Winchester Model 1300 Defender

[h2harris]

Could someone school me on the Winchester Model 1300 Defender 12ga 18 1/4' barrel. J&S Sales has some police turn in that look interesting. How would they compare to a Remmington?

Thanks,
Howard

[luvsasmith]

Excellent shotgun. Would say it is as good or better than an 870. Just not as many aftermarket bells and whistles as readily available.

[fxdrider]

I have a Winchester 1300 Slug Hunter in 12 gauge, which has the same receiver and mechanism as the Defender, I believe - just different stock, forearm, & barrel. I've had it since 1994, and haven't had any problems with it. It does have an alloy receiver(aluminum?), which made me worry about durability. But so far it's held up well. I take good care of my guns though - that helps. I would have to bet that a gun with a steel receiver - like the 870 - would be more durable under hard abuse. But if it's going to be used in the way they were intended, and not as a crowbar or something, I'd say go for it. I like my 1300. It's a shame they stopped making them.

[Hellbent11]

1300's are good guns. do you have a link to thier website?

[Cold_DeadHands]

I have a 18" Winchester 1300 Defender and love it. 7+1 and smooth like butter! Might consider selling tho so all my shotguns are 870's...makes it easier for the wife.

[Nortonics]

Winchester 1300 series with the Rotary Bolt - only pump shotgun with such a mechanism. Incredibly fast shooting for a pump:

The Winchester Model 1300 Speed Pump. It’s called the
Speed Pump for good reason.
We’ve always known that the1300’s unique action design
made it possible to shoot follow-ups faster than ordinary
pumps. But it never really sunk in until we tested it with an
electronic, sound-activated timer. The average was .56 of
a second for three shots. That’s right, about a half second!
Of course you may not be able to shoot as fast as one of the
avid shotgunners in the R&D department, but anyway you
cut it, the Model 1300 pumps very fast. All thanks to the
Speed Pump rotary bolt design.
Look no further than its unique 4-lug rotary bolt
system for the reason. The rotary bolt disengages from the
barrel fractions of a second after the shell fires. Inertia from
recoil starts the forearm and slide rearward. This actually
assists you as you pump rearward for the next shot.
You can feel it in your forward hand. The result is faster
follow-up shots, period!

YouTube video of a 1300 in action

[.351winchester]

For a long time, combat shotguns were my thing. I never had a problem shooting 3" mag buck or slugs out of a riot gun even after an illness left me 135lb. @ 6'. When I think back about that Marine Defender with flush pipes and bolt, oh and swivel stud and trigger as well, in mirror shine, custom Harley chrome, I think of the word pain. The Recoil was absolutely VICIOUS. I believe it weighed under 6 lb. dry, with thin walled, hollow plastic buttstock with as I recall a fairly narrow, stiff buttpad. Even with birdshot and the tightest cheekweld/butt-to-shoulder hold, man that puppy made my teeth shake.
The corncob forend had plenty of traction but gave me the most trouble. The ribs were wide and deep, and after firing the forearm/slide mechanism travels back like maybe .75" with the bolt to unlock and presumably for a fast, action cycle 'jumpstart'. My left pinkie would get torqued half off, sideways, no matter where I could place it on the forearm, ring finger too. I'd let these digits stick out avoiding contact, but after a few fast shots later it's back to not feeling them the rest of the day, wondering about dislocation.
As I purchased it, it was so unpleasant to operate I began to hate it, even started to look ugly with the parkerized reciever clashing with all the mirror finish bright chrome. I bought a Pachmayr pistol grip and forend stet, and regular screwdriver long enough to reach the back of the reciever. Aside from the impediment of a pg pump vs. full stock in crucial areas such as speed and accuracy (point shoot only), this with the right stance was not so bad. The rubber forearm was very trim and merely checkered, so IMO better than the stock one. I do have girl hands/ fingers, no doubt, but that forearm blasting back with grabby ribs to catch fingertips, was not the finest ergonomics (or even a "pinch point" should a finger foolishly touch the mag tubebehind forearm?). Anyway, I don't think it cycled faster than anything else, though kind of thinking it didn't have a disconnector so you could slamfire it like a 97 or Ithaca, might be wrong. I was too busy getting beat up to try.
Just mu unfortunate experiences with a variant of 1300 defender. That said, the same gun in Blue and wood (read:weight and no deeply grooved forearm) might have been a favorite. They made a "Camp Defender' with pretty cool specs, like would be found on a 3-gun rig, something that could duck hunt but need a very long dowel.

Interesting field strip, not like I'd seen before. First time thought I'd broken it, but got it back together and eventually prefered it to the sometimes tedious Mossberg action reassembly. Did not care for bb-gun like safety position.

These are solid and dependable guns. I was humbled by the brutal recoil (noticably stronger than similar spec Rem, Mossberg, etc. riot guns) and violent backlash of the forearm/slide mechanism on the Marine Defender, the 11 oz. .357 of shotguns.

[Creature]

I never much cared for the the aluminum receiver...

[luvsasmith]

I'm glad my 1300 has one- especially after it spent 3 days underwater after Katrina.