Model 1300 - lots of bad stuff said about these shotguns. Mine is a M1300 Waterfowl with an additional turkey barrel and Pure Gold tube. My Dad bought it about 30 years ago and gifted it to me five or six years ago, still NIB at the time. It has been a good turkey shotgun for me, light and easy to carry - just pulled it out for tomorrow mornings spring gobbler hunt. That's last seasons Tom in the picture. Odessa

I like it. Nice bird too. Good luck with your turkey hunt tomorrow..

Win 1200 and 1300 fit me great and point perfect for me, but I can't reach the Safety without moving my hand. Hence, I have a 1953 Rem 870 Wingmaster Magnum with a new Rem Choke barrel mated to it.

I have a 12 gauge 1300 WinTuff with a slug barrel on it. This is what I hunted deer with in Ohio, as that was a shotgun only state for many years. Mine would shoot about an inch group at 100 yards with sabots. I also bought a 28" smooth bore for it, great for turkey.

I like them, they are smooth, fast cycling, and great to carry. With slugs, they do kick like a mule though. The triggers need some work, as mine was over 8 lbs from the factory. I had a gunsmith work on it, and now its just about 3.5 lbs.

The M12 is a tough act to follow.

They are a good solid shotgun and the rotating bolt head is something you don't see in shotguns very often but they never attained much demand. When I worked at a gun store in college we sold a ton of them in the youth models, in fact all the hunter's safety classes around here use them.

My dad gave me this 12ga when i was 12-13. Shot hundreds of blackbirds growing up in the farm. It's my only shotgun and have no real desire to get something else.

If one wants best buck for classic American pump made the old way used 12ga Ithaca 37 is best way to go. A fixed choke sample from 60s or 70s in very good shape isn't going to cost much more than $300.
I will say to match handling of this Winchester one would have to opt for 1980s 3" chambered version with choke tubes. These usually cost more, but you're getting much better put together gun.

Having used both, I would disagree and it has nothing to do with this being the Winchester forum. The Ithaca is a fine shotgun, however it is prone to timing issues when used hard and when it occurs shells will fall out the bottom when chambering the next shell. Have had two 37's; one old one and one of the recent ones. Both had the problem. Ithaca fixed the recent one and it has been reliable since then. Easy fix, but it does happen when the part that holds the shells in the magazine becomes worn. I also like the safety position on a 37 more than the 12. For abusive use, I would take the Model 12 every time.

Additon: The Winchester 1300 also doesn't receive the credit it deserves.

I have a 1300 20 gauge, been a solid beat around shotgun for hunting rabbits and general small game. It seems to work everytime..

Great tom in the picture.

i bought a Sears Ted Williams shotgun back in 1980 which was just a re-branded winchester 1300. it is still going strong and my sons now shoot it. it has been everywhere and shot just about everything i've ever hunted. i have no complaints with it.

A business man that Dad patronized gave him a 16 ga 1200 (Dad's choice) at Christmas in the late sixties. I never liked it, but it was not my gun. Dad liked it.

After Mom passed away, Dad married a widow lady that we had known since the forties. On one of my frequent trips out to see about the old folks, Dad had made a trip to the nearest larger town, about fifty miles away to see about glasses or perhaps a hearing aid, and to escape his wife's garage sale.

I had not known about the garage sale in advance. When I arrived, the lifelong liberal woman had sold Dad's guns and a lot of his ammo. I rescued the remaining ammo. Fortunately, Dad's Ruger Mk I, lived under the seat of his truck and he was driving it.

The lady got rich. I think she had three shotguns priced at $20 each.

He should have divorced her.

Jack

Thanks for the compliments on my bird, as well as the stories and pictures of you Model 1300 Winchesters - amazing how many you see around. This gobbler fell to my M1300 yesterday - 2 oz. of Hevi-Shot Magnum Blends through a .670 choke managed to pull this bird out of a swamp where he was stutting at 52 yards. The old shotgun strikes again! Odessa