough to easily shoot double with. The limiting factor is my aim not the guns speed.

Unfortunately that gun wasn't around in the 60's. I moved on to O/U, but at age 18 the 1200 was all I could afford, plus I got an extra VR barrel from the factory for $25 in a promotion. I think a plain barrel was $15. Yeah, you still have to get back on target! I couldn't shoot a double with a pump now if you gave me a million bucks. You can pick up both the Winchester 1300 and 1200 shotguns used for very reasonable prices.

Sorry for the thread hijack. I missed the original posters question.

I haven't been able to afford an investment in a nice O/U yet...sounds like the Wichester is a nice pump...

If you’re not a brand snob, take a look at the Stoeger O/U shotguns. I have a Stoeger Condor Competition that I shoot skeet and dove with (the dove are tastier than the skeets ), and the limiting factor seems to be my competence - not the gun.

I bought mine used on consignment at my LGS because it was left-handed and the price was right - about $400 or so. MSRP for a brand new one is $669, but I’m sure you could get one for less than that.


BTW, to the OP, Stoeger semiautos are the poor man’s Benelli .......literally. Stoeger is owned by Benelli. They use the same inertia driven operating system and they are really smooth. And the price is right.......again, if you’re not a brand snob.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

Syntyr wrote:

puma guy wrote:

Syntyr wrote:

puma guy wrote:I have a 1300 and a couple of it's predessesors Model 1200. They are smoother and less clanky than all the other pumps I own. I bought one back in 1966 that I shot sleet with. It was stolen, but the point is it was smooth and fast enough to shoot doubles with no problem.

I have a Benneli Supernova pump that is fast enough to easily shoot double with. The limiting factor is my aim not the guns speed.

Unfortunately that gun wasn't around in the 60's. I moved on to O/U, but at age 18 the 1200 was all I could afford, plus I got an extra VR barrel from the factory for $25 in a promotion. I think a plain barrel was $15. Yeah, you still have to get back on target! I couldn't shoot a double with a pump now if you gave me a million bucks. You can pick up both the Winchester 1300 and 1200 shotguns used for very reasonable prices.

Sorry for the thread hijack. I missed the original posters question.

I haven't been able to afford an investment in a nice O/U yet...sounds like the Wichester is a nice pump...

If you’re not a brand snob, take a look at the Stoeger O/U shotguns. I have a Stoeger Condor Competition that I shoot skeet and dove with (the dove are tastier than the skeets ), and the limiting factor seems to be my competence - not the gun.

I bought mine used on consignment at my LGS because it was left-handed and the price was right - about $400 or so. MSRP for a brand new one is $669, but I’m sure you could get one for less than that.


BTW, to the OP, Stoeger semiautos are the poor man’s Benelli .......literally. Stoeger is owned by Benelli. They use the same inertia driven operating system and they are really smooth. And the price is right.......again, if you’re not a brand snob.

TAM, Uh! By left handed do you mean the stock is fitted for a left handed shooter? I.E. Cheek piece, cant and offset, etc. Or are there some other "left handed" features ... the only one I could think of would be the top lever breaking to the left. Or are you just seeing if anyone would "see what you did"?
EDITED: I downloaded the Stoeger catalogue and saw the LH Competition model listed , but no details are provided.

puma guy wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:

Syntyr wrote:

puma guy wrote:

Syntyr wrote:

puma guy wrote:I have a 1300 and a couple of it's predessesors Model 1200. They are smoother and less clanky than all the other pumps I own. I bought one back in 1966 that I shot sleet with. It was stolen, but the point is it was smooth and fast enough to shoot doubles with no problem.

I have a Benneli Supernova pump that is fast enough to easily shoot double with. The limiting factor is my aim not the guns speed.

Unfortunately that gun wasn't around in the 60's. I moved on to O/U, but at age 18 the 1200 was all I could afford, plus I got an extra VR barrel from the factory for $25 in a promotion. I think a plain barrel was $15. Yeah, you still have to get back on target! I couldn't shoot a double with a pump now if you gave me a million bucks. You can pick up both the Winchester 1300 and 1200 shotguns used for very reasonable prices.

Sorry for the thread hijack. I missed the original posters question.

I haven't been able to afford an investment in a nice O/U yet...sounds like the Wichester is a nice pump...

If you’re not a brand snob, take a look at the Stoeger O/U shotguns. I have a Stoeger Condor Competition that I shoot skeet and dove with (the dove are tastier than the skeets ), and the limiting factor seems to be my competence - not the gun.

I bought mine used on consignment at my LGS because it was left-handed and the price was right - about $400 or so. MSRP for a brand new one is $669, but I’m sure you could get one for less than that.


BTW, to the OP, Stoeger semiautos are the poor man’s Benelli .......literally. Stoeger is owned by Benelli. They use the same inertia driven operating system and they are really smooth. And the price is right.......again, if you’re not a brand snob.

TAM, Uh! By left handed do you mean the stock is fitted for a left handed shooter? I.E. Cheek piece, cant and offset, etc. Or are there some other "left handed" features ... the only one I could think of would be the top lever breaking to the left. Or are you just seeing if anyone would "see what you did"?
EDITED: I downloaded the Stoeger catalogue and saw the LH Competition model listed , but no details are provided.

It’s fitted for a left hander, with left handed cast and palm swell. Additionally, mine has an aftermarket butt pad which adjusts the stock in multiple planes.

The Annoyed Man wrote: It’s fitted for a left hander, with left handed cast and palm swell. Additionally, mine has an aftermarket butt pad which adjusts the stock in multiple planes.

57E64CDB-A2FC-438F-92F7-8B7C82FD5658.jpeg

It’s fitted for a left hander, with left handed cast and palm swell. Additionally, mine has an aftermarket butt pad which adjusts the stock in multiple planes.
Very Nice! You giving Andy a run for his money?

puma guy wrote: Very Nice! You giving Andy a run for his money?

Not a chance! First, he’s just a better shot than I am. And second, I don’t practice enough. Andy beats me like a red-headed stepchild at a family gathering; he beats me like a rented mule; he beats me like a gong.

I’ll bet i can beat him at 800 yards with a bolt gun though......at least for now.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

puma guy wrote: Very Nice! You giving Andy a run for his money?

Not a chance! First, he’s just a better shot than I am. And second, I don’t practice enough. Andy beats me like a red-headed stepchild at a family gathering; he beats me like a rented mule; he beats me like a gong.

I’ll bet i can beat him at 800 yards with a bolt gun though......at least for now.

Are you saying he'd beat you?