item when putting that softball size wad of shot on close range birds at 25 or 30 yards, or a coyote’s head. DESIGNED BY THE NUMBERS Each element that makes up this
well-established very modestly priced Winchester pump gun has been well thought out prior to releasing the gun to market. The stock design of this gun is the same as the previous 3" magnum model, but it has what I tend to see as a proprietary pattern and finish. It as- sists the hunter with a very functional recoil pad and well-designed butt stock that provides a good general fit. Also, it makes use of a forearm that you can get your hands around and control with ease. When bench rest shooting for pat-
tern effect, I found that the SXP was a “half auto.” What is that you’re saying? It just means that when the gun was held somewhat relaxed it tended to recoil enough to send the pump slide rearward and thus eject the spent hull which only required me to push the fresh round forward and into the chamber. (Win- chester Inertia Assist System) With its very smooth rotary bolt system, among the very first ever offered shotgunners, by the way, the bolt and receiver group have a very even flow when brought to life by the fore-end slide system. Built like an autoloader except for the lack of a gas system, the gun was problem- free in terms of basic function afield and on the pattern range. These SXPs lock to the side with the rotating bolts, and breech pressure is handled in a very uniform manner as a direct result
of that “rolling” bolt face system. As I have said many times over the years, I believe that the Winchester receiver system on their pump guns is one of the most under-rated locking systems ever designed for a shotgun. It is the best deal going … and at an affordable price tag. Even Winchester does not say enough about how great it is as a receiver ac- tion design. ROUNDS DOWNRANGE
With its 24" inch long, 0.742" over
bore barrel, and installed Invector Plus flush mounted turkey choke that measures 0.690", the SXP was turned loose on Birchwood Casey carbon black 12x12 targets at 30 and 40 yards with an assortment of different 12 gauge lead shot and tungsten shot loads. When averaged with 1¹⁄₈ oz. No. 7¹⁄₂ target, Heavy Xtended Winchester 1³⁄₈ oz. 3" tungsten, and 1¹⁄₄ oz. Winchester field pheasant loads in No. 6 shot, the num- bers all rolled out to an almost even 70 pellet strikes on the Birchwood Casey head/neck turkey target at 40 yards. Less shot in fine shot loads and more shot in big pellet loads all averaged out about the same in the inflicted damage department. At 30 yards, even when shooting light 2³⁄₄" field fodder, the pat- terns printed almost decapitating effects on the silhouette targets. When shooting on a somewhat
warm day, the added special grip sur- face on the synthetic stock came in very handy. The fore-end of this shotgun has a static style hunter’s grip and contour design that fits the hand just perfectly. Because I don’t particularly enjoy get-
ting pounded to pieces by recoil if not needed, I did not shoot 3.5" loads in the gun on the pattern range, but did run several rounds through the gun off a special recoil bench system that was mechanically fired. If I want to shoot 3.5", for the most part I will turn to any one of several 10 gauge doubles and autoloaders in the shop. Cleaning up the new SXP was a
snap in that the bore and chamber are chrome plated, the bolt is black chrome, and that bolt and action bars can be removed as a unit, as can the trigger group. The gun is dirt simple to main- tain and that counts for a whole lot when I am right in the middle of a very busy turkey season here in the Black Hills. During the review period the
shotgun was presented to the film crew and television team at Zink Outdoors, who were filming a turkey hunt at Elk Creek Resort, a major turkey camp near my home in Piedmont, South Dakota. I wanted to get the Zink team’s opinion of the new direction in Winchester turkey/ coyote gun technology. As the gun is a true Winchester design, and made in Turkey under the direction of Brown- ing/Winchester, I doubted very much that there was anything to find in the de- partment of bad design or flawed func- tion. This gun is a pile of value for the dollar. Be advised, however, that I have found price point variations for this gun ranging from $500.00 to $650.00. Prices seem to be all over the map. So if you are interested in this model, shop hard as savings are out there regarding pur- chasing of the final product.
The Winchester SXP Turkey/Coyote Special is a pump gun that comes in a camouflage finish and has a chrome plated bore and chamber, making it easy to clean. It offers a lot for the money but check around as prices vary.
Page 58 Spring 2013
Scott Withey of Queensland, Australia, used his 7.62x39 bolt gun to get this double on wild pigs. The 7.62x39 Mausers worked well in the fields on kangaroos and wild hogs.
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