Author Topic: Opinions on Winchester 1300 (Read 2342 times)

Adirondack Joe · « **on:** September 28, 2004, 03:27:31 AM »

I have an opportunity to purchase a NIB 1300 Black Shadow Turkey model at a very low price. This gun seems to be just the ticket for an inexpensive turkey rig: non-glare black finish, 22 inch barrel, extra full choke.

My question/concern is just how good is the 1300 as a shotgun? Do they have a good reliability track record? Are they known for feeding/ejecting problems? Are they difficult to break down and clean compared to other pumps (Rem 870, Moss 500, etc.)?

crazyjjk · « **Reply #1 on:** September 28, 2004, 03:50:22 AM »

I bought a 1300 probably close to 15yrs ago. Much for the same reasons as you are looking at this one. A cheap shotgun I wouldn't be afraid to bang around turkey hunting and carrying through the mud duck hunting. I have shot thousands of rounds through mine. Everything from full house turkey loads, steel shot for ducks and geese and many many trap loads. Never had a problem with it. Own and have owned many pump shotguns. From Win Model 12, Rem 870, Ithaca 37, and Mossbergs. The 1300 shoots with the best of them. Like I said I never have had a problem with mine and I have dragged it through some awful places where it has taken a beating.

dakotashooter2 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 03, 2004, 02:22:21 PM »

Don't know if it is so much a problem as features I don't like. In order to empty the gun you have to cycle every round through. With my 870 all you had to do was pump it till the round popped into the receiver and dump it out. It is also difficult to drop a fresh round into the ejection port and get it to chamber. To load you have to stuff the tube full cycle a round to the chamber and top of the tube. with my 870 you stuff the tube and drop one in the ejection port an chamber.Saves on cycling the gun. I have also had another round pop out of the magazine,under the carrier when I tried to slowly extract an unfired round (so I din't have to chase after it), tying up the whole gun (in two different new guns). Like I said not neccessarily a problem but I like to be able to switch a load or two without having to cyclr the gun or empty the mag.

dawei · « **Reply #3 on:** October 03, 2004, 03:00:10 PM »

Quote from: Adirondack Joe

I have an opportunity to purchase a NIB 1300 Black Shadow Turkey model at a very low price. This gun seems to be just the ticket for an inexpensive turkey rig: non-glare black finish, 22 inch barrel, extra full choke.

My question/concern is just how good is the 1300 as a shotgun? Do they have a good reliability track record? Are they known for feeding/ejecting problems? Are they difficult to break down and clean compared to other pumps (Rem 870, Moss 500, etc.)?

I gave one to my son for his 16th birthday; 17 years ago. As it was HIS FIRST gun it's still his favorite. Action is smooth as buttered glass THAT'S BEEN SPRAYED WITH WD-40! Fasted pump action I've ever seen. I wouldn't buy one for myself because I shoot left handed & having the safety in front of the trigger guard is a real pain.

The only problem is with 3" ammo; almost always jams. I miked the length of the ejection port & it's 22/1000th (.022) of an inch shorter than Mossberg® or Remington®. Had to take to a smith & have some metal milled away; now it's flawless.

Hopefully the newer guns don't have this problem. FWIW this was a 20GA; maybe the 12's don't suffer this difficulty.

mjbgalt · « **Reply #4 on:** October 03, 2004, 05:35:50 PM »

i have held a few in gunshops over the years. they do appear to be better finished than my 870 express and the action is always smooooooth.

but i have never fired one or even put a shell into one to see how it cycles. i do like them and i may pick one up sometime and see how it shoots. i am currently the owner of a 12 gauge mossberg 500 and a 20 gauge 870 express so i dont think i will have a NEED for the winchester unless of course they make em in 28 gauge. anyone know?

willysjeep134 · « **Reply #5 on:** October 08, 2004, 08:09:10 AM »

My only complaint is the salesman conned me into those black plastic stocks back when I was young and gullable. I have a 24" Black Shadow and I have never had any other complaint about it. I shoot 700 rounds through mine every year, and so far everything appears fine after five years of shooting. The gun is pretty easy to break apart. Getting the bolt on the slide rails seems easier to me compared to the Remington 870 I had to clean once. The WinChokes are nice, because I shoot mostly grouse in the fall (cylinder bore) and mostly trap in the summer (full choke).

