1887 12ga info wanted

[Grizz]

Do any of you guys have one? Have used one? Have an opinion about one? I've only handled one once and kind of liked it but wasn't in that frame of mind at the time. Now I'm starting to think they might be a good truck/house/kayak/boat gun.

Do they feed and cycle reliably, as reliably as a mossberg pump say?

They're kind of dear on gunbroker, but it seems like most guns are inflated there. Are there any sleepers hanging around that you know of? I'd probably prefer a recent vintage because I want a truck gun, not a piece of history to preserve.

Thanks in advance,

Grizz

[Chuck 100 yd]

Slick old guns. Many old timers used them for trap shooting. They even made a Diamond grade trap gun.
Lots of CAS shooters use them. If they did not work well no CAS shooters would use them.

[Molasses]

I tried a couple of tired, abused original 1887s in 12ga for CAS that didn't work out so well. Not any fault of the design, workmanship or materials, but just the abuse they'd taken before I got 'em. Finally got into a model 1901 that was in much better condition and started having good results. Only complaint I have with the 1901 is that they were only made in 10 ga and I get tired of having to trim 3&1/2" hulls to 2&7/8" and still either use a LOT of wadding to take up some of the room or go heavy with black powder. Eventually added one of the Chinese-made '87 repros in 12ga so I could have the convenience of just grabbing storebought ammo at Walmart on the way to shoots.
Most of the time in CAS, you're limited to loading a maximum of two rounds at a time and the 1887/1901 design is relatively quick and easy to load two with only a little bit of practice. However, where they become a real hoot to use is on the occasions when there's a stage that does allow stoking up the magazine and then letting 'er rip!

I did try shooting the repro for a few rounds of skeet; did pretty poorly, lots worse than when I've used my '97. Don't know for sure, but I think it had to do with the stock fit; looks and feels like there's more drop to the lever's stock.

For general or field use, I've read and tend to agree that the tiny little afterthought of a hammer spur isn't the most positive thing to get a grip on and it'd be easy to have one's thumb slip off of it while manipulating it...

[Grizzly Adams]

http://www.spencerhoglund.com/worldrecords.html

Scroll down the page and click on the videos for the lever action 87 shotgun. Is it just me, or is that fast!?

[Ray Newman]

Since you want a shotgun for a "truck/house/kayak/boat gun", I would look for used -- not abused -- 12 gauge pump w/ a 18" or 20" barrel. Some of these have the 3" chamber. & if you want to be really cool, you might find one w/ a magazine extender.... Seems that someone always has them for sale @ the local gun shows or gun/pawn shops.

IMO, you'll get a far better, more reliable, & far stronger firearm. Plus w/ the factory shorter barrels, you'll get the appropriate choke in the tube. IIRC, "Improved Cylinder" works best w/ these short barrels??

I have an original M1887 & it is rather clunky. It has a 30" tube. If you bought an original, you might need to cut down the barrel to make it handy in the house or truck or on a boat or kayak. & if you do that, the choke is gone. Or, you could buy one of the Chinese clones, but I prefer not to patronize Chinese manufacturing any more than possible.

[Grizz]

Thanks for the thoughts Guys.

I may stumble across one to shoot someday. I agree about the pump action, I have one already. I'm looking for another with similar capabilities and want to explore the possibilities. I've used a single shot 20ga for a car/hotel gun, but I'm just not that comfortable with the reload time, although I can cycle it much faster than I would have thought; it's just not an option for my current need.

Grizz

[KCSO]

A good friend of mine has a few and we shoot an original 87 and a 1901 10 ga on occasion. The stocks are short by modern standards and they have a weakness in that the trigger spring loosens up and the trigger pull drops to about 1 pound pretty easy. Yu need to keep the trigger sear clean and the spring tightened. I used a Norinco slicked up for a while and sold it after I had put in chokes. It made a dandy turkey gun but the short stock didn't suit me at 6-2 and 34" arms. My brother loved it as he is 5-9. The Norinco can be slicked up to be a real nice gun but originals are dear and one under $800 is hard to find.

[Hobie]

R. Lee Ermey is going to shoot one on "Lock and Load" this Friday at 10:00 PM EDST.

[Nazgul]

I recently bought a Chinese knock off 1887. It looks very good and seemed to function well. Until I tried to fire it, would not function, load from the tube, or eject various brands of shells. Did some research and found out they were designed to shoot Win AA hulls. I reload almost all my ammo so I got 1,000 AA hulls. It shoots like a dream now. No jams, misfires, misfeeds, just lever and boom as fast as it can be operated.

I really like it. I load all buckshot and slugs for it. Inexpensive to load and fun to shoot.

