doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Need the Advice/Experience of Win M21 Gurus

What you have is a Deluxe grade that was made from 1940 to 1950.I assume the side panels on the stock are checkered. The reason its not stamped on the bottom is because of the engraving. Rounded frames were an extra on the Deluxe. The Deluxe grade replaced the Trap grade in 1940. The only difference in the two is the forend checkering. The Trap had the kidney pattern and the Deluxe had the Custom pattern. Both had the side panels checkered. They were available in 12, 16 and 20ga. The Customs did not have wording on the barrels so I assume the deluxe didn't either. After 1940 the trap gun became a type of gun not a grade also at that time the Custom Grade was dropped and then reinstated in 1950 when the Deluxe was dropped.

Model 21 grades in the 1930s were Standard Grade, Tournament Grade, Trap Grade and Custom Built Grade. When the Skeet Gun appears in the 1933 Winchester Catalog, it can be had in Tournament, Trap or Custom Built Grades --



1934 --





In the Winchester catalogs there was never a Skeet Grade, despite what a Cody letter or Schwing may say. By the 1937 catalog the Tournament Grade was gone and the Skeet Gun could be had in Standard, Trap or Custom Built Grades. By 1940 the Trap Grade is gone and the offerings are the Standard Grade, Trap Gun, Skeet Gun and Custom Built Grade. For 1941 the Model 21 Duck Gun was added to the mix. When we emerged from WW-II, the Custom Built Grade had been replaced by the DeLuxe Grade which lasted at least into 1950. By the January 2, 1952, Winchester Catalog they were back to Custom Built Grade. Between the 1953 and 1954 catalogs the Duck Gun became the Magnum Gun when they added the 20-gauge.

Great info!!! Thanks indeed!!!

I was just looking at the 1953 Winchester Model 21 booklet and noticed there were no roll-stamped markings on the left side of the left barrel of any of the guns showing the 21-1 through 21-6 engraving patterns. Other places in the booklet where the left side of plain guns are pictured the roll-stamping is visible.

As to the forearms, a friend of mine has a fully optioned up Parker Bros. BHE-Grade pigeon/trap gun that has two complete forearms, one slim and one beavertail.