Newbie: need help on a used Winchester 101

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c-motion

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Hi everyone, I'm a total newbie currently waiting for my PPA to come in. I'm currently looking at a used Winchester 101 at my local hunting store for 675$. The guys did not have much information for me on the gun. They said it's about 5 years old. 'Like new'. I looked at the gun, it looks in great condition. But I have no idea what to look for.

I'm trying to figure out how to evaluate the gun properly. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.


Also, when I asked about chokes, the owner took a look at the barrels and explained to me that the gun had been 'machined' (i.e. you cant screw a choke in anymore). He fitted a 10 cents tightly at the top of the barrel and told me it was a 'modified' gun. Does that mean the gun was machined to shoot as a modified choke permenantly? The gun also has a Falcon Strike butt pad...

Thank you so much for your help on this!
 
Its older than five years thats for sure. Winchester would have been putting in choke tubes for the last 15 years.That seems like a good price. You should check the actual diameter with a micrometer, or dial caliper. Then you can know for certain exactly what the chokes have been openud up to. I'd guess that they opened up the chokes to shoot steel shot, from lead.

I ain't a no expert but owned a couple O/U's.

1. Check the actual chokes as above.
2. Remove the barrels from the receiver and look down the muzzle and breech to look for any bulges from steel shot or whatever.
3. Check and see if it was made in Japan, which may make it worth more.
4. See if the owner has some snap cap shotshells and check function.
5. Most important, check for a firm lockup of the action and hinge mechanism. This is where they will wear.
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=65649
You-tube has a bunch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94gy6qGf3VQ

and grind him on the price because of no choke tubes if the above all checks out. If its been opened up for steel it won't be the best for trap or skeet. So tell the seller trap and skeet is what you are expressly buying it for. Bla, bla bla.

If it's a Japanese one it could be worth 1K. But I haven't owned a O/U for 30 years.

Here is a discussion on a used 101. They seem to think that tubes would make it worth less. But thats likely meaning that they are talking about original bores which have not been opened up for steel.
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=454216 From a year ago in USD.
" I would put the Win on the Classifieds in this site for $700 plus shipping."
 
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c-motion said:
Hi everyone, I'm a total newbie currently waiting for my PPA to come in. I'm currently looking at a used Winchester 101 at my local hunting store for 675$. The guys did not have much information for me on the gun. They said it's about 5 years old. 'Like new'. I looked at the gun, it looks in great condition. But I have no idea what to look for.

I'm trying to figure out how to evaluate the gun properly. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.


Also, when I asked about chokes, the owner took a look at the barrels and explained to me that the gun had been 'machined' (i.e. you cant screw a choke in anymore). He fitted a 10 cents tightly at the top of the barrel and told me it was a 'modified' gun. Does that mean the gun was machined to shoot as a modified choke permenantly? The gun also has a Falcon Strike butt pad...

Thank you so much for your help on this!
Click to expand...

IMO Leave it where it is. The true model 101 came out in 63 and stopped around 89. Yours with a fixed honed choke is at least that old not 5 years. He is not being honest and at that give away price there is something more wrong with it that they are also not sharing which would be impossible to find for us over the internet
The newer ones look like an old 101 but it stops there different hinging , lock up and invector plus choke tubes fitted so it is not a second design one either as a 5 year would be

Cheers
 
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Take the Forend off, all my 101's are either marked(choke) on outside of Barrel near the breach or after removing the forend should be marked on side of barrels just forward of breach....he checked with a Dime? ...what gauge is it and he only checked the top barrel? what did the dime say on the bottom barrel? what inscription is on the Grip cap? Mine are both the original pre 89 101's, love them both a 20 Pigeon Gr and a 28ga skeet/skeet....both deadly on Grouse and Woodcock
 
Listen to 3 Macs. It’s definitely not a 5 year old 101, more like 35 - 55 years. My Pigeon Grade is 30 years old and has original factory flush mount chokes(invectors). By the time it was introduced the blued receiver floral scrolled models were no longer the standard field guns being released. Winchester had moved into Pigeon, Quail, Diamond grades etc. The standard field gun was pretty much no more by the mid 80’s.
 
There are a couple of decent 12ga 101's for sale in the for sale section....950 and up if I remember....one seemed really nice if a 12ga fixed choke gun is your preference
 
The American made Model 101s were built from the 1960s to the 1980s. There is a line of Belgian made Model 101s from 2007 onwards.

As the others have posted, a store that can't answer a straight forward question should not be trusted. I wouldn't expect them to know everything in the Big Book of Gun Values off the top of their head, especially if the staff are francophones and the material is exclusively in English. But there is an unspoken obligation on them to build you as a customer not as a wallet waiting to be emptied.
 
There are lots of gun shops and lots of employees that don't know squat about guns. IMO a dime is used to pay for a pop not measure the choke of a shotgun bbl. Thats the first clue that whoever he was dealing with is not the sharpest tool in the box.

If c-motion is a newbie at all this thats a definite issue. But if its "like new" and a asking price of $675 I'd definitely not be turned off. Thats 30% less than "There are a couple of decent 12ga 101's for sale in the for sale section....950 and up "
There is this one https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...101-Trap-Monte-Carlo?highlight=winchester+101
at $950 shipped.

