Winchester Model 21

NOTE: this is an example of a previous customer restoration, and therefore the firearm is not for sale. Please browse the showroom for our current selection of restored, pre-owned, refinished and manufactured firearms.

With the design and production promoted by John M. Olin, the Model 21 was one of Winchester’s finest shotguns with regards to quality, reliability and strength. Although technically a production gun, each example was custom-made in terms of configuration, workmanship, quality, and attention to detail.

First 30,000 unit production of the Model 21 began in 1931 and ran to 1959. Even during the lean years of the Great Depression, a double barrel shotgun, offered as a production item, attracted considerable attention in the market place. After World War II, the Model 21 increasingly became a custom-made, lavishly decorated gun. From 1960 to 1993, the Winchester Custom Shop produced about 1,000 Model 21s. Subsequently, Winchester sold the rights to produce the Model 21.

Original Winchester factory records are available for this model from the Cody Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyoming, from serial number 1 thru 35000.

Source: Winchester Arms Collectors Association

Shotgun Restoration Highlights

Wood Restoration

• Soak buttstock and beavertail forend to lighten stains and remove excess oil for repairs
• Patch missing chips in beavertail forend, repair dents/handling marks
• Refinish buttstock and beavertail forend with hand-rubbed oil finish
• Recut checkering on buttstock and forend to original
• Learn more about wood restoration

Metal Restoration

• Polish barrels to remove corrosion while preserving engraving
• Rust blue barrels
• Learn more about metal restoration

Engraving

• Recut engraving at breech and muzzle
• Install gold oval in buttstock, engrave to match original
• Learn more about engraving
• See more engraved restoration examples