A few years ago I was at a European pheasant hunt with a guy that had one. His was brand new and was a jam-o-matic. It really turned me off and I was interested in one at the time. While it was my only experience around one, it was enough to change my mind on the purchase.

 

A guy I used to work and shoot with had one, I was gravely, and rough as a cob, not for me.

cdb

 

It’s hard to determine when saying “Best Buy for the money”. The SXP you tested is msrp at $469? The Remington 870 has a steel receiver, better action, wood, and msrp is roughly $499. I also feel if one is willing to spend a little more money they can find a browning BPS for roughly $650. The BPS also has more intriguing qualities (fit and finish) I believe both the 870 and BPS are better options. However, the SXP seems to be a fine pump at the price point. I just believer there seems to be better options.

 

Some solid rationelle. The BPS is no doubted a better gun, but it also a considerably more money. The 870 Fieldmaster that is replacing the Express only comes in wood options which is fine if that is what you want.

 

SXP has two common issues. One mechanical the other operational.

Mechanically the flaw is the plastic magazine throat, they crack turning the gun into a jamming, mistimed shell feeding piece. This is most common with the original throats, aftermarket replacements seem to hold up well. I have seen two that were cracked from the factory.

Operationally, the SXP is designed to come open and eject upon firing, especially with heavy field and waterfowl loads. Users that have been use to operating an 870, 500, BPS, etc often double pump, jacking a live round on the ground. Once I got use to mine you really don’t have to pull the pump back, just push it forward after recoil, again especially with field loads or heavy waterfowl loads. Recoil ejects the fired round. It’s almost a semiauto pump.

For the money it’s a decent pump and were it not for that plastic magazine throat I would agree with the original poster. But with that common failure part, that is a real pita to get the original factory one out, I would put the mossberg 500 over it. The 870 and BPS are also better quality but higher priced. I bought my SXP as a backup/loaner/kid gun for $150 unfired off a friend that won it and was going to trade it in for $100.

 

SXP has two common issues. One mechanical the other operational.

Mine has more than that. It has a 6-7 lb. trigger, and a binding cross-bolt safety that sometimes you can get off, sometimes you just cannot as it just freezes in place. The safety is reversible, so you can be equally miserable whether you shoot right-handed or left-handed.

Contrary to the published specs, it is a quarter pound heavier than claimed, and front sight is red plastic, not a brass bead. The camo finish is a bit on the slippery side with essentially a non-functioning molded in checkering attempt on the forearm: not what anyone would prefer on a pump. The slide release is far too tiny and is located behind the trigger guard: not the best approach.

There certainly is a market for a $350 pump gun and the SXP could potentially be it. In its present form, I can't use it. Fix the cross-bolt safety, get a reasonable grip surface on the forearm, improve the trigger, add a better slide release . . . and then, they've got something. Presently, they do not. Instanbul Silah is, at best, a mediocre builder . . . and the SXP displays why this is the case.

 

what are the brands of the aftermarket magazine throats?

 

they are still Winchester products, I guess I should have called it a replacement vs aftermarket, but I have done a couple of them and they seem to be holding up much better, maybe because I didn’t crank them down or maybe because they don’t have some form of lock-tight on them, but my loaner SXP and the BILs full time SXP haven’t had an issue since I replaced them.

A warning, they are not fun to get out. Winchester says it’s a factory only repair but we did it ourselves. Heat, a 1” scope ring that you don’t like and a channel lock are needed. We treated it very tenderly as we did not want to bend the receiver.

If you are a DIY guy strip the gun down to the bare minimum without taking the stock off. Use a heat gun on the magazine throat area(we went very slow as we didn’t want to damage the finish) put a 1” scope ring on the magazine tube, about 2” above the action, have 1-2 buddies hold the action/gun and gently turn the magazine tube with the channel lock, using the scope ring for leverage and to protect the tube. If it doesn’t budge, keep gently applying heat and try again. It takes quite a bit of force to get it turning. Once you get it turning a ways, it’s easy. Unscrew the magazine tube fully, the throat will drop out once removed, drop in the new throat and hand tighten, tight but not cranking it down he man style. Reassemble.

 

("batter bank for the buck")
Better bang for the buck...

Winchester shotguns are pretty much bottom of the barrel. If you need a pump, there are much better values to be had in the used market.

Ithaca 37, Wingmaster, BPS, some would say model 12(too many JMB "fiddley bits" for me)...

Anyway, the OP just wants us to watch his videos. He doesn't engage much in anyone else's posts other than his.

 

("batter bank for the buck")
Better bang for the buck...

Winchester shotguns are pretty much bottom of the barrel. If you need a pump, there are much better values to be had in the used market.

Ithaca 37, Wingmaster, BPS, some would say model 12(too many JMB "fiddley bits" for me)...

Anyway, the OP just wants us to watch his videos. He doesn't engage much in anyone else's posts other than his.

I will agree with you regarding the SXP, but there's nothing "bottom of the barrel" about my 12ga SX2 or 20ga SX3. Both are camo Universal Hunters and have proven to be quite good.

 

My son has one. I bought it for him for Christmas. He is used to my old 870 express.
I was glad to give my son a nice present and was excited about trying it out.
The slide release is too small and in the wrong place. When you shoot it it chucks itself but you are never sure it didn’t short-shuck so you try to pull it back some more anyway and really screws up your rhythm.
If a person never had a 37 or 870 it might pass as a decent pump, however I would choose a Mossberg 500 over it any day.
It sets in the safe unused and my son still grabs the express. Not a big compliment when you get overlooked for an express.😂😂

 

Interesting. Always love to hear others' opinions. The SXP does take some getting used to. My first shotgun was a Mossberg 500 and I'd rather shoot the SXP any day. But that's just my experience.

 

What's a Mossberg 88 go for these days? I'd rather have one of those than I would this.

 

The Maverick 88 is one of the cheapest pump options available with an MSRP of $253. That being said, I reviewed the Maverick 88 as well and I would personally spend a little more to get the SXP...if those were my two options.

 

I bought mine as a Trap gun with a 32" barrel and montecarlo stock. Stock was still short so I added a spacer. Trigger pulls are heavy indeed. I added a 28" barrel and use it in Sporting Clays pump events. It cycles pretty fast being a modified inertia mechanism so I like that. Kicks a lot more than a Benelli Nova. One plus is that it takes Invector Plus chokes that I had before.

 

It does have a little more felt recoil than the Nova but the Nova weighs significantly more, which makes sense. How is it for trap shooting, a good entry-level gun?

 

as an entry Trap gun is great i think with the 32 or 30" barrel and mid rib.

 

I have a 20ga Field model. For the money it's not a bad gun. Other than the safety position and the annoyingly awkward, small slide release, I find it hard to find real fault with it. It's a $370 gun and as a cheap beater, what can you really expect? It's certainly a hell of a lot better than the last iteration of the Remington 870 Express. That thing was an embarrassment to big green and the more recent mossberg 500s have been nothing to write home about.

Now are there better pumps out there?... Yes, but to get something better expect to spend twice as much. Personally I'm a big fan of the Ithaca model 37 but used 37s, in decent condition are getting up there in price and $1100 bucks to start for a new one, is in my opinion ridiculous for a pump gun. My dad's old 20ga model 37 went for about 60 bucks in the mid 195Os but those days are long time gone.

 

The SXP, as some of you know, is basically the same shotgun as the Winchester 1200/1300 that replaced the Model 12 in the mid 1960's, when Winchester cheapened most of their product line to stay afloat. It wasn't a stellar shotgun then but was a better product than the latest Turkish rendition of it.

 

I had a Winchester 1200 that I couldn't wear out. I bought a new Win. 1300(American made) and was cheaper 3 in version of the 1200. Wore it completely out in about 5 years......Now they are made in Turkey........I would rate it "At The Bottom Of The Barrel" now along with that fugly benneli nova and the mossburg 500. The 3 best pump shotguns on the market today are the Ithaca 37, Browning BPS and Remington 870.

 

I think the Winchester SXP trigger is around 8lbs. I have sold the SXP since this post, bought a Browning BPS 30" and didn't like it. Still looking for right pump. Not overly heavy and crisp trigger (understand I cannot get my over under specs on it but close)

 

Hi, I just bought a Winchester SXP Long Beard 20 gauge, when I pump the forearm it rubs against the receiver and leaves a mark, does anyone else have this problem? I spoke to winchester customer care and they said that did not sound right and I then talked to Kelly in the service dept and he told me it was perfectly normal, does that sound right? the forearm is tight to the barrel on on side and there is about a 3/8 gap on the other, see attached photos. Thank you