doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com model 21 field reports, not collectors

ok you shooters.
since i dont have a m21, i need to hear some inputs on how they balance and swing.
as many know, im a clay shooter.
at my range we shoot standard skeet and trap, but occasionally have vintage skeet and vintage trap.
some games we premount and some we are at the ready.
my question is being 6-2, what do you find to be a better combo of gun options?
pads? no pads.
ribs. no ribs.
sst. no sst.
btfa. no btfa.
i know ws1 and ws2 were the choice for many , but those chokes were used back in the day with paper wad cards and not plastic wads.
do you have any favorite 'fixed' choke choices?

please share all your inputs and remember, i bring many here to read your comments. thank you for sharing.

I shot my 21 at ducks last week. It has 30 inch barrels and is stocked to my requirements. We shot the morning flight of woodies and I found the gun a bit slow compaired to my 390. The price of the bismuth shells is a bit pushy. I had fun, would have done better in a blind with the 21 but not many ducks in LA with temps in the 80's. For rough hunting I think the black plastic makes a lot of sense.

bill

I find the dynamics of the 21s to be excellent, similar to how I feel about Perazzis. Weight between the hands with a relatively heavy receiver, well struck and light weight barrels.

I distinctly dislike vent or raised ribs on any guns, especially side by sides. I would get the matted rib (mine was a 12 gauge matted rib skeet gun).

Also, I sense you are considering ordering a new gun. If that's the case, I'd consider getting your dimensions pretty well set with a good fitter over some time (not a one or two hour "fitting").

I tend toward longish barrels, and I'm nowhere near as tall as you. My own observation as a long time observer and shooting instructor is that most folks shoot guns shorter than they should, but that's dependent upon alot of things that can't be prescribed without direct one on one interaction. Consider 30" barrels, and also consider more difference in chokes than only one step (such as WS1 and Mod or IM), unless you are a serious skeet shooter. Another factor is whether you will use this gun exclusively for target shooting, or a mixture of game and targets.

I also like heel and toe plates, or a skeleton butt plate; I think a pad on these guns is like lipstick on a pig.

In the Model 21, I'd consider either the 12 gauge or the 16, as these tend to feel much better to me than the 20s (which seem a little dead in my hands, compared with these). These guns are heavier than they need to be, for game guns, as their strength lies in the massive action and long water table.

In terms of placing a special order, I'd be very careful, as sometimes the custom route can be very disappointing if the maker and customer aren't in 100% communication. I believe I would be patient, watch the used market for something that comes close to my requirements and buy a genuine Winchester.

thanks for the inputs.
no, i think its going to be a used one. i had my eye on some zero cast mc stocked 30" f/f trap grade trap guns. or was it skeet grade trap guns. i get lost in all those choices.
it was one of those.
seems bonified trap guns came with pads already on. it may be hard to find one without one.

the other thing is those 2 bbl sets may be nice, but it seems you cant have best of both worlds. its either a proper skeet gun or a trap gun only half the time.

Nothing wrong with a nicely fitted recoil pad. It protects the butt and helps to guard against it slipping or sliding. I lik'em, myself.

Interesting analogy about a recoil pad on a 21 being "like lipstick on a pig". I guess if you have a pig, "Maybelline" may be a blessing. Note, I was not the one referring to a 21 as a pig. Others have, at times, mentioned that pig as having been on the end of a shovel, but again, not I.

SRH

I've had three gauges of 21's. I found the 16 to be the best gun to both carry and shoot but factory shells were less available many years ago. My 12 always felt heavy but it did absorb recoil well. My 20 was the lightest, which should have made it fun to shoot and carry but never found a non tox load to shoot well for ducks and geese. Given other choices they went down the road. Like others here some guns I wish I never sold and others I never wish I'd bought.

Here's a 1948 20 gauge Skeet, 2 barrel set.
26" WS1/WS2 and a 30" Full/Full
I went straight Skeet with the 26's and straight Continental Trap same day with the 30's.

nice.
im not sure what the term is for types of the sighting plains on top.
i know you have matt, solid, and vent....but which ones have those dished tops?
i dont know what they are called. curved? or?

What is "Swamped" Alex.

swamped??