doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Winchester Model 21 lovers....................

check out this site- http://www.winchestermodel21.com/page1.html for one of the better 21 collections in the neighborhood.

Looks like a cartoonist did the engraving. A garish ruination of a nice gun. Chopper

Bill has an extensive collection and sold a few of his 'Custom Shop' guns over the years. Now he is trying to sell the rest as a lot. Unfortuneatly for Bill, he has so many 'Custom Shop' Model 21's that he can single handidly depress the market.
Some are ornate but if you view the entire collection one can come away with an idea of what the Winchester Custom Shop was capable of. 'Custom Shop' Model 21's were usually a step above most Model 21's from previous era's, cosmetically. Mechnically, the guns are the same.-Dick

I like the 21. My pheasant gun is a plain 16 ga. I bought from a friend years ago and had converted to straight grip and custom splinter by Galazan's. It has the side bolsters, which I like better than the custom flatsides.

But as a matter of personal taste, I have to agree with Steve Bodio's quote of a friend in his "Good Guns" book about the gold inlaid Grand American type 21s, which was something like this:

"They look real good with jukeboxes."

The Grand Royals are over done as are standard Grand Americans(some with custom gold inlays are nice).
IMO the Pigeon Grades are the nicest of all, if you are talking about engraved 21s.

The non-engraved graded models(SKEET, TRAP, DUCK, etc.) with the side bolsters are the ones I like best.

Pretty to look at, but those guns have never been shot so what good are they? The two gauge 20/28 barrels are a real head-scratcher. 20 in the right, 28 in the left. Goofy.

Gunflint- I never have seen many M21's- but I looked at this website- Nicest M21 I have ever shot- friend's l938 Trap Grade 20 Gauge- 28" barrels choked imp. cyl. and mod. DT- but with ejectors- straight hand stock, leather covered pad and small "Kidney" shaped forearm- great wood, checkering- no engraving- what a great dove gun- well balanced but weighs almost 7 lbs. Are all older M21's heavy weights? I read there were first two frame sizes for M21 12 and a 16-20, later doubled to four with the ventilated rib option. Parker most likely had the most frame sizes. Was that extra weight part of John Olin's plan to build a "indestructible gun"? I like a medium heavy shotgun with muzzle forward feel- as I am a "pass shooter"- the Model 12's work for me just because of that "feel"-Sorry if I may have "Stirred up a hornet's nest" here with my question- and if I found a M21 I could afford I'd buy it- As the M21 was the last American boxlock to reach the market, the great Parker and Fox gun preceeding it- does that somehow make it "the new kid on the block"? Elitism is a human trait-whether we favor a certain make of: (1) shotgun (2) golf clubs (3)car, etc- so to me, the M21 is as desirable as the older Win. M70's and M12's-!!

21s are heavier than some folks like. I think the gun was built to shoot heavy loads comfortably, and to shoot lots of light loads at targets comfortably.

Model 21s are not inherently extremely heavy. I have owned 28" barrel 20 gauges as light as six pounds, four ounces. A friend built a 28" 20 gauge at six pounds even. Trimly stocked 30" 12 gauges can be built at seven and a quarter pounds or less. Postwar field grade 12 gauges are a bit clubby, but they have way more wood than they need to be properly stocked.

Sort of like "building" a tooth pick out of a Louisville slugger ? Why not buy a toothpick?