| Winchester Model 1887 | |
| Origin: | United States |
| Type: | Lever-action shotgun |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Used By: | Various Law enforcement agencies and Stagecoach companies |
| Designer: | John Browning |
| Design Date: | 1887 |
| Manufacturer: | Winchester Repeating Arms Company |
| Production Date: | 1887–1899 1901–1920 (Model 1901) |
| Number: | 64,855 (Model 1887); 13,500 (Model 1901)[1] |
| Variants: | M1901 |
| Weight: | 8 lbs. (3.6 kg) |
| Length: | 39¼ in. (997 mm) |
| Part Length: | 20 in. (508 mm), 30 in. (762 mm) |
| Caliber: | 12-gauge, 10-gauge |
| Action: | Lever-action |
| Feed: | 5+1 round tubular magazine |
| Sights: | Iron sights |
The Winchester Model 1887 and Winchester Model 1901 are lever-action shotguns designed by American gun designer John Browning and produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.The shotgun became well-known due to its use in the 1991 film .
The Model 1887 was one of the first successful repeating shotguns. Its lever-action design was chosen at the behest of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, best known at the time as manufacturers of lever-action rifles such as the Winchester Model 1873. Designer John Browning suggested that a pump-action would be much more appropriate for a repeating shotgun, but Winchester management's position was that, at the time, the company was known as a "lever-action firearm company", and felt that their new shotgun must also be a lever-action for reasons of brand recognition. Browning responded by designing a breech-loading, rolling block lever-action. To Winchester's credit, however, they later introduced a Browning designed pump-action shotgun known as the Model 1893 (an early production version of the model 1897), after the introduction of smokeless powder.[2]
Shotgun shells at the time used black powder as a propellant, and so the Model 1887 shotgun was designed and chambered for less powerful black powder shotshells. Both 10 and 12-gauge models were offered in the Model 1887; 12-gauge variants used a 2 5/8" shell, 10-gauge variants fired a 2 7/8" shell.[2]
The standard barrel length was 30" with 32" available as a special order. In 1888 a 20" barrelled version could be ordered and Winchester offered the shotguns with Damascus barrels.[2]
By 1900 it was soon realized that the action on the M1887 was not strong enough to handle early smokeless powder shotshells, and so a redesign resulted in the stronger Winchester Model 1901, 10-gauge only, to handle the advent of the more powerful smokeless powder. A 12-gauge chambering was not offered, as Winchester did not want the Model 1901 to compete with their successful 12-gauge Model 1897 pump-action shotgun. Other distinguishing characteristics of the Model 1901 are:
Although a technically sound gun design, the market for lever-action shotguns waned considerably, as John Browning had predicted, after the introduction of the Winchester 1897 and other contemporary pump-action shotguns. Model 1887 production totaled 64,855 units between 1887 and 1901. Between 1901 and 1920, an additional 13,500 Model 1901 shotguns were manufactured before the Model 1887/1901 product line was discontinued.[3] [4]
A number of gun companies have tried to produce Model 1887/1901 shotguns that could chamber modern, smokeless shotgun shells—largely for the cowboy action shooting discipline—but with little commercial success. Three firearm companies have managed to produce viable models for the commercial firearms market by utilising the easier to produce Model 1901 action and placed it into the chassis of the Model 1887 shotgun: