Winchester Model 1887 Lever-Action Shotgun

[SamMarlowPI]

anyone else really dig this gun?

 

[AeroDillo]

Yup.

 

[eightbore]

+1 ! ! !

 

[Rooster]

Although they look cool, they have too much drop for me, I just can't shoot them with my cheek not on the stock.
I had a '97 come through here last year that was a real champ, fit me like it was custom made for me. I should have kept it for myself.....

 

[Twitch]

All of the lever action rifles of the great Western era were so amazing for their time

 

[Tommy Fedora]

I've been a fan of lever guns ever since I used to watch Roy Rogers on Saturday mornings years ago.
In my gun collection I have a Winchester Model 1886 in 45-90. Its not in the best of shape but its one of my favorites, along with a Winshester Model 71 in .348 Win.

 

[eightbore]

In my gun collection I have a Winchester Model 1886 in 45-90.

God bless John Moses Browning ! :eusa_clap

 

[Harry Pierpont]

Reproductions

If you can't find the real thing the chinese are reproducing them for the cowboy action shooters.
http://personalsecurityzone.com/cgi.../PSZ/?Template=ProdDetail.htm&ProductID=27277

 

[SamMarlowPI]

yah those lever guns were really something...still are...found out there is a Model 9410 lever action .410...pretty cool looking since its modeled after the model 94...

 

[Blackgrass]

I love the old '97 shotgun. A buddy and I used to hunt ducks decked out in waxed cotton and old shotguns. He carried a '97 and I had an old A5 Browning. The '97 just seems to fit perfectly...But buying the steel shot alternative would get mighty expensive.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

just the fact its a lever action shotgun is really neat...97 is great too

 

[MagistrateChris]

With a short barrel, it would be an awesome vintage CQB weapon.

 

[Lincsong]

I heard good things about it. But I've never saw one. Hey who goes duck hunting around here????

 

[Story]

With a short barrel, it would be an awesome vintage CQB weapon.

Or preferred by those from the future.

I rebuilt an original a few years ago - getting parts for them is *tough*

 

[Blackgrass]

I heard good things about it. But I've never saw one. Hey who goes duck hunting around here????

Grew up in Arkansas....What do ya want to know?

 

[Gary Crumrine]

With a short barrel, it would be an awesome vintage CQB weapon.

Magistrate, I'm under the impression that there is no barrel length exemption for vintage firearms and that the federal laws on the matter remain applicable.

 

[MagistrateChris]

I concur. I was thinking of something just over 18", so it would be legal without need for Federal permission. Too long is difficult to manuever in tight quarters.

 

[Story]

I concur. I was thinking of something just over 18", so it would be legal without need for Federal permission. Too long is difficult to manuever in tight quarters.

Too bad, I could have hooked you up with a pre-98 10 gauge that worked but candidly, it didn't *feel* the same as a lever rifle. According to Texas Ranger Magazine, there was a reason for this -
In 1887, Winchester developed a lever-action shotgun loosely based on its rifle mechanisms. While it was an attractive weapon, it proved difficult to simply "scale-up" the lever-action mechanism to handle shotgun shells smoothly. Also, shotgun shells had more of the "dirty" black powder than smaller rifle charges. As a result, the M1887 suffered frequent jams, shooters complained that the lever-action was clumsy and tiring, and the copious black powder residue made thorough cleaning a chore.


I still favor the pumps or a double.
The Chinese knockoffs come with 20" barrels. $383 here
http://www.shootersmart.com/site/?do=display&pid=NOR87W

That's a standard length in SASS competition shooting. Check out
http://sassnet.com/forums/index.php?showforum=14
You may want to contact one of the groups local to you and make arrangements to cross paths with an 1887 owner on the range, give one a test run.

 

[Twitch]

I have an 1897 12 gauge Winchester pump.

 

[eightbore]

Magistrate, I'm under the impression that there is no barrel length exemption for vintage firearms and that the federal laws on the matter remain applicable.

There are exemptions to the National Firearms Act (NFA) for some vintage firearms if they were originally manufactured (pre-NFA) in what would become an NFA subject configuration. Confused yet? Anyway, a prime example is the Winchester model 94 Trapper. They made several that had 14" and 15" barrels and the minimum bbl length today for rifles is obviously 16" . However, one doesn't need to worry about being carted off to jail for possessing an ORIGINAL 1894 trapper without NFA paperwork (though you might want to keep a copy of the regs and proof that the weapon was made before a certain date handy). Some cops can get overzealous and it's best to CYA. It is important to realize, however that one cannot take an 18" model 1894 (even one manufactured before the NFA) and convert it to a 14" trapper without going through all the wonderful NFA paperwork and paying the $200 tax.

They actually keep a record of serial numbers from NFA exempt weapons as can be seen from the link below.

http://www.shelfspace.com/~c-r-ffl/sec3.html

Hope this helps.

eightbore