I'd take one over a 870 express or 500 any day of the week. I am looking at the SXP in 20 ga. Winchester pumps have always been under rated except the model 12 which has a cult following.
Having spent some time inside 870s, 500s and now this Winchester, my opinion is the 1300 is the least robust of the three. This only matters if you are issuing them to puppy cops and soldiers- who can break damn near anything.
I had to tweak the secondary shell stop on this 1300 to stop the occasional double-feed. I've had to bend and blacksmith the carriers on 870 Expresses and 500s to get them to feed a shell smoothly. As an old LE armorer, none of this surprises me. All three makers have sent the occasional sorry example out the door and if you use any gun hard for a decade or four, parts eventually need replaced.
I think 1300's are fine as basic field and defense shotguns; and they handle better than the others for me. Probably just the luck of the draw, but this old shotgun fits me better and is more comfortable to shoot than any riot gun I've ever used- and that takes in a lot of them.
