After reading some old posts on rec.guns by the Fulton Armory boys stating that the FN Police Shotgun was no where close to being the same thing as the Winchester 1300 Defender (even went as far as saying Winchester had copied the FN??) - I decided to see what FN had to say about it.
My email from FN confirms they are exactly the same except for:
- - 13.5 inch length of pull stock on FN vs. 14 on Winchester.
- Parkerized (manganese phosphate) finish on the FN vs. non-glare blued on the Winchester.
- Rifle sights (front and rear) on the FN vs. removable front TRUGLO fiber optic on the Winchester.
- Oversize safety on the FN.
- Receiver top drilled and tapped on FN.
- Barrel threaded w/2 choke tubes on FN vs. smooth cylinder bore on the Winchester.
That's all - no metal trigger group like the 870 Police models get or a heavier barrel like the Mossberg military model - they are essentially the same except for the choke threads.
Considering you can get one for $329, they are a nice buy since you'd be above that just trying to get the parkerized finish added to the Winchester.