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Then the Win 101 became the “Classic Doubles” which many thought were better made. However, they went away also.


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Like a boat Paddle? haha they are reguarded as one of the best handling over unders made and with good reason.
People are different gun to gun as our bodies and what feels right to one isn't the same to the next.

But the 101 is every bit as good as anything browning of the time in mechanics balance and build. Peoples opinions will always vary but that doesn't take away from the fact the gun is a great gun, as an opinion is based off what either feels right or what goes against what they like.
I myself have only owned 1 browning and although a great little gun the 101s feel better in hand to me

Cd's are great guns, triggers probably are a little sharper as a v spring.

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I had a 12ga, 3" gun and all of the recoil was directed up and into my cheek. I had to move on from it. Nice looking, easy to hit with but I don't need that kind of recoil problem


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When is the last time you asked a guy what kind of mileage his truck gets? If he owns a Citori, chances are he gets 25-30 mpg.


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I was thinking the other day how much I used to hate Bill Clinton. He was freaking George Washington compared to what they are now.
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Originally Posted by BKinSD
I had a 12ga, 3" gun and all of the recoil was directed up and into my cheek. I had to move on from it. Nice looking, easy to hit with but I don't need that kind of recoil problem


Just out of curiosity what are your dimensions- height weight roughly.
It has always intrigued me as myself being 6'3" 260lbs i can honestly say the 101s are like shooting 22s i get near no felt recoil. Cheek slap is the stock dimensions being totally wrong, do you have quite an open shoulder mount with light face connection on stock?

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Originally Posted by HitnRun
When is the last time you asked a guy what kind of mileage his truck gets? If he owns a Citori, chances are he gets 25-30 mpg.


My truck / Citori combo gets about 15 mpg. I gave my 101 to my dad so not sure what that gets. I really like the older 101s. Nice handling shotguns. I like 30" barrels.

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In the 80s knew a guy who worked in the stock making department at Winchester Repeating Arms in New Haven. He had a list of 101s at huge employee discounts. Employees were allowed to purchase 2 shotguns.

I picked up a pigeon grade trap gun choked full and improved modified. Had a straight stock and it just plain hurt to shoot even with one ounce trap loads. I think I paid less than $350 for it. Made a nice profit unloading it. I wish I had bought the 3 barrel skeet setup. IIRC it was around $1000.

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I had a Pigeon Grade Skeet .410 but sold it because I really like the pumps and side-by-sides. Recently picked up a Quail Special .410 to match my M23 SxS Quail Special .410.

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I bought a used 101 12 ga while in HS mid 70's with 26" IC/M - shot everything: grouse, pheasants including steel for ducks & geese. When I started taking the kids to SD for late season wild pheasants. found a 30" M/F barrel good local gunsmith timed to work on my receiver. Fit me so well with plastic butt plate I never put a recoil pad on. Recoil even with heavy loads has never been a problem. If I miss at targets or birds, never the gun's fault. Do I now carry a Browning Citori straight grip upland 20 on grouse and at hunt clubs? Sure because it weighs 5 lbs and I'm getting old.

Last edited by KragLarsen; 03/15/21. Reason: misspellings
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My son's old 101 field-grade with 30" fixed-choke barrels at work last fall. He has been using it for 20+ years and still loves it. I use an old 20-ga. 101 Pigeon Grade with 28" fixed-choke barrels. Both stocks have been modified to fit their owners.

[Linked Image from imagizer.imageshack.com]

101's were pretty light, which made them recoil more, plus they had very short forcing cones. But the real killer was that unless you got a trap model they had a bit too much drop, resulting in that "up and into the cheek" recoil so commonly complained of. As with a lot of the finer things in life, they were great but not perfect. The solution was to fix them, not ditch them, but few people know how or are willing to go to the trouble. You just need to find a good gunfitter and a good stock bender. Mike Orlen in MA is a great bender.

Here is a nice K-gun getting some of the cast-right taken out of it. On the 101 20-ga. I had to bend some of the drop out, a couple of times actually, to get it to perfect. One can always have an adjustable comb added, too.

[Linked Image from imagizer.imageshack.com]

Any accusation that the old 101's cracked easily is complete BS. All makers' wood stock were susceptible to cracking, but the 101's were LESS likely to crack than most. I saw a Perazzi crack before it made it through 2 boxes of mild target loads. Many Brownings, Kreighoffs, etc.

101's were not Perazzis, but then a spare Perazzi trigger group cost more than most of my 101's. Kodensha-made 101's have always been a great value -- a gun that did not cost much but which you could count on to shoot straight and be extremely reliable. The Pigeon Grades' triggers were not like a P- or K-gun's, but they were very nice. The field grades' were also mechanical, which are generally considered better for hunting than inertial.