That speed pump system is amazing too. One time I shot a feral cat up in a tree at night. I had to hold the flashlight in my left hand so the slide was just resting on my arm. The weight of the slide alone was enought to eject the shell after the shot. To say it can be fast is an understatement.

mountainview · « **Reply #6 on:** October 14, 2004, 04:24:51 AM »

I have the Black Shadow and like it quite a bit. Unfortunately so does my son who appropriated it. Smooth action and as noted above, seems smoother than my 870 Express as well. I also like the knurled ends on the choke tubes which eliminates the worry about "did I bring the choke wrench or not?". A second item is that the Win 1300 does not have the sharp edged flange where the barrel mates with the receiver. May not seem like a big deal but when you impale your finger on it when cleaning the barrel after trap shooting, such details figure rather prominently all of a sudden.

Cycling the rounds to empty it is no big deal to me since I started out with an Ithaca bottom eject and that's the only way to empty it. As with any firearm, always follow the cardinal rules of gun handling.

I can't comment on the tear down aspect since I have not torn it down to bare bones. All I have done to date is clean the action and even after trap shooting for 2 years, no problems to report. I have seen some "how-to" articles in various gunsmithing handbooks but never felt compelled to read through them given how my 1300 has been chugging right along.

Safe shooting.

mjbgalt · « **Reply #7 on:** October 30, 2004, 08:15:04 AM »

i bought one last night. i got rid of my remington and thus needed a 20 gauge repeater.

its a nice gun....wal mart had em for $243.56 and it was called a deluxe ranger. its not listed on winchesters website but its a gloss finished ranger. it came with 3 choke tubes and is quite a lot nicer than my remington. i liked the remington insde guts better....fed better i think, never even a hiccup. i hope this one is as good.

i am very happy with this so far. i shot it this morning and it didnt kick much and hit what i was aiming at. lol so far so good. lol

i took it all apart to clean it and its amazing how simple the design is. hardly any parts to break or moving parts to gum up. much simpler than my old mossberg 500. and a hell of a lot easier to put back together.

-Matt

Adirondack Joe · « **Reply #8 on:** October 30, 2004, 11:28:00 AM »

Not bad, Matt. Thanks for the feedback on breaking it down and cleaning it. That was a major consideration. I think I may just plop down the cash for that 1300 and have it sent to my friend with the FFL.

Thanks to everyone for their feedback!

mjbgalt · « **Reply #9 on:** October 30, 2004, 11:55:42 AM »

its a nice gun, good choice. i like it as much as my remington 870 and better than my mossberg 500, and even better than my cousins ithaca. and all for less than any of those cost, and with better wood and a gloss finish.

sorry i talked you out of your money but i bet youll thank me later lol.

-Matt

Adirondack Joe · « **Reply #10 on:** November 05, 2004, 09:04:10 AM »

Well, folks...

I finally got down to it and bought that 1300 for $213. Yep, NIB Black Shadow Turkey 12 Ga. with 22" barrel and x-full choke. I'm in the process of getting the paper work together and getting my local transfer dealer to send out a copy of his FFL, so I'll have it soon. I'll keep you posted when I get it and what my impressions are.

TopperT · « **Reply #11 on:** November 07, 2004, 11:53:32 AM »

Today (a Sunday) I went to Wally World and I discovered three things. 1. The sales guys KNEW their stuff :grin: . 2. The price $ 259.87 (in Mass) cannot be beat ANYWHERE :grin: , and 3. And right out of the box it shoots SWEET!!!. I am a very happy deer hunter and cannot wait to hit the woods.

Adirondack Joe · « **Reply #12 on:** December 02, 2004, 07:12:18 AM »

picked up the 1300 turkey gun the other night. Looks really nice. I wiped it down but haven't broken it down yet. I may not do so until after deer season. I'm going to get a couple chokes for it - Imp cyl and Mod. I'm going to pattern some game loads and go after some cottontails this winter. So far, I like what I've seen. My only gripe is the safety being on the front of the trigger guard. Other than that, this looks and feels like one solid, well built gun.

mountainview · « **Reply #13 on:** December 03, 2004, 04:18:43 AM »

Congratuation on the purchase A-Joe. Few things are as sweet as bringing a new firearm home except for maybe taking it to the range. Try and file a field report since this model is also on my short list for a new turkey rig.

Safe shooting.