Sure the salesman is BSing about the 5 years old. So what. If I had a dollar for every line of BS from some counterman in a gunshop I'd be in Africa on safari right now. There is a big thread on here now on how some people here want to only buy online. Because gunshop owners are all stupid, liars or have overpriced stock.I'm not saying that they are. But I know what they deal with on the customer end of the equation. Thats why the gunsmith runs the lathe and the owner dosn't let him waste an hour talking to an idiot who heard that he needs a .378 Wby improved, for ___! So what, educate yourself, look around, dig in the dusty corners of gun shops. If you want a deal thats what it takes. Swallow your pride if thats what it takes.

IMO the Win 101 is a damn nice shotgun. When a new Browning Citori is $2150 USD and a new 101 is $1900 USD. Which is $2394 CDN and 14.975 Quebec taxes= $2752 CDN. I'd be damn sure to check it over. Or have a knowledgeable friend look it over for me If I didn't know. I bought my first O/U in about 1972 and paid $545 NEW, including taxes(3%), including a leather leg of mutton gun case. A brand new Citori 12 ga.
http://www.winchesterguns.com/produ...del-101-current-products/model-101-field.html

If that gun is "as new" and can be had for $600-$625 Choke tubes and the cut of the chokes don't mean squat. It would have cost $125 minimum, probably $150, to get the forcing cones and chokes opened up to shoot steel at a gunsmith.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
The American made Model 101s were built from the 1960s to the 1980s. There is a line of Belgian made Model 101s from 2007 onwards.

As the others have posted, a store that can't answer a straight forward question should not be trusted. I wouldn't expect them to know everything in the Big Book of Gun Values off the top of their head, especially if the staff are francophones and the material is exclusively in English. But there is an unspoken obligation on them to build you as a customer not as a wallet waiting to be emptied.
Click to expand...

There aren’t any American made 101’s. The first 101’s were made in Japan. The latest are Belgian.
 
That is my understanding also , never made in US.
In 1983 choke tubes where standard , so it would be older than that, If nothing wrong with it , that is a hell of a good buy, for a field gun.
the tubes on these are as a rule to thin to install choke tubes.
Check real good for hair line cracks in the stock at rear of frame.
take the foreend off and close the action, should still be tight, no light at breach face ( frame to rear of barrels, and no rattles.
If you are still interested, take a shot gun guy with you to look at if you are unsure what to look at.
What are you going to use it for ? It may be just a 2 3/4 inch length chamber, fine for general shot gunning, I like weak shot shells, don't kick at all.

A P.S., not all gun store sales men are up on every thing, he maybe don't know, stupid, but a B.S.'er is something else, talk to the boss, hope he is not .
Handguns I know, shotguns fairly good, old military not my thing, other than FN FAL's, we can't know it all.

the spank said:
There aren’t any American made 101’s. The first 101’s were made in Japan. The latest are Belgian.
Click to expand...
 
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I bought my Win 101 field grade in 1978, Made in Japan it says and full and modified chokes 2 3/4" chamber.I bought it at Skinner's in downtown Towonto on King St. they were if I recall correctly. It was sold to me by the Skinner himself and I paid $1177 with the 7% tax ... guess I got skinned at Skinners ...
 
The guy selling can be as stupid as a stump but the owner of the shop who sets the price isn't so at $675 there is something not right with it other than the opened chokes
If you knew these guns or had someone that does check it out for you fine but I would not touch it otherwise

Cheers
 
marshall said:
That is my understanding also , never made in US.
In 1983 choke tubes where standard , so it would be older than that, If nothing wrong with it , that is a hell of a good buy, for a field gun.
the tubes on these are as a rule to thin to install choke tubes.
Check real good for hair line cracks in the stock at rear of frame.
take the foreend off and close the action, should still be tight, no light at breach face ( frame to rear of barrels, and no rattles.
If you are still interested, take a shot gun guy with you to look at if you are unsure what to look at.
What are you going to use it for ? It may be just a 2 3/4 inch length chamber, fine for general shot gunning, I like weak shot shells, don't kick at all.

A P.S., not all gun store sales men are up on every thing, he maybe don't know, stupid, but a B.S.'er is something else, talk to the boss, hope he is not .
Handguns I know, shotguns fairly good, old military not my thing, other than FN FAL's, we can't know it all.
Click to expand...

Your right. I forgot they put the standard invectors in them first. It was 89 they started with the invector plus
CheersT
 
If the 101 you're looking at is in good shape, both cosmetically and mechanically then $675 is a good price, PROVIDED it fits you. Last year I looked at one at a very good gun shop, that 101 had been used, not been wiped down after every use by any means, but no visible cracks, a few dings in the wood but it locked up tight and the lever was where it should be. I didn't need another 101, so I passed.....anyway it sold in two days. I believe it was listed at $599 with fixed chokes. I think it might have been full over mod ?? Lots of great advice in this thread, as posted by others covering what to look for regarding these 101's.
 
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