I have never wanted to carry an expensive gun in the field (too many ways to damage them) but my 101's allowed me to carry a light, superbly balanced, reliable shotgun wherever I hunted, from the mountains to the prairies. There is nothing else I would have rather had.

A 12-ga. 101 Pigeon with 30" bbls with Briley chokes at work several years ago:
[Linked Image from imagizer.imageshack.com]

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I bought one of the first 20 gauge Model 101 shotguns in 1966 when they first came out. The 12 gauge was first. That little shotgun is a part of me and I have never had any complaints of any kind. It has done it's job and done it well. I will never get rid of it but at 72 years of age I will leave it to my Grandson. They are great high quality shotguns.

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Have posted on this thread previously...really liked the small gauge original 101’s...always favored the blued receiver models..with a few exceptions, not so much the silver ones.

Shame they never made more with killer wood...and those that did have decent grain they covered up with that hideous universal Winchester red stain.


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It was the Pigeon Grades that had the "silver" (nitride) receivers, which are much more impervious to corrosion than blued steel. With a Pigeon Grade you also got an improved safety, chrome-lined bores/chambers, lighter triggers, nicer checkering and the option of a POW stock and/or vented side-ribs.

"Killer wood" is cute but it cracks much more easily than wood with minimal figure.

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Originally Posted by RimfireArtist
It was the Pigeon Grades that had the "silver" (nitride) receivers, which are much more impervious to corrosion than blued steel. With a Pigeon Grade you also got an improved safety, chrome-lined bores/chambers, lighter triggers, nicer checkering and the option of a POW stock and/or vented side-ribs.

"Killer wood" is cute but it cracks much more easily than wood with minimal figure.


Can be, depending on how the grain is laid out thru the grip....I've had "Killer" and right now a couple better than nice...One K Gun with over 30,000 rounds and a P Gun with 50K plus between myself and the first owner. They haven't split yet..

In addition to knowing more than a few with Killer++++ that are still in one piece.


Exceptional shotguns,,,,, however most of the silver receiver examples looked like they had been engraved with a ball point pen.....

OK, not that bad, but nothing special...rolled???? But at that price point you don't get quality engraving or even close...

Last edited by battue; 03/16/21.

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If it has killer wood and nice engraving I don't want to take it hunting.

But, yes, just because a stock has killer wood does not mean it is going to crack. I said it is much more likely to, which is true.

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One of my favorites is a Model 12 16 gauge beater...but don’t worry if I take a nice one out.....stocks and metal can obviously be re-blued, recut and finished. It’s a blessing to be able to have and use nice shotguns for what they were made for.

Bank gave out on me awhile back and I was going over..got rid of the shotgun-a nice one-up on top with a throw. When I got back up it was cracked thru the wrist. Good stock guy fixed it, and today you can’t tell and he said it is stronger than before..

How they are headed-up to the receiver also is important if they will or will not crack. A stock bolt is another area that can cause problems if not kept firm.


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The advertising copy I've read for the Winchester 101 claimed the engraving was by hand. I've examined the finely done detailed scroll and game engravings on my 1980s Kodensha made 101 XTR Lightweight and it does look hand engraved but I am no expert. Anyone know for sure?

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Originally Posted by battue
Originally Posted by RimfireArtist
It was the Pigeon Grades that had the "silver" (nitride) receivers, which are much more impervious to corrosion than blued steel. With a Pigeon Grade you also got an improved safety, chrome-lined bores/chambers, lighter triggers, nicer checkering and the option of a POW stock and/or vented side-ribs.

"Killer wood" is cute but it cracks much more easily than wood with minimal figure.


Can be, depending on how the grain is laid out thru the grip....I've had "Killer" and right now a couple better than nice...One K Gun with over 30,000 rounds and a P Gun with 50K plus between myself and the first owner. They haven't split yet..

In addition to knowing more than a few with Killer++++ that are still in one piece.


Exceptional shotguns,,,,, however most of the silver receiver examples looked like they had been engraved with a ball point pen.....

OK, not that bad, but nothing special...rolled???? But at that price point you don't get quality engraving or even close...

Killer wood is actually quite a bit less likely to crack unless laid out poorly. Simple physics and long proven. I bought my first over 40 years ago.


Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Originally Posted by Sasha_and_Abby
I have had 101's in 20 and 12 gauge... just didn't like them. They were utilitarian for my tastes.

Browning Superposed were a better fit and better made... the 101's felt like a boat paddle by comparison to ME... your results may vary...

Lots of variety in body shapes and sizes... a 101 fits me better than most... Brownings work better for me as spears, regardless of the fact they are very well-made.


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My only 101 was a 12 gauge choked Skeet and Skeet and that's what I used it for back in the the mid 80's. I'd like to find a 20 28" Cyl/Mod for my current endeavors.

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