POOR MAN'S MODEL 21-ALSO KNOWN AS THE CLUB

[Jerry Harlow]

I had the top Winchester Model 24 for about thirty years plus and had never shot it at game. The bottom one I got from Jim D. a month or more ago when I was looking for just a forend and ended up buying a whole kit gun, one that was disassembled with rusty barrels and missing four screws and a buttplate. It took me a while to figure out how a 24 goes back together. Rust blued the rusty barrels after striking them, found parts at Numrich, and put finish on the stock.

All I can say is this gun would be good if attacked, to use as a club. Bulky and very heavy is a good description. The top one was 7/12 (replaced stock) and the bottom one (original) is 8/2. Actions are stiff and awkward feeling. So I took them both hunting today for doves. Not many birds (raining) but the new to me gun shot well. What is funny about these is the top one is 1939 and the bottom one is about 1954 (they stopped keeping serial number records in 49) and both are marked M/F under the barrels. But both are really IC/F, one being .008 right and the other .012 right. Perfect chokes for doves.

Hardly fits "Other Fine Doubles" but a piece of Winchester and American History made in America for the bottom of the market.

Who owns one of these? I imagine a 20 would be the best of the lot.

[Bill Murphy]

When I was a pup, I had a minty 26" 20 gauge #26,497, oddly bored Cylinder and Modified. It is a rare boring, only made that way prewar, and I have never seen one like it. It was a great gun, but not the correct medicine for Pennsylvania wild pheasants. I would like to track it down, however.

[Mark Landskov]

Ten years ago, I owned a 20 gauge Model 24 (27424) that was in 'near minty' condition. It was not as svelte as my RBL or Trojan, but, I wish I still had it.

[Steve Huffman]

I have 12 and a 20 like em both I can pull the trigger on almost anything .

[Bill Zachow]

The 24 was basically two model 37s put together and actually more than twice as ugly. Owned one about 20 years ago and had to sell it because I could not stand to look at it. Without a doubt, the model 24 was the ugliest pre 64 Winchester, hands down.

[James L. Martin]

I had one in 16ga, shot it good , just liked other guns more so I sold it.

[Mark Landskov]

One thing I notice on many lower tier doubles, is the triggers. They look like two over-ripe bananas hanging there:rotf:. Cost and ease of manufacturing obviously took precedence over appearance!

:whistle:

[charlie cleveland]

for the money a 24 would be hard to beat and a rugged gun they are...charlie

[Jerry Harlow]

They are really ugly with a super wide foreend. Little drop in the stock on the original one. The stock is ill-fitting, high everywhere and the one I refinished had a top lever dragging the proud wood, so after dragging against my newly refinished wood, I put it away after killing five out of nine with it. Really crude finish with no mating wood to receiver. But it is walnut with no checkering.

I rust blued the circa 1954 gun, but today I noticed what I believe to be original hot bluing on the entire 1939 gun (1st year they were made). I'm guessing they used a different solder by then and hot bluing was the economical way to make a gun.

[Scott Janowski]

There must have been a huge profit in the model 24, I can not believe John Olin would have would have made it otherwise.

[Brian Dudley]

Winchester's ugly duckling.

Ones with ejectors sound scary when opening. Your not sure if the ejectors are operating or the gun braking in half. Pop... snap... bang.

[John Dallas]

I understand Winchester lost money on every M21

[Phil Yearout]

Yeah, they're ugly. but I passed on a 16ga a long time ago and have always been sorry for some reason.

[wayne goerres]

The model 24 is first cousin to a Mosin Nagant. Built like a tank but ugly as sin.

[Jim DiSpagno]

Besides my Father's GHE 12 with 30" bbls, I also inherited his model 24 in 16 ga with 28" bbls. He never hunted with the Parker and the Win. 24 was his all around gun. He used it for grouse in the Catskills, pheasants and rabbits in Dutchess Cty NY, ducks and geese in Staten Island during the "good old days" , woodcock in the northeast Poconos and deer in shotgun only zones in NYS and NJ. He was a hell of a wing shooter and that old 24 was deadly in his hands. One of the most incredible shots I've ever witnessed was deer hunting in Rhinebeck NY in 1985 when the Old Man was 70. As we were walking up a tote road, a big 8 point buck broke from cover about 50 yards in front of us and went airborne over the old slate walls. Pop swung on it with that old 16 and put 2 pumpkin balls in his neck mid flight and it fell dead in the middle of the tote road. After he passed, I used his Parker on pheasants and the 24 on turkeys and pheasants. I can't miss with that old warclub. Even on clays, it's hard to miss. I guess it's like the words from that old song," ummm your wife is ugly, yeah but she can really cook"

[Christian Gish]

When I was 13 in 1948, I sold my Iver Johnson champion 410 and bought a model 24 20ga. 28".One Saturday I was hunting squirrels with my uncle in Pennsylvania. It was early in the season and many leaves were still on the trees. I saw a squirrel run up a tree nearby but I lost sight of him in the leaves. As I waited for the squirrel to move a crow flew by and I took a shot at the crow. I missed the crow but the squirrel fell dead out of the tree. I didn't feel that I could fairly claim to have gotten a squirrel, but my uncle said it was ok. By the next hunting season I had sold the model 24 and bought a Remington model 31 16 ga.

[Stephen Hodges]

I had a 16 GAUGE model 24..........................sold it and never looked back:shock:

[CraigThompson]

We've had 24's in 12 16 and 20 at the shop for sale . And as you may very well assume I fingered them all . And I can honestly say not a damn one of them felt good in my hands . We've had several 21's in the shop also and again as you may very well assume I fingered them as well . Out of ALL the 21's we had only one felt good to me ! That was a straight stocked 16 gauge with 28" barrels beavertail forend choked skeet in skeet out .

[Bobby Cash]

16 gauge with 26" and 30" barrels.
6 pounds 7 ounces with the shorties, WS1/WS2

https://i.imgur.com/WE0i5LX.jpg

[Dave Noreen]

I had sold the model 24 and bought a Remington model 31 16 ga.

Sounds like a good move to me!!

[John Dallas]

M31's are great. My 12 will be in the marsh on Friday. My 3l L 20 will be on the rabbits in several months