POTD: Winchester Model 1893 Pump Action – An Infamous Whoops
Sam.S 11.02.21
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have one of the first notable instances of a firearm recall and the lesser-known big brother of the Winchester 1897. The infamous Winchester Model 1893 was John Browning’s excellent pump-action/slide-action design. These guns had a habit of exploding or having catastrophic failures in general. The recall bit of the story is a sort of two-part problem. One big issue is these guns came about during a transitional period in history in which the world was switching from black powder to smokeless powder. This means potentially a hot smokeless shell could be loaded into the gun and shot and cause this sort of failure. The other side of the coin is that these guns had issues with hang fires and structural integrity in general.
“Manufactured in 1894 with the two-line address/patent markings and “12” gauge mark on top of the barrel and “WINCHESTER/MODEL 1893″ on the slide arm. Single bead sight, 2 5/8 inch chamber, and choke measuring at modified. Mounted with a 17-groove forearm and pistol grip stock with a smooth shotgun buttplate and 13 inch length of pull.”
Lot 1297: Exceptional Antique Winchester Model 1893 Slide Action Shotgun. (n.d.). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved November 1, 2021, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/77/1297/exceptional-antique-winchester-model-1893-slide-action-shotgun.