Adirondack Joe · « **Reply #14 on:** December 03, 2004, 07:07:45 AM »

mountainview - I'll be happy to do so. Only thing is, this is a discontinued model. You cannot get a 1300 black shadow turkey model with the 22" BBL unless you shop around. The 22" Vent rib turkey barrel is still available from USRAC. You can get a black shadow with a 26" BBL, or one of their other turkey models. However, overall function of the action will be the same. I'll be sure to comment on that.

emt · « **Reply #15 on:** December 26, 2004, 10:32:33 AM »

I see no reason not to like this gun. I bought one three years ago one day before deer season. 3yrs later 6 shots 6 deer down. shoots real nice

Dali Llama · « **Reply #16 on:** January 01, 2005, 05:28:58 AM »

Quote from: willysjeep134

Getting the bolt on the slide rails seems easier to me compared to the Remington 870 I had to clean once.

Do there exist any secret tips or techniques to accomplish this, ask Dali Llama? Dali say that he find it frustrating when reassembling his 870, and would appreciate any suggestion.

Graybeard · « **Reply #17 on:** January 01, 2005, 05:42:48 AM »

Quote

Do there exist any secret tips or techniques to accomplish this, ask Dali Llama? Dali say that he find it frustrating when reassembling his 870, and would appreciate any suggestion.

Older ones used to be far more simple than current ones. Or maybe I just used to be better at it. :eek: I gave my oldest son's step son a 20 ga. youth model for Christmas. We pulled it down to lube for him and danged if we didn't have a heck of a time getting it back together. I even went and got one of my Wingmaster's and pulled it to see what the heck was going on.

Ended up deciding the flat metal plate needed lube (grease) on the bottom. Also lube well the inside of receiver where the rails slide in the slots.

Try to bent the rails inward just a dab if you can. Helps to keep them from opening up while inserting back into receiver. Hold them suckers if not to keep from spreading. Now set bolt and plate in position on the rails. Push it gently into place. When you feel it bind reach inside the receiver and mash in on the little spring arms. First on right side and then as it moves slightly the other. If the gun is a well used one it slips in place slick as can be. If a new one not yet worn in it can be fun as on the new one on Christmas day.

Dunno for sure if I'm just getting old and out of practice or not but back when I shot those things regularly I could pull it down and put it back together in 2-3 minutes easily. We took over 30 minutes just getting that one back together. :roll:

Dali Llama · « **Reply #18 on:** January 01, 2005, 02:23:19 PM »

Quote from: Graybeard

Quote
Do there exist any secret tips or techniques to accomplish this, ask Dali Llama? Dali say that he find it frustrating when reassembling his 870, and would appreciate any suggestion.

set bolt and plate in position on the rails. Push it gently into place. When you feel it bind reach inside the receiver and mash in on the little spring arms. First on right side and then as it moves slightly the other.

Dali Llama say that be exactly what he do, but on each occasion it seem to take quite a while to successfully accomplish this process. :? :? :?

jmckinley · « **Reply #19 on:** January 14, 2005, 04:12:10 AM »

:-) First time post> I have used about every pump gun on the market in 40+ years of hunting and my two favorites are the mossberg's and Win 1300. I need to get a couple of new guns and it will be the 1300 Sporting/Field and 1300 Upland Special and possible a new Camo model for turkey/Waterfowl. They are as smooth and as quick a pump made period. I took a triple on three cock birds and two of the hulls were in the air when the bird hit the ground. I've never pulled that stunt with another gun. With a couple of the 1300's I've owned never one problem and still a darn good value and I agree much better finish than the 870 or 835/500.
Just thought I'd throw my 2 cents in. I shoot Winchester Mod. 70's at my big game so might as well stick to their pump gun.
Jess

Dali Llama · « **Reply #20 on:** January 16, 2005, 06:38:27 AM »

Quote from: jmckinley

:-) First time post>

Welcome aboard, say Dali Llama. :grin: :-)

mjbgalt · « **Reply #21 on:** January 19, 2005, 03:26:27 PM »

i am still very happy with my 1300. its only my opinion but i think its built with more quality than either the 870 express or the mossberg, and costs about the same.

i took 3 pheasants the other day with it and it simply fits me better than any other pump has. it has a lot the same feel as my grandpa's model 12...same profile and fit.

its been very easy to clean, only one pin to punch out of the receiver and it comes apart easily.

the wood is very nice.

the only complaint i have is that its a 20 gauge built on a 12 gauge frame so its heavier than a typical slim 20.

-matt

c01 · « **Reply #22 on:** March 05, 2006, 04:16:40 PM »

Negative on having to cycle either the 870 or the 1300 to unload. Just push down on the lip in front of the shell in the tube and pop it out. Might take a sec to get used to it but that is how you unload them.