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PRESS REVIEW
1882 to 1886. While Slaughter carried a
Colt Single Action Army (SAA) revolver,
his preferred means of enforcement was a
10 gauge double-barreled shotgun.
Standing only 5’6”, steely-eyed
Texas John Slaughter festooned himself
with a shotgun belt overlapping his gun
belt. Those who crossed him or heard tales
of those who had, paid little attention to
his stature but rather his abilities with both
shotgun and six gun.
Though he preferred cattle ranching
and playing poker to wearing a badge,
with his duties as County Sheriff, by 1888
Slaughter had traded his double hammer
gun for what was described at the time
as a “repeating shotgun,” a Winchester
Model 1887.
A shotgun was regarded by most on
either side of the law as the great equalizer
1887 DETAILS
The 1887 models had beautifully
color case hardened receivers and levers,
and barrel lengths of 30.25 inches in
An impressive pair; pictured at left is the
production version Chiappa 1887 with 22”
barrel and at right, the deluxe Turnbull version
with 28” barrel. The Turnbull features select
walnut, high polish bluing, and brilliant case
colors.
of odds and any lawman with a lick of
self-preservation had a double hammer
gun handy. While staring down the barrels
of a 12 or 10 gauge double would usually
discourage even the most emboldened or
liquored up cowboys, every town marshal,
sheriff, and constable knew that sooner or
later two shots weren’t going to be enough.
So in 1887, John M. Browning and the
Winchester Repeating Arms Company
changed the odds with the introduction
of the first lever action repeating shotgun.
The Model 1887 made shotguns the
equal of six-guns with one shell chambered
and five more in the magazine. Offered first
as a 12 gauge and then in both 12 and 10
gauge models, the Winchester lever action
shotgun truly was the great equalizer.
Winchester’s 1888 sales catalog
described the new lever-action shotgun as
follows: “Sportsmen will find this a strong,
serviceable arm. The system contains but
sixteen parts in all, and can be readily
understood from sectional cuts. The breech
block and finger lever form one piece, and
move together in opening and closing.
The hammer, placed in the breech
block, is automatically cocked during the
closing motion; but can also be cocked or
set at half cock by hand.
The trigger and finger lever are so
adjusted that the trigger cannot be pulled
prematurely, and the gun cannot be
discharged until closed.
The barrel can be examined and
cleaned from the breech.The magazine and
carrier hold five cartridges, which with one
in the chamber, make six at the command
of the shooter.” Six indeed could make
anyone on the wrong end think twice.
The 1887 was quickly adopted by
lawmen like Slaughter, stage coach and
railway guards, and most anyone who
wanted the most firepower available in a
shotgun.
12 gauge and 32.25 inches in 10 gauge.
Custom barrel lengths were also offered
and short barrel versions were available for
lawmen, guards, and messengers requiring
a lighter, more maneuverable shotgun.
Most guard guns had a 22.25- inch barrel.
The original design by John Browning had been
well conceived, but it left a couple of things
to chance. There was no safety, and the semi-
concealed hammer did not project much above
the breech-bolt, making it tricky to thumb drop
safely onto a loaded chamber. In that respect
little has changed due to Chiappa’s stringent
desire for authenticity and the same rules of
handling apply. The gun at left is a real 1887
Winchester.
Late in 1897 Winchester added another
variation listed as a Riot Gun.
Noted the factory, “The Winchester
lever action ‘Riot’ gun is made with a
20-inch, rolled steel barrel, cylinder bore
barrel, bored expressly to shoot buckshot…
They are far superior to a revolver
for shooting in the dark, where aim is
uncertain, as a buckshot cartridge contains
nine bullets to one contained by a revolver
cartridge.”
Winchester’s lever action shotguns
were incredibly imposing weapons more
than 120 years ago, and they are again
in 2010 with two standard versions, the
22-inch barrel length Guard Gun and 28-
inch barrel Sporting Gun, both faithfully
reproduced by ArmiSport Chiappa in Italy.
The reproductions are so well done that
a description illustrating the handling of
an original 1887 can be equally applied.
“Shouldering the hefty lever gun for an
aimed shot revealed a standard brass bead
front sight.
The rear sight was simply a notch
in the forward part of the receiver, a