doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Winchester 101

I recently acquired a 12 ga Pigeon grade Winchester 101. This is one of the Japanese made guns and the serial # is PK3103XX. I can find a serial number listing for the earlier guns but not for these Japanese produced ones. Can anyone provide the year of manufacture for this example?
Jim

No help here
but best I could do

http://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/CTGY/winchester-model-101-history

Thanks skeettx:
Those are the serial Nos for 101s before Winchester farmed production out to the Japs.
That's the serial number listing I'm looking for.
Jim

More non=answer but fun reading

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=59185

I thought all the Winchester 101's were made in Japan?

BTW, I think these are great guns. Well balanced and well made.

Me and my girlfriend shoot sporting clays and hunt with ours all the time. I guess some people complained about the felt recoil, but neither me nor my girlfriend have noticed any excessive recoil.

Too bad they went out of production.

Some of the Winchester 101s were apparently made in Belgium. My example was made in Japan and is clearly marked.
It is apparently a trap grade choked full(upper) and improved modified (lower) with 30 " barrels. The barrels were after market ported.
Jim

101's have been made in Belgium in just the last few years. But the 101 was originally a Japanese-made gun, at a Winchester joint venture in Japan called Olin-Kodensha. (Parker Reproductions, and some other guns, were also made there.) The Belgian-made guns came along only very recently, since about 2007 I think.

I still have two of the early ones, a true Win 101 and it's perfect twin marked Nikko. Engraving and everything is EXACTLY the same. The only difference is on the bottom of the frame one is marked Winchester over Olin/Kendosha and a the other Nikko over Olin/Kendosha. Both were bought new in Taiwan in 1966. The 30" F&F Nikko was my International Trap gun with many K's of 1 1/4oz nickel 7 1/2's down the bore, since re-choked to SK-II and IM for shooting birds at Hunt Tests. The 26" SK&SK Winchester I used for International Skeet and still keep in WI incase I want to fly back for some grouse hunting.

Both guns have been wonderful companions over the years and have done yeoman service in the field also.

With the numbers you listed it sounds like a late 70's or 80's shotgun.

Thanks Oskar:
With the record keeping requirements of the BATF I'm somewhat surprised that a definitive listing of serial numbers of these Isn't readily available.
I concur with your assessment it's probably a gun of that vintage.
Jim