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Jul 28th, 2025
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 33
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 33 |
I am looking at what appears to be a correct Winchester 21 in 28 Gauge but it does not letter at all. There are no records. The gun looks winchester and correct but I would like to understand how many guns were actually created with being recorded? Were there guns that walked out the door in parts? Thanks, Michael
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,698
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,698 |
YES ......... been there but didn't do that. Ken
Ken Hurst
910-221-5288
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 7,316 Likes: 621
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 7,316 Likes: 621 |
I'm no 21 expert, far from it, but I would be very careful. There is too much money and too many very skilled people out there that are willing to pass off parts as the real thing. Go slow and have someone who really knows 21's look at it. When something doesnt letter, there is usually a reason.
Steve
Firearms imports, consignments ![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/Ez9oz9Rl.jpg)
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,249 Likes: 6
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,249 Likes: 6 |
Will you buy the gun at a high end collector price, or well below that? What do you intend to do with the gun, store it in a safe in hopes it will appreciate, or hunt with it? If you plan on shooting it, does the gun fit you (stock dimensions) and is it the configuration (barrel length, chokes) that you want?
In my mind, these are the important considerations before purchase. Personally I could care less about a letter on any gun. If the gun looks right, fits well and I'm happy with the price, that's all that matters to me. But of course I'm more of a shooter than a collector/investor. Silvers
I AM SILVERS, NOT SLIVER = two different members. I'm in the northeast, the other member is in MT.
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 97
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 97 |
Keep this in mind. Anything today can be duplicated, made to look, feel and smell like a real Winchester. Heck, we have an engraver above with the talent (and experience) to perfectly reproduce any factory work. If the letter isn’t in Cody, there is no providence. Providence drives price. As Silvers suggests, if it fits well, shoots well and you want it, buy it. Only thing I would suggest is price it against the current Galazan price list to duplicate, take twenty percent or more off and that should help establish a fair price.
Without a letter from Cody proving its origins, be careful not to get yourself buried in it, it doesn’t matter how or who put it together, it is what it is.
If I ever had an issue with the 28 gauge model 21, it was the weight in the barrels.
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 33
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 33 |
Thanks for this. Silvers the gun is priced well below collectors prices and it fits me perfectly. It is a wonderful gun and it is Winchester Parts for sure but with no record it seems difficult to know what to do. the gun is right there are just no record of it. It is not cheap that is for sure but then again the last one of these I saw was 30k. thanks for the help.
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 33
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 33 |
Orry thanks. this gun has the lightened barrels produced in the custom shop later. So it is the best 21 I have ever held and swung. I own 4 21s and they all look basically the same. so I appreicate your help and input. Thanks.
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,109 Likes: 78
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,109 Likes: 78 |
No records. Does Cody claim to have complete Winchester records? Does absence from their list mean the gun wasn't produced by Winchester?
"The price of good shotgunnery is constant practice" - Fred Kimble
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 33
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 33 |
This is the core of my question actually. I know that for the most part Winchester was spotty on records generally but I would like to understand how often a gun comes around without a record. Thanks, Michael
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,893 Likes: 651
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,893 Likes: 651 |
Unless this is a high grade 21 I would not worry about the records. If the fit and finish are up to par, this is either a well made lunch box gun of one more gun which never got recorded. I assume it has a serial number. So buy it for what it is, a great shooter with at worse an interesting past. Since there are not that many 28's to start with I suspect that if this is a lunch box gun it is a one of a kind. And there are no faked 21's out there like there are Model 12's altered into a "rare" 28 gauge gun and being sold for major bucks.
I have bought land and stocks for investment, my guns are not investments they are toys to be shot and enjoyed. If their value keeps going up so much the better. I have three 21's,.all three are two barrel sets, a 12 ,16 and 20. My desire for a 28 or a 28/.410 set gets a little greater about every couple of years but as you mention the prices for the small bores are steep. Too steep for toys when I have so many other needs of other toys. Choices, choices, choices.
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