#2413659 - 09/04/08 06:41 PM
Any thoughts on Win. 1300
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GoDucks1
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Registered: 04/10/08
Posts: 20
Loc: Willamette Valley, OR
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Hey All,
I'm looking to make my first shotgun purchase. The Winchester 1300 Ranger Field in 12 ga. has caught my eye. I like the looks, the fact that it chambers 2 3/4" and 3" and the fact that it's on the lower end of the price scale seeing as I'm not in a position to spend too much on a gun right now. I'd appreciate any thoughts and opinions you guys have on this weapon.
Thanks and Go Ducks!
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#2415240 - 09/05/08 01:40 PM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: GoDucks1]
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Odessa
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Registered: 02/09/01
Posts: 1137
Loc: Greenville NC
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I have owned two of them, purchased the first (a M-1300 XTR)in 1984 and used it for 15 years. I bought the second in 1997 and used it for 11 years. I never had a problem with either one; they were used for dove, quail, duck, pheasant, geese, swan and turkey. I shot cheap shells, steel shot, high brass lead, and 2 oz 3" turkey loads in x-full tubes - no problem, ever, with any of them. I sold my last one to a friend a few months ago, as I have gone more specialzed (a different shotgun for each type of game hunted). It was a great general purpose 12 gauge shotgun. I have heard gunshop owners and purists put them down (referencing the Model 12 pump to the Model 1200 & 1300), but that is not a honest apples to apples comparison - I never had one of mine break. My Dad still owns a M1300 Waterfowl and it works as perfect as it did when new. Odessa
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#2422029 - 09/08/08 04:39 PM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: Odessa]
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GottaGetta99
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Registered: 12/26/06
Posts: 30
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The 1300 is a very underrated gun. I bought an 1300 XTR(different forend and better wood) in 2000. I used it for trap at first and shot 1000's of shells with it and never had a problem with it functioning. I was thinking about getting rid of it to buy a ventilated rib barrel for my Win X2 but couldn't bring myself to do it. I use it for dove,grouse,pheasant, and turkey. I got mine for $355, but I have seen some as low as $225. You won't be disappointed if you get it.
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#2422885 - 09/08/08 10:59 PM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: GottaGetta99]
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GoDucks1
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Registered: 04/10/08
Posts: 20
Loc: Willamette Valley, OR
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Thanks for the input guys.
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#2424131 - 09/09/08 01:54 PM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: GoDucks1]
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Deputy_Norm
Campfire Guide
Registered: 04/20/02
Posts: 2992
Loc: Noblesville, Indiana
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Mr. GoDucks!,
I have a 1300 Mariner stainless steel. I use it mostly to entertain my grandsons who are in the midst of learning to shoot.
It also resides close at hand for night-time social purposes.
We've hundreds of rounds through it. Never a hitch.
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#2425099 - 09/09/08 11:06 PM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: GoDucks1]
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batch
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Registered: 04/09/01
Posts: 362
Loc: Alaska
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Mine is an XTR, too. I bought it in 1981 and have used it for a bunch of hunting and skeet shooting. I have a Browning O/U in SK & SK but the 1300 just plain fits so much better that I hit better with it. I'm not sure how many rounds I've fired through it but it is still tight and pretty. Worked great on rabbits every time I used it. It is a keeper.
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#2485969 - 10/08/08 03:13 PM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: batch]
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tommygs
Campfire Regular
Registered: 02/09/04
Posts: 484
Loc: Austin TX
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i'm gonna jump in here and say that i think the 1300 is a better shotgun than the 870. rotating bolt. i've heard war stories about the 1300s 'breaking a pin' in the trigger mechanism, but i don't believe it.
i've got an old turkey special with a short barrel, interchangeable chokes, and plastic furniture. when it's loaded, with a round in the chamber, on safety, and you press the release button and ever so gently tap the buttstock on the table, the shotty responds with shucking the unfired shell completely out of the chamber and opening up the breech all the way to the stops.
winchester shotguns are easier to cycle than remingtons. i've got both, and i'll either hunt with a double or a winnie before i'd hunt with a rem. just my $.02.
-tom
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#2486025 - 10/08/08 03:56 PM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: GoDucks1]
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GPA
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Registered: 09/17/07
Posts: 1003
Loc: Upstate NY
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FAST...Very, very FAST!
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#2486055 - 10/08/08 04:21 PM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: Odessa]
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43Shooter
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Registered: 05/28/08
Posts: 190
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I've got a 1200 I bought in 1975, still works fine. What's the difference in that and the 1300?
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#2486071 - 10/08/08 04:40 PM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: Odessa]
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43Shooter
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Registered: 05/28/08
Posts: 190
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I've got a 1200. What's the difference in the 1200 and the 1300? Thanks.
