Winchester 1300 Defender - "SleeperKing" pump gun

[Lurch762]

First gun I ever bought was a pistol grip only 1300 Defender. Bought it in 1987 and I still have it. I have to admit that shooting it with the stock pistol grip is nothing short of torture. I like the look of DHart's birdshead equipped shotty, I bought the same grip. My 1300 normally sports a Choate PG stock but here it is with the birdshead. This particular barrel has a permenantly mounted duckbill choke but I have another regular 18" barrel and a 22" Camp Defender barrel to go with it.

[DHart]

Lurch... nice to meet you, fellow 1300 fan! Cool gun.

[bjl333]

I don't own a 1300, but I do have a couple of cheap 1200's. The bolt are rotary and the gun , it seems, will pump itself after the shot. It is a very fast gun to shoot clays with, especially the second shot. The darn thing is so fast it makes me look good shooting a pump at skeet.

[DHart]

The rotary bolt is pretty cool... heck if you just hit the slide release button, the slide springs back and starts putting in motion what your hand should be doing.

[bjl333]

The rotary bolt is pretty cool... heck if you just hit the slide release button, the slide springs back and starts putting in motion what your hand should be doing.

hahaha ... The first time pumping it for doubles the forend actually got AWAY from me, because it did exactly what you said. The FASTEST of all the pumps I ever shot !!!

[rojocorsa]

Skidmark... yes, guns can be cheaper than motorcycles.

I liked my flashlight addiction while it lasted, it was a lot cheaper than guns. Now shotguns are really trippin' my trigger. Oh well....

I got a Hogue OM 12" LOP stock for my matte black Defender yesterday, so I decided to make some pics.







Man, I am really loving these Winchesters! What a great shotgun the 1300 is.

The matte black 1300 Defender with the short Hogue stock and 18" barrel is only about 36" long... and with 8-shot capacity, that's not
easy to come by... a lot of firepower in a really maneuverable, compact package.

1300's are my new addiction. MUST stop buying them. I have a third on the way... another wood furniture, polished blue 18" Defender,
but this one with a six-shot capacity instead of 8. That's the one I'm going to put the birdshead grip on to make my shortest, lightest, most
nimblest little shotgun.

Funny. I saw your post on THR last night.

For everyone else, here is my opinion on the Winchesters.
I am big fan of the Winchester 1300 Speed Pump. Awesome weapon. I actually have a Ranger 120 and it's about 95% the same. But the 1300 is clearly the superior shotgun; especially in terms of take down and putting back together.

As I understand it, there is little difference between a 1200 and a 1300. All I've heard is that something about the forearms are different.

All I have to compare are the Winchester Ranger 120 and the 1300 Speed Pump. It seems that there are little nuanced subtleties inside the receiver and the bolt. For example, the bolt carrier on the 120 screws in to the bolt body whereas the bolt carrier on the 1300 is held in by the force of the firing pin spring. There is also differences in the ejectors. In my experience the 1300 is WAY more easier to put back together. One simply has to put the BCG on the action bars and slide it back in. On the Ranger 120, the bolt won't fit in that way. I had to put the bolt from the underside of the receiver (while making sure that the stupid ejector stayed in place) and simultaneously trying to sync up the action bars with the bolt carrier. It is a totally unnecessary PITA. Other than that, the guns are pretty much the same. I can't say anything about a 1200, because I've never handled one before.

This the only Winchester that I have actually shot a lot, the 1300 Speed pump.


And here, on the top is my Winchester Ranger 120 12ga.

I took this picture the day Mexico beat France last week, so that explains the jersey.

[DHart]

rojocorsa.... sweeeeeet avatar! Yum.

[rojocorsa]

rojocorsa.... sweeeeeet avatar! Yum.

I know, right? That was my initial reaction as well.

[danpass]

I once had a birds head set in the midway wish list but that item has since been discontinued.

Now in my search again for a set I come across this thread . This thread was 1,082 days old but like Jesus I'm going to raise the dead anyway.


Here is my factory pistol grip 1300D. The temptation to AOW (vs SBR) this thing is quite strong.

Because of the pistol grip I've never actually fired it lol. The prior owner put probably 20 shells thru it.

[Dozen Gauge]

Defenders...good

[deckhandmike]

Love my 1300 defender and it's not all rusted like my new 870.

[bohoki]

i have a 1200 i really like the rotating bolt to barrel lock up it gives me confidence

although mine has a problem with roll crimped shells they seem to snag on the magazine pusher when going into the feed tray

mine loves the aguila minishells i can fit like 13 of them in mine

[negolien]

we know

People that actually have a clue about firearms know about the Winchester shotties. I really like them because they are durable, good looking, easy to upgrade for HD and come with a great warranty backed by a great company that's been around for a long long time. I have looked into getting one in the past but decided to go with an 870 clone to save money. Nice thread btw thanks for brining up the isssue. I think it was the super x I looked at. It had the red company name on the end.

[kellyhachihachi]

was looking around for a good trap setup, first shotgun (usually just use my pops), on a break at work went into a pawnshop nearby, seen a black polymer 1300 field 28 inch barrel with a MOD choke, checked it out, felt good, went back a few hours on another break at work bought it, paid i think 300? I was uneasy about polymer, I like wood furniture but did like how light it was. took it out shooting skeet with some friends, and i dont know if it was the gun or i just miraculously got better (probably my new cheater gun), but i hit almost every clay now! excellent gun, never had any problems with it, ive shot birdshot to slugs through it, and stripping it is a cinch. absolutely love it cant say enough good things about it. well thats my little story of how i came across mine and what i think of it haha

[jeffrice6]

Love the 1300 ~ One of the best pumps no one knows about.