IMPULSE BUY-WINCHESTER MODEL 23
 

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.

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.

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.

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 .

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!

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.

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:

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

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