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#2487954 - 10/09/08 11:18 AM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: 43Shooter]
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LongRanger
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Registered: 04/08/05
Posts: 249
Loc: Innis, Louisiana
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Not much difference between a 1200 and 1300. The 1300 is a newer model and I think usually chambered for 3" shells. The worst problem I have had with a 1200 is trouble with double feeding from the magazine due to problems with the plastic magazine throat latches. They usually work well, and are very fast.
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#2488213 - 10/09/08 01:35 PM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: LongRanger]
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43Shooter
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Registered: 05/28/08
Posts: 190
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Thanks, I believe you're right. Checked my 1200 and it's 2&3/4 shells only. Looks wise it's similar to the 1300.
I can't remember the last time I hunted with it but it was reliable. I bought it cheap (fifty bucks) and well used about 35 years ago. For a few years it was my only shotgun. I don't recall it ever malfunctioning.
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#2489473 - 10/10/08 04:52 AM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: 43Shooter]
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Mikem2
Campfire Regular
Registered: 06/21/05
Posts: 671
Loc: Virginia
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Solid choice. Winchester's 12g or 20g pump that was made with a lot of brand names, I have Sears Ted Williams branded 20g from 35 years ago, fixed choke, dropped a lot of phesants and small game. Stock's in need of refinish, actions slick and metal looks new.
Good choice. These compete with the -
Ithaca 37
Remington 870
Mossberg 500
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#2489527 - 10/10/08 05:39 AM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: Mikem2]
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Notropis
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Registered: 04/16/08
Posts: 105
Loc: Coastal N.C.
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I got a 1200 in 1964 when they first came out and were offered with an extra barrel at no extra cost for promotion purposes. I never got really warmed up to that shotgun but killed lots of ducks with it in all types of conditions and never ever had it fail to work for me. I went to an A5 mainly because I wanted a 3" shotgun. That Browning has never failed me either in the duck blind and deer woods from Florida to Manitoba. It is my favorite shotgun. The 1200, however, is still going strong and still works without fail every time I use it. I think they are very underrated shotguns and would not hesitate to get another one.
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#2491113 - 10/10/08 07:34 PM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: 43Shooter]
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tommygs
Campfire Regular
Registered: 02/09/04
Posts: 484
Loc: Austin TX
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sorry. i was offline for a couple of days.
win 1300s have vent ribs on hunting guns, as well as a modification in the receiver that allows the bolt to be removed without the tensioner ejecting... the 1200 is a good gun but hard to take apart and put back together. the 1300 is much better on that count, and has the added benefit of interchangeable chokes. the win-choke system, actually.
the 1200 is a good gun. take it completely apart, and it's a jigsaw puzzle to reassemble. the 1300 falls apart and falls back together. interchangeable chokes is important too. the vent ribs are a city-boy thing, but they're nice.
either way, in my mind, it's a better gun than an 870. (flame suit on...)
oh yeah, and the 1200 is a 2 3/4" gun, and the 1300 is a 3" gun. forgot about that...
-tom
Edited by tommygs (10/10/08 07:36 PM)
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#2492435 - 10/11/08 12:25 PM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: tommygs]
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43Shooter
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Registered: 05/28/08
Posts: 190
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Thanks,good info. So far I've only taken the barrel off for cleaning. Based on this that sounds like a good thing.
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#2492550 - 10/11/08 01:18 PM
Re: Any thoughts on Win. 1300
[Re: 43Shooter]
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tommygs
Campfire Regular
Registered: 02/09/04
Posts: 484
Loc: Austin TX
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any time you get a new gun, you really need to field strip it, so if you have to do it in the field for any reason, you'll at least have an idea of how to go about it.
get a card table or spread a few newspapers around the dining table and take her down. the tensioner pushing out from the left side of the interior receiver will come off the receiver, unlike the 1300. this is a booger to get back in it's run. you have to make sure the bolt is riding exactly right in the double charging rods, insert it just so in the receiver, then have your tongue held out just right, and depress the tensioner spring as you ease the unit back into the receiver... reality of it is, if you bought a used gun, and this particular chore is a tough one, then you can bet that area needs cleaning.
1200s had a relatively revolutionary rotating bolt face which was still in use on all 1300 shotguns until winchester went under. it's my feeling that this arrangement is a substantial improvement over the often stiff action on the remington. when you shoot a winchester, the recoil halfway opens the slide, all you gotta do is think: "pump..." and you're back in battery. they used to call their pumps a 'speed pump' due to fast cycling times.
if you'll look around, you can get into a 1300 relatively inexpensively. i've got 3 of them, and love 'em all. one i bought used, and became a believer, the other two were bought new. all function flawlessly.
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