doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Model 21…This or That?

1934 20 gauge Trap/Skeet

As a Skeet shooter and a fan of the Model 21, I’m trying to understand the logic behind this early Trap/Skeet.
Why the overlap between this gun and say the “New Fangled” Tournament Skeet (1933-1935)
Dimensions are pretty much identical as is its’ configuration. Other than the Trap forend (longer and taller) what’s the difference?

The TRAP grade has checkered cheeks, slightly different checkering pattern, and fancier wood than the FIELD, SKEET, or TOURNAMENT grades. Some TOURNAMENT SKEET grade guns are indistinguishable from SKEET grade guns except for the factory build sheet. Not all are grade stamped.

Bob, that's REALLY a nice gun.

True, but the vast majority of these things were made for a customer by the name of 'Stock'.

I think whatever logic there was behind the numerous variations was just to get variety to the dealers so the eventual buyers felt they were offered choices.

Winchester just kind of did what they wanted on the stock inventory guns, likely trying to match product with perceived trends.

When I was a young man, Winchester would make your 21 your way. They even would make you guns no longer in the catalog, if they had the receiver on hand. My father was friends with their exhibition shooter and had him get a special order for a gun no longer in the catalog, long discontinued with features no longer available. Remington would do the same, out of their Custom Shop. I had them make me a 3200 four barrel set, long after they dropped the 3200 from their catalog. All you had to do was ask and pay for it. Worst they could do was tell you it was no longer available and I suspect when things were slow, everything was possible, if you brought money to the conversation.

If you don't mind, which shooter was that? I'm guessing Herb Parsons.

He owned this one!

Jimmy is right. Late TRAP grades did not normally have checkered cheeks.

Yes Herb Parsons. A real nice fellow, to a kid who was amazed with what he did with a gun, be it a .22 or a shotgun. I was very young back then but he seemed to hit everything he shot at. I was blessed in my father knew a wide range of people. Once met John Unitas on a fishing trip my father took him and his offensive line on. Or later Artie Donovan and three other Colt defensive players on another fishing trip off Ocean City Maryland. When you are a kid, those men were massive men, who you just were in awe of.