the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
I recently acquired a Model 1400 20ga. Skeet Grade form a fellow CGN'r. At first while waiting for it to be shipped I had mixed thoughts of anxious to open the package and check it out to OMG did I really buy a 1400?! Not exactly a gun considered to be at the top of the Winchester heap. The day came when it arrived and I brought it home from the P.O and opened the box. I couldn't help but laugh out loud as I assembled it at my own thoughts of "did I really buy something like this? " The pressed in fleur-de-lis checkering at first made want to vomit but then I just started to laugh instead as I thought well my 1100's and 870's were the same kind of workmanship. Machine pressed, not cut checkering...
So during assembly I was busy checking the gun over closely and after looking at many aspects of it, material, fit and finish etc. I came to the conclusion this must have been a tough era for the gunsmiths at Winchester. They were used to producing good quality firearms that were milled from billets of top grade quality steel. They worked with American Black walnut, produced checkering by hand that accented a gun's lines and gave it a look and feel that made it's producers and owners proud. They hand engraved game scenes on firearms worthy of any of the top engravers around the globe. And they accented guns and offered custom options that you would not find without going to small exclusive gun makers where you would pay copious amounts of $$ for these custom additions.And they did this on factory production guns!
Back to my 1400. Upon looking at it assembled I couldn't help but notice since it is an early model, first or second year production(64 or 65) I would have to guess at by the serial # that this gun seemed to be a mixture of the old ways combined with the new ways. It has a cast receiver reminiscent of post 64's, and I am pretty certain this one is steel, not alloy like the later models. It has the good old Winchester quality steel barrel in WS1 choke with rich bluing as does the receiver which has polished sides and matte top which was a feature of the Model 12 target guns. The cycling system though is pure post 64. Stamped sheet metal action arms, mag tube, cast white metal trigger guard and cheap trigger parts. The rebound follower is aluminum or some kind of white metal? The bolt is cast steel but it's jewelled like the target grades of the pre-64 era. Atop the receiver and barrel sits a free floating pinned duckbill rib. That is pure Winchester pre-64 era target gun right there. And wrapping up the whole package is some really nice figured Walnut with the red target style recoil pad Winchester was known for. However as nicely figured as the stock is, it has that post 64 pressed in checkering pattern that to me just says cost cutting ugly as does the forend but............
The more I look at the gun the more it grows on me and I am really starting to like it. To date I have only test fired it with three rounds and it cycled perfectly and hit where I was looking. It is unique in that it seems to be a Hybrid of the Winchester gunsmiths wanting to show their pride of workmanship and quality materials still existed at at time when their employer was caught up having to compete with other manufacturers dummying down process of gun making. Sad day for gun owners IMO......
Here it is......Winchester Model 1400 20ga. Skeet Grade
Overall View
The jewelled steel bolt and duckbill rib......
The pressed in Fleur-de-lis checkering pattern on the forend and the free floating pinned rib
The red Winchester recoil pad and nicely figured walnut stock plus the view of the duckbill rib and matte finished receiver top.
The stock as viewed from both sides......
The cast white metal trigger guard with it's stamped gate and cast parts and the trademark red "W" pistol grip cap common on post 64 Winchester shotguns.
So during assembly I was busy checking the gun over closely and after looking at many aspects of it, material, fit and finish etc. I came to the conclusion this must have been a tough era for the gunsmiths at Winchester. They were used to producing good quality firearms that were milled from billets of top grade quality steel. They worked with American Black walnut, produced checkering by hand that accented a gun's lines and gave it a look and feel that made it's producers and owners proud. They hand engraved game scenes on firearms worthy of any of the top engravers around the globe. And they accented guns and offered custom options that you would not find without going to small exclusive gun makers where you would pay copious amounts of $$ for these custom additions.And they did this on factory production guns!
Back to my 1400. Upon looking at it assembled I couldn't help but notice since it is an early model, first or second year production(64 or 65) I would have to guess at by the serial # that this gun seemed to be a mixture of the old ways combined with the new ways. It has a cast receiver reminiscent of post 64's, and I am pretty certain this one is steel, not alloy like the later models. It has the good old Winchester quality steel barrel in WS1 choke with rich bluing as does the receiver which has polished sides and matte top which was a feature of the Model 12 target guns. The cycling system though is pure post 64. Stamped sheet metal action arms, mag tube, cast white metal trigger guard and cheap trigger parts. The rebound follower is aluminum or some kind of white metal? The bolt is cast steel but it's jewelled like the target grades of the pre-64 era. Atop the receiver and barrel sits a free floating pinned duckbill rib. That is pure Winchester pre-64 era target gun right there. And wrapping up the whole package is some really nice figured Walnut with the red target style recoil pad Winchester was known for. However as nicely figured as the stock is, it has that post 64 pressed in checkering pattern that to me just says cost cutting ugly as does the forend but............
The more I look at the gun the more it grows on me and I am really starting to like it. To date I have only test fired it with three rounds and it cycled perfectly and hit where I was looking. It is unique in that it seems to be a Hybrid of the Winchester gunsmiths wanting to show their pride of workmanship and quality materials still existed at at time when their employer was caught up having to compete with other manufacturers dummying down process of gun making. Sad day for gun owners IMO......
Here it is......Winchester Model 1400 20ga. Skeet Grade
Overall View
The jewelled steel bolt and duckbill rib......
The pressed in Fleur-de-lis checkering pattern on the forend and the free floating pinned rib
The red Winchester recoil pad and nicely figured walnut stock plus the view of the duckbill rib and matte finished receiver top.
The stock as viewed from both sides......
The cast white metal trigger guard with it's stamped gate and cast parts and the trademark red "W" pistol grip cap common on post 64 Winchester shotguns.
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