Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns What's the best American pump shotgun ever made?

Winchester Model 97

Just can't beat the old 97.

I like those 3 but in this order:

1. Ithaca Model 37 (old style)
2. Winchester Model 12 (it's a classic)
3. Remington 870 (What can you say about this one it just works)

Remington Model 31.

Have had my 37 for 35 years without any complaints.

One more vote for the guess what, old model 37.

REMINGTON 870 WINGMASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've owned and shot all of the guns mentioned and in my mind the Remington 31 is the hands down winner. It's only draw back is that they never built a .410 or .28 ga.

Weagle

12, no question. Never shot better with any other shotgun.

I just picked up an Ithaca model 37 16 gauge made in 1965 to compliment my 20 ga Remington model 17 (precursor to the 37) made in 1931, and my Ithaca model 37 12 gauge made in 1974.

The new Ithaca 37's look nice, but they are rather pricey. I particularly like the 28 gauge.

Winchester Model 12 for me. The rest seem cheaply built in comparison.

It hadn't occurred to me before that Remington never sold the Model 31 in Canada but you learn something new every day!

I have never used a Model 12 so I can't say.

For my hunting guns I use Model 37's. I have two, one is actually a Ducks Unlimited combo with a rifled slug barrel and a VR barrel with chokes. The Deerslayer is the best and for a goose gun they resist freezing up well.

I prefer an 870 for clay birds because I can see in the chamber and load directly into the chamber. I believe it is the greatest pump, just not my favorite.

At the moment though, I am lusting after a 16 gauge Model 97 for grouse.
For many reasons the 97 is easier to use than anything else I've shot on grouse.

The only pump guns in my safe are all Ithaca 37s, a 1954 hand-checkered 16, a 1958 solid rib 16 and a 1965 12 gauge. I think the most of these shotguns.

Though I sold an Rem. 870 20 gauge Upland Special that I would like to have back.

This is slowing down so I'll throw out a design that's got no love so far, the Stevens 520. Double humpback, the slickest takedown system ever, and a safety nobody would have the balls to use today.



Designed by some guy named John Browning.

My opinion is based on very limited experience with pumps other than the 870 Wingmaster (an Ithaca 37 and a Franchi 48 AL) but I wish I'd never gotten rid of mine, vintage early 70's. They had a better finish back then I believe and if I could take the thing apart in the field, clean the mud out after low-crawling in a wet cornfield for mallards, and then drop a triple, it had to be a very good shotgun-because I'm about as mechanically mis-inclined as a person can get and tend to lose little parts.

It had a 28" barrel and a modified choke--against conventional wisdom at the time--and I dropped a ton of fowl with it, if not literally, very close.

In my day it was the Remington model 870 12 gauge! In my fathers day, it was the Winchester model 97 period.

Stevens 520 under its various guises as a Western Field or a Ranger, or a trench gun. I have a full set, 12,16,20 and trench, and use the 20 for rails to brant. My father's 12 got me started and it still takes a toll of Old Squaw and brant each year.

There were 3 safety types, the one in the trigger housing, a sliding tang safety, and a button behind the trigger housing. I prefer the latter, but the tang mounted one is good too. There is no lock on the bolt so if you hold down the trigger and pump, it will fire immediately, which I learned one day tracking a mallard.

The receiver is said to be extremely hard as well. I had the 20 parkerized to resist salt water, the 16 reblued, and nothing done to the other two. Very sexy pump gun which accounted for a dozen rails 3 days ago.

Depends on what you like and maybe what you're used to--I also like Browning's A-5 auto due to the square back, and this is its slightly later cousin designed by Browning as a less expensive version. 1905 patent I believe, produced until ca. 1932, and still a workhorse for me.

The Win 1200 and 1300 pump shotguns has a lot going for them the rotating bolt lock up,and in my mind the ejecter is just a sprung steel piece just placed in the reciever,easy to replace!

In the Rem Models it is staked into the reciever,you can replace it at home if you have good skills and can restake it and not screw up the reciever!

I like Win and Rem shot-guns!

Bob

FORD or CHEVY???......YEP, I like the mode 12 Winchester as well as the 870 Wingmaster Remington for sure. I believe they were improved or refined over the model 37 and the model 31.

A few years back, gunwriters picked the 870 Remington as the best all around pumpgun ever made but their are no doubt going to be voices heard from the other side of the fence on that pickk. I like em both!