Don

[Grizz]

Fun gun then, that's what I like to hear, plus it has a lever for real!

thanks guys for the updates. I'll try to catch R. Lee, thanks for the tip. Being a civilian I don't think it's proper to refer to him as Gunny, but I love that name.

Grizz

[Streetstar]

Fun gun then, that's what I like to hear, plus it has a lever for real!

thanks guys for the updates. I'll try to catch R. Lee, thanks for the tip. Being a civilian I don't think it's proper to refer to him as Gunny, but I love that name.

Grizz

Technically he's a civilian, but he did serve as a DI in the corps at both San Diego and PI before shipping off to Vietnam. He got out as an E-6, but the USMC gave him an honorary promotion to E-7 a few years back due to his "Gunny" nickname (gunnery sgts are E-7)

------ i just watched FMJ a few days ago -- one of my all time fave performances . I usually turn it off when the training scenes are over.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

I recently bought a Chinese knock off 1887. It looks very good and seemed to function well. Until I tried to fire it, would not function, load from the tube, or eject various brands of shells. Did some research and found out they were designed to shoot Win AA hulls. I reload almost all my ammo so I got 1,000 AA hulls. It shoots like a dream now. No jams, misfires, misfeeds, just lever and boom as fast as it can be operated.

I really like it. I load all buckshot and slugs for it. Inexpensive to load and fun to shoot.

Don

The 1887 leveraction was designed by John Browning but mostly under protest. Browning had the 1893/97 pump action designed even in 1887 but Winchester wouldn't produce it because he felt that they should have a lever action shotgun to go with their other leveractions rifles. Story goes Browning designed the 87 in 30 days just to prove it wouldn't sell and Winchester would agree to produce the 93/97's.

Browning was right. The Spencer pump had come out in 1882 and was doing well. The Win 87 wasn't so Winchester came out with Brownings 93 then the upgraded 97 and took the majority of the pump shotgun market.
The 87 clones are a combination of the 87 and the 01 design supposedly tested by White laboratory to 40,000 PSI. They are fun to shoot particularly once the actions are cleaned up. But, one of the problems it had with the black powder ammo of the era is they have a weak extraction system. As you have found even the clone don't kick out the cheap stuff very well.

[Hobie]

Fun gun then, that's what I like to hear, plus it has a lever for real!

thanks guys for the updates. I'll try to catch R. Lee, thanks for the tip. Being a civilian I don't think it's proper to refer to him as Gunny, but I love that name.

Grizz

Technically he's a civilian, but he did serve as a DI in the corps at both San Diego and PI before shipping off to Vietnam. He got out as an E-6, but the USMC gave him an honorary promotion to E-7 a few years back due to his "Gunny" nickname (gunnery sgts are E-7)

------ i just watched FMJ a few days ago -- one of my all time fave performances . I usually turn it off when the training scenes are over.

He's retired so really technically he is still military (half-pay and all that) until he turns/turned 60 (he has by the way) as he could be recalled to active duty at any time. Further "gunny" can be considered slang, a nickname or honorific but it is not an official designation of rank. Not a thing wrong with so referring to Mr. Ermey...

[Grizz]

another testimony to Browning that he tried to build a dud and it's got a hot market for it more than a century later...

it is a concern that it prefers ONE certain hull... not very versatile for a boonies gun that might not have access to the preferred fodder...

I had an 1897 and STUPIDLY traded it off. it was fun to shoot but the action would cut up the hand that mis-held it pretty good. kind of like getting jiggy with the slide on your .45...

I think I'll stick with the cheapo Mossys that are totally reliable and function, so far, with everything I've stuck in there. Can't argue with that kind of success.

I like the aluminum receiver, it's hasn't rusted so far, and there's barely any rust anywhere on the barrel of a gun that's kicked around in open skiffs and sandy beaches and wet bunks and windy cockpits without a hickup. Yup, sold my self on old reliable.

Thanks again guys

Grizz

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

another testimony to Browning that he tried to build a dud and it's got a hot market for it more than a century later...

it is a concern that it prefers ONE certain hull... not very versatile for a boonies gun that might not have access to the preferred fodder...

I had an 1897 and STUPIDLY traded it off. it was fun to shoot but the action would cut up the hand that mis-held it pretty good. kind of like getting jiggy with the slide on your .45...

I think I'll stick with the cheapo Mossys that are totally reliable and function, so far, with everything I've stuck in there. Can't argue with that kind of success.

I like the aluminum receiver, it's hasn't rusted so far, and there's barely any rust anywhere on the barrel of a gun that's kicked around in open skiffs and sandy beaches and wet bunks and windy cockpits without a hickup. Yup, sold my self on old reliable.

Thanks again guys

Grizz

I don't know if I would call it a dud, but it definately doesn't have the gracefull lines of Browning other leverguns. Probably because he didn't spend much thought on it. But, just about any of the Pump guns would be a better choice.