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Boss&Co. owners are arrogant, M21 owners are everyday people who keep theirs in a pickem-up truck!

Well said, HD.

Jimmy;

Agreed, I do love to tease & pull chains myself, & it's for sure many 21 chains swing low & are easy to pull & with great effect . There is however one place I draw the line, I "Do Not" use the name of "God" in a joking manner. That is something everyone has to decide for themselves, but in my mind I consider it blasphemy so you will not find me making such remarks. God created the Horse, Man through selective breeding developed the TN Walking Horse. My dad was not a big time breeder but most of his life had some around with lineage back to some of the early Allen lines. I rode them quite a bit tending to the catle on the farm as was growing up, but for recreation preferred walking & carrying a dbl shotgun.

Ok enough talk how about some pictures!!!
All the best

Okay, Okay, treblig, but for those that are not M21 fans, this could get a tad boring...

Pics should be fairly self-explanatory. The brown leather-faced pad is one of the lesser pad treatments Winchester would do at the factory upon request (although this one’s a re-do with the top spur left on).

As mentioned earlier, the factory beavertail is the older kidney-pattern style; the thinner field-style forearm is also a beavertail but pared down to weigh 4 oz. less (i.e. gun wgt. of 7 lbs. 13 oz. versus 8 lbs. 1 oz.)

Overall, the gun has made for a great SC piece over the years with its field dimensions & 30” barrels still factory choked at IC & IM.

Turns out that it has one odd notation on the factory inspection sheet that accompanied the Cody letter stating that the pistol grip was mistakenly shaped too open with a length of 4-1/8” from face of trigger to front edge of grip cap. It also stated that the ‘standard’ dimension for that at the time was 4.0”, and the inspection sheet mentions that approval needed to come from higher up the Winchester food chain before it could be released - as such - to retailers Abercrombie & Fitch. One wouldn't think an 1/8" to be all that big a deal, but it apparently was to Winchester back then. I personally like it this open, it's almost a semi-pistol grip, (as shown in the photo), and wouldn’t mind were it even more so. Stock dimensions of the gun remain at 1-5/8” x 2-5/8” x 14-1/4”. With that, enough.....

Hope you enjoy the photos, in spite of the glare.

Robert

Great looking gun, Robert. Does it have a grade stamped on the frame? Why did you remove the kidney pattern beavertail?
My straight grip 16ga. Skeet Grade has the kidney pattern.

Thanks, Don. It is roll stamped 'Trap' immediately forward of the triggerplate screw.

As for switching out forends (only for the present), I've just always liked the feeling of being more connected to the barrels themselves with my pointing hand when shooting SxS's. The kidney pattern forend is appreciably wider and deeper than the slimmer beavertail, although my photo doesn't show this all that well from the underside. I'd prolly be just as happy with a splinter forend on this gun actually, as a personal preference.

I've had the pleasure of shooting a friend's M21 in 16ga. with a beavertail as yours, and to me, it feels a lot less cumbersome than it does in a twelve.

Robert

I would never joke about God either, 2-piper. But I have also heard that "On the seventh day, God created the Colt." Heston always said, "From my cold dead hands." I'd rather go out riding a Walking Horse, totin' a 21 with a Colt on my side. Now that would be heaven.

My God of love, compassion, decency hasn't anything against jokes as long as they are not mean and mischievous and at another's expense. Faith is so personal that I don't write and talk about God but I don't consider those who relate to him as referred to here as profane or sacrilegious.

King;
I did not judge anyone, I stated everyone would have to make their own decisions. I simply personally feel "IF" I were to Say God's favorite gun was a Lefever, I would be using his name in vain. I merely stated how I felt so anyone wanting to impress me with their gun would know "How Not To". Obviously Jimmy W didn't care, but that's his problem.