1300_stainless
Regular
- Location
- Nova Scotia, Canada
Today I'm going to give a quick review of the Winchester SXP from the view point of someone who is a big fan of the 1300 models. Maybe it will help someone who, like I was, is wondering how the two compare.
A little background first. My first firearm was a Winchester 1300 Stainless Marine. My uncle purchased it new in 1990. I have a copy of the tag and original receipt and everything. Since purchasing that gun I've cycled through dozens of pump shotguns. Mossbergs work fine, but I've never liked them enough to keep one very long. 870s are a tank, but they handle and weigh as much as one too. I always preferred the 1200/1300 series of shotguns.
Recently I found myself looking for a new pump shotgun. I love my 1300s but I wanted something that was in current production so parts were available in the event I had an issue or breakage.(I'm a worrier like that). I wanted something light, short and weather resistant. I decided to pick up the newest version of Winchesters Marine Defender. In theory it would meet my requirements, and it would just be neat to have 2 generations of the Marine Defender. Here is how it has panned out so far.
First impression: I'm not going to lie, I was a bit "meh" when I took it out of the box. The fit is good but the matte black receiver gets light scratches that dull the finish easy and had some from new(quick coat of oil helps hide them well). Inspecting it closely you can tell it's a cheaper made gun. However upon rethinking the situation the Gun was half the price of it's 1300 predecessor, over 20 years later. So all things considered it wouldn't be fair to expect more gun for less money. I was also in a foul mood the night I opened it up. I decided to judge it later after I had tried it out.
I cleaned the gun, and lubricated it Friday night and it started to grow on me as I handled it. Inside it's much the same design of the older 1300s. A few changes were made. The bolt carrier and slide tube arms are now one piece. This thing is super easy to take apart. The newer guns now use a plastic mag cap retainer that goes in the mag tube, like the 870 express. Where the stock mates to the receiver is different than the 1200/1300 models. The bores are now chomed.
Here's the new bolt carrier setup
Saturday afternoon I took the gun out and put between 25 and 30 rounds of various ammunition through it. It cycled everything well. I had read that short brass shells could cause issues. I did have 2 hang up when loading the mag tube. The issue was fixed with being a bit more firm during the loading process. The gun worked great. Smooth and fast like the 1300s. This thing does kick, but it's a short light shotgun and that's the price you pay. I fired brid shot, buck shot, assorted 3" magnum loads, and 3" slugs. The magnum rounds and slugs had significantly more recoil but all rounds were manageable. No real discomfort after 25+ rounds and no sore shoulder today. I did have several layers on, but the pad on this shotgun seems to work pretty good.
LONG STORY SHORT
Main likes:
- The fibre optic bead on this thing is pretty neat
- Plating and chrome bore should be durable
- It's threaded for chokes. I think that's a big plus especially with a shorter barrel
- Just as fast, smooth and fun as the 1300
- Light and easy to handle in the brush
- Super easy to strip and clean
What I dislike:
- The plastic follower looks like junk. Will be replacing
- Uses the plastic part inside the mag tube to retain magazine cap
- Only holds 4 rounds of 3" ammo. That's lame! The mag capacity is limited to 5 due to import regulations, but could it not hold 5 of the longest ammo? It probably would fit in the tube if the plastic cap retaining piece was ditched for a detent ball in the barrel band.
Bottom Line:
If your 1300 is suiting you needs I wouldn't recommend get rid of it for an SXP. The SXP is not the same gun in terms of finish and all over quality at least IMO. However not too much these days is made like it used to be. I'm not saying the SXP is a bad gun at all. The marine model especially has a lot of features for a good price! It's also as smooth, fast and fun as the 1200 and 1300. My initial problem was I opened the box of the SXP wanting a new 1300, and that wasn't realistic. What I got wasn't a 1300 but it was a good working, practical SXP that was a great value. It's quality is consistent with the competitors in it's price range and it's got that Winchester function and feel that I prefer. I'm excited to try some different chokes and spend some time with this gal.
A little background first. My first firearm was a Winchester 1300 Stainless Marine. My uncle purchased it new in 1990. I have a copy of the tag and original receipt and everything. Since purchasing that gun I've cycled through dozens of pump shotguns. Mossbergs work fine, but I've never liked them enough to keep one very long. 870s are a tank, but they handle and weigh as much as one too. I always preferred the 1200/1300 series of shotguns.
Recently I found myself looking for a new pump shotgun. I love my 1300s but I wanted something that was in current production so parts were available in the event I had an issue or breakage.(I'm a worrier like that). I wanted something light, short and weather resistant. I decided to pick up the newest version of Winchesters Marine Defender. In theory it would meet my requirements, and it would just be neat to have 2 generations of the Marine Defender. Here is how it has panned out so far.
First impression: I'm not going to lie, I was a bit "meh" when I took it out of the box. The fit is good but the matte black receiver gets light scratches that dull the finish easy and had some from new(quick coat of oil helps hide them well). Inspecting it closely you can tell it's a cheaper made gun. However upon rethinking the situation the Gun was half the price of it's 1300 predecessor, over 20 years later. So all things considered it wouldn't be fair to expect more gun for less money. I was also in a foul mood the night I opened it up. I decided to judge it later after I had tried it out.
I cleaned the gun, and lubricated it Friday night and it started to grow on me as I handled it. Inside it's much the same design of the older 1300s. A few changes were made. The bolt carrier and slide tube arms are now one piece. This thing is super easy to take apart. The newer guns now use a plastic mag cap retainer that goes in the mag tube, like the 870 express. Where the stock mates to the receiver is different than the 1200/1300 models. The bores are now chomed.
Here's the new bolt carrier setup
Saturday afternoon I took the gun out and put between 25 and 30 rounds of various ammunition through it. It cycled everything well. I had read that short brass shells could cause issues. I did have 2 hang up when loading the mag tube. The issue was fixed with being a bit more firm during the loading process. The gun worked great. Smooth and fast like the 1300s. This thing does kick, but it's a short light shotgun and that's the price you pay. I fired brid shot, buck shot, assorted 3" magnum loads, and 3" slugs. The magnum rounds and slugs had significantly more recoil but all rounds were manageable. No real discomfort after 25+ rounds and no sore shoulder today. I did have several layers on, but the pad on this shotgun seems to work pretty good.
LONG STORY SHORT
Main likes:
- The fibre optic bead on this thing is pretty neat
- Plating and chrome bore should be durable
- It's threaded for chokes. I think that's a big plus especially with a shorter barrel
- Just as fast, smooth and fun as the 1300
- Light and easy to handle in the brush
- Super easy to strip and clean
What I dislike:
- The plastic follower looks like junk. Will be replacing
- Uses the plastic part inside the mag tube to retain magazine cap
- Only holds 4 rounds of 3" ammo. That's lame! The mag capacity is limited to 5 due to import regulations, but could it not hold 5 of the longest ammo? It probably would fit in the tube if the plastic cap retaining piece was ditched for a detent ball in the barrel band.
Bottom Line:
If your 1300 is suiting you needs I wouldn't recommend get rid of it for an SXP. The SXP is not the same gun in terms of finish and all over quality at least IMO. However not too much these days is made like it used to be. I'm not saying the SXP is a bad gun at all. The marine model especially has a lot of features for a good price! It's also as smooth, fast and fun as the 1200 and 1300. My initial problem was I opened the box of the SXP wanting a new 1300, and that wasn't realistic. What I got wasn't a 1300 but it was a good working, practical SXP that was a great value. It's quality is consistent with the competitors in it's price range and it's got that Winchester function and feel that I prefer. I'm excited to try some different chokes and spend some time with this gal.
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