Model 21 Cody Info

[Bobby Cash]

If it doesn’t say Checkered Butt
is it safe to assume it originally had a butt treatment other than a checkered butt.
A concern is that this gun may have been restocked.

https://i.imgur.com/zcADQV8.jpg

This one seems to be wearing a hard rubber butt plate (period correct)
which Schwing says was an option. Not my first choice.

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

[matt koepnick]

Both of mine have same hard plate, with top screw set at slight downward angle. Both happen to be early year productions under 1k serial number. My wood has the Win red coloring, not as walnut as yours. But mine aren't the Tournament Grade.
both are Field models. Both also have same exact stock dimensions as yours.
Matt k

[Bobby Cash]

The reason I asked Matt is that a great many Tournament Skeet’s came from the factory with a checkered butt. Many of those I’m certain were lost to a recoil pad for the sake of LOP.
My concern with this particular gun is that it may have been restocked and as a money or time saver may have acquired a butt plate.

[James L. Martin]

My 20ga Tournament has a hard buttplate. It's not a skeet gun chokes are cyl & mod.

[Dave Noreen]

By definition a Model 21 G2190B came with a checkered butt.

The Model 21 Skeet Gun came out during 1932 but didn't make it into the 1932 catalog, but Winchester put out flyers.

In the 1933 Winchester catalogs the Model 21 Skeet Gun was only offered with a straight grip. The big 1933 catalog --

132188

the 1933 pocket catalog --

132189

By the 1934 Winchester catalogs they added a pistol grip Model 21 Skeet Gun. The big 1934 Winchester catalog --

132190

From the 1934 Winchester pocket catalog --

132191

132192

They all list a checkered butt.

[Dave Noreen]

The letter for my 1940/41 16-gauge Model 21 Skeet Gun doesn't say anything about the checkered butt, which it has.

132195

132194

January 2, 1941, Winchester Wholesale - Retail Price List --

132193

[Scott Janowski]

My 1952 Skeet 20 gauge has a plate, however the letter states make lightweight. The butt is hollowed out. With 26” barrels it is 6 lb 5 oz.

[John Bastiani]

I used to own a Model 21-20 gauge skeet(made in 1948) that had and lettered with a checkered butt. My 20 gauge Grand American(started in 1964 and finished in 1965) with one set of the barrels being skeet and skeet has the leather covered pad. I wouldn't write off your stock just yet as the Winchester 21's were custom ordered and could be had with a variety of butts.(hard plastic-checkered -rubber-leather covered rubber and leather faced rubber are the options the factory advertised. It would have been nice if the factory would have kept all the work orders and a person could have seen how the customer ordered the gun. My Grand American came with the work orders and factory letter and the gun letters to a tee. With this being said almost all the factory winchester catalogs list the skeet with a checkered butt. Since your letter doesn't list the checkered butt- I would think that would be a plus as far as possibly being originally stocked with a plastic butt.

[Dave Noreen]

The Cody information the OP posted shows the gun was "made for: Stock," it wasn't in any way special ordered. A gun that just flowed through the normal channels from Winchester to Jobber, to wholesaler, to retailer, to customer.

132209

[Bobby Cash]

So are we saying since it wasn’t a custom ordered gun it would have had the cataloged
checkered butt and not a butt plate?

[Dave Noreen]

So are we saying since it wasn’t a custom ordered gun it would have had the cataloged
checkered butt and not a butt plate?

Yes. At least this part of we is. The rest are free to believe as they wish. A lot can happen in the 91 years since the gun in question was built.

[Bill Murphy]

The two Tournament Grade 21s pictured in this thread are the only two I've seen in sixty years of collecting Model 21s.

[James L. Martin]

Bill , My Tournament grade also has double triggers and a splinter forearm. It does not have a normal 21 look. Plus it has a stock oval. Plus selective ejectors.

[Dave Noreen]

Great honest gun there James, thanks for sharing. Looks like it would be right at home over a brace of quail dogs.

I have no knowledge of how many of what Winchester built in Model 21s, but I've seen a lot more Model 21 Tournament Grade Skeet Guns than I have Model 21 Tournament Grades. From the introduction of the Model 21 Skeet Gun through 1935 the Tournament Grade was the entry level skeet gun. Here are the Tournament Grade prices from February 24, 1934 --

132217

The Model 21 Tournament Grade from the big 1934 Winchester Catalog --

132215

The Model 21 Tournament Grade from the 1934 Winchester Pocket Catalog --

132216

[Bill Murphy]

Sorry, in my previous post I meant that these on this thread are the only Tournament Grades with buttplates. I have seen and owned many Tournament Grades with checkered wood butts.

[William Woods]

I found my model 21 letter from Cody. My model G2188B, 20 gauge from 1946 mentions checkered butt plate.

Mr. Noreen (I believe) clarified a question I had long had. While the letter stated my shotgun as Standard grade, this gun was clearly marked Skeet on the trigger plate. I was unaware that the model 21 Skeet gun could be ordered in the Standard, Tournament, Trap, or Custom grades.

I am glad that there are so many on this site that have a passion for these fine old shotguns and are willing to share their knowledge.

[matt koepnick]

As a relative newbie to Win 21's, I have developed a growing interest of obtaining these, as most of the older ones have DT's and perfect dimensions for me. Wished I'd done this sooner than at 68... Working on number 3, hopefully this year.
Mattly

[Bobby Cash]

I find the older double triggered guns just don't fit me well. I've had two 20's and a 16.
All were hovering around 6 pounds. Pitch is all wrong for my girlish (read girth-ish) figure.
I didn't have the heart to cut the stocks and ream out the chokes. Plenty of Model 21 Skeet guns without ruining these.

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

[Bill Murphy]

Old double trigger, canoe paddle stocked Model 21s have become a cult item and are going up in price.