IMPULSE BUY-WINCHESTER MODEL 23

[Stephen Hodges]

Well I made a total impulse buy yesterday on GunBroker. I was searching Model 23’s as I had seen a nice 20 gauge gun this past holiday weekend in a gun shop in northern New Hampshire while I was at camp. Had never had much interest in them but I liked this gun. Today as I was searching them I ran across this 12 gauge Model 23 XTR Pigeon Grade with 28” Mod/Full barrels with less than an hour left and no bids with a pretty crazy low starting bid, and a buy it now of $2300. I watched the auction and with 16 minutes left I placed the starting bid and won the gun. The seller has over 1300 all positive feedbacks so I was comfortable purchasing it from him even though the pictures are not great. Any feedback on 23's? Thanks.

[Frank Srebro]

Steve, it sure looks like a great purchase. Just one personal data point - a friend bought a 12-ga Model 23 for NSCA SxS events a few years back and had trouble with its single trigger not always resetting for the second barrel. A mutual friend - graduate of the Trinidad Gunsmithing School - has worked on it a number of times and while the gun is now more reliable, owner still gets 4-5 failures to fire second barrel on a 100 round clays course. And that puts him over the 3X malfunction limit and he starts losing birds. Net, he isn't using the 23 for registered sporting. I'm a little foggy on this info but I seem to remember gunsmith friend telling me that what parts remain are only available from a sole source which is in Canada. I guess what I'm saying is, if you can work a deal with the seller to test fire the gun extensively on a course or clays field, that might be prudent. Again, this is only one data point.

[Dave Noreen]

I've got the pair of baby frame Model 23 Classics in .410-bore and 28-gauge. They are great little shooters if they are the first gun I pick up on a given day. If I've been shooting a gun with a really nice crisp trigger(s) and then pick up one of the Model 23s the trigger pulls are very noticeably spongy. That said, the only 100 straight at Skeet that I've shot with a 28-gauge was done with my Model 23 Classic at the old Potomac River Gun Club down at Stump Neck, Maryland. My .410-bore has been bullet-proof, but the tolerances on the 28-gauge are very close and a single grain of unburned powder in the wrong place and the trigger won't set for the second shot.

[CraigThompson]

I had a 23 Classic in 28 gauge also !

Was a rather nice little quail/dove gun . Bought that gun new in 1986 or 1987 I think . If memory serves I paid $1250 and the dealer I got it from had a nice little Parker Repro in the same configuration for $2250 also NIB .

[Linn Matthews]

An old business friend of mine worked at Winchester and was involved in bringing the 23 into the market. He was very proud of their work on the gun and the result. They were trying to bring the 21 price down to a realistic level so that more people could enjoy them He had several!

[Daryl Corona]

I had a mod.23 light duck in 20ga. and loved it. Traded it off for a 20ga. Remington Parker skeet. Still have the Parker but really miss the 23. Shot it at ducks and geese when lead was still legal and never had a problem. You'll enjoy it.

[scott kittredge]

I had a mod.23 light duck in 20ga. and loved. Shot it at ducks and geese when lead was still legal and never had a problem. You'll enjoy it.

What ,lead not legal on ducks and geese! when did the do that :shock: :rotf:

[Daryl Corona]

What ,lead not legal on ducks and geese! when did the do that :shock: :rotf:

I really don't remember Scott. Gave up the 20's for 12's as lead is still legal for fowl using a 12..... at least down here.:rolleyes:

[scott kittredge]

I really don't remember Scott. Gave up the 20's for 12's as lead is still legal for fowl using a 12..... at least down here.:rolleyes:

Good one, we are on the same page!! lol :eek:

[Harry Schlott]

Bought my Model 23 pigeon grade, about thirty years ago. Goes into the grouse woods with me and my dogs every October. Absolutely love it. A real sweet shooter, in the woods or on the skeet field.
Enjoy

[Stephen Hodges]

I have a few hundred rounds through the 23 now. I like the gun very much. The single trigger works well, even though it took some getting used to. I particularly like the raised vent rib.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I'll tell my favorite Model 23 story even though it had nothing to do with this really.

Like you, in a weak moment, I bought a field grade 12 gauge with 30 inch barrels at Cabela's for the princely sum of $160 dollars. It was well worn but seemed very solid. I had an idea that I'd open the chokes and use it for a traveling gun. Something I could shoot steel shot out of and not really care if I damaged it.

Took it to the trap club a few days later and realized that the right barrel didn't always cock. Shot a couple rounds with the left barrel and liked the gun ok, shot it as well as I shoot anything at trap.

It laid in the closet for a couple years, I never had it repaired or had the chokes opened. One day I was going to a small gun show and happened to see it leaning there. I thought to myself, I'm never going to get this fixed up and use it like I intended. I should take it along and try to get my money back.

The show is in a building where you have to enter through a set of doors then travel a fair distance to get to the actual entrance of the show itself. I came through the first doors and there stood a "door duck" as we always called them. A guy who waits around the doors of a gun show to try and get first shot at what guys walk in with. So here he comes with the standard line "What ya got there?".

I said a Winchester double barrel 12 gauge, he immediately wants to look at it. Next standard question "What ya gotta have?". He was one of those guys that you just immediately don't like for one reason or another. I didn't want to talk to him really, wanted to get on into the show so I quoted him a ridiculous price of $350 just so he'd leave me alone. To my shock and surprise the duck says "Well...... I'd go $300." I said give me the money, my gun case, and you own it.

Few minutes later I see he and another "duck" looking over the gun inside. I eased over to try and hear their conversation. The other one was telling him he was an idiot, that it wasn't a Model 21 it was a Model 23!

I saw that guy hauling that shotgun around for a year afterwards, every little gun show he'd have it on his shoulder. A guy I know finally bought it from him to get the barrels for a project and paid him $150. Hilarious......


DLH

[charlie cleveland]

i ve never owned a 23 but i ve looked at the small bores and they really are nice..charlie

[Michael Murphy]

Steve,
Nice wood on your new toy.
Have a Model 23 Light Duck. 20Ga., 28" barrels. It is a sweet setup. Not the lightest gun in the world, but balance is good and I've never had an issue with the trigger. Has been a "hammer" on Pheasants and Sharptails.
Good luck with it.

[tom tutwiler]

Have two friends that both own the 20 gauge model 23's with 26" barrels and round knob. Both are casual bird shooters and both love the guns. I'll bet combined they haven't had 200 rounds fired through them as they get used only in shooting preserves over those pointy dogs. As I recall the one was bought new at the Yokosuka rod and gun club in Japan at the princely sum of $400 in 1983. Them were the days.