At the gunshow this weekend, I handled about 2 dozen home defence shotguns and took home a new Winchester Super X Pump (SXP) Defender. 12 gauge, 5+1 capacity, fixed cylinder bore, 3" chamber, 18" chrome-lined barrel, aircraft aluminum machined receiver, 13 3/4" pull stock. It is an improvement on the Winchester 1200/1300 design (rotating bolt mechanism). I liked it because the stock fit me, the controls were the best, and it is light and well-balanced. The comb on a bead-sighted Remington 870 is too high for me. The comb on the SXP is just right and the slightly shorter 13 3/4" pull also fits me better. The comb has very little rise for less cheek slap on recoil. The recoil pad is very soft and energy absorbing.
The slide release is behind the trigger guard (like a Mossberg), so you can activate it with the trigger finger without shifting your grip on the rear stock (unlike an 870). The safety is on the front of the trigger guard (the best possible place since this is the natural ready postion of the trigger finger).
The bolt has rotating locking lugs that engage the barrel extension directly, whereas most other pump shotguns lock up with the receiver. It is like an AR-15 bolt lock up on steroids. This contains the energy of the shot and allows a less-stressed lightweight aluminum alloy receiver. The inertia of firing a round delay rotates the bolt and unlocks the action, aiding in extraction, decreasing manual cycling effort, and shortening cycling time. Follow up shots are thus faster compared to other pump shotguns. The nickname of the Winchester 1200/1300 was the "Speed Pump" as it claimed to be the fastest cycling pump-action shotgun. Some call it an Auto-Pump action.
The gun is designed by Winchester but is manufactured and imported from Turkey. That might bother you if you must buy American. Turkey has a long history of gun manufacture and the quality of this gun is excellent. I also own a high quality Turkish Stoeger Cougar 9mm pistol.
Because it is an import, the magazine is restricted to 5 rds. The mag tube is solid and one piece. Inner dimples at the end of the mag tube retain the mag spring retainer, so a mag tube extender will not work unless the dimples are removed. If you did that, the retainer will go flying everytime you unscrewed the mag cap. I have no problems with the 5+1 capacity. In fact, the set back of the one piece mag tube is probably less likely to be damaged.
The build quality is very solid with no slop at the barrel/receiver interface with a lightly hand-tightened mag cap. The dual slide arms are made from one piece of metal, eliminating forearm slop and making disassembly a breeze. Mossberg 500/590 forearm wobble feels cheap by comparison. You can tell how well designed and executed this gun is by its close fit, solid feel, and easy of disassembly/reassembly. The SPX is a handsome gun with good lines and even finish. The forearm has deep groves for excellent control when working the action.
Price: $309
Downsides: 6+1 capacity would have been better, no aftermarket accessories (new model), safety won't work well for lefties (the Mossberg thumb safety would work better for them), top of receiver not tapped for optics.
Winchester Super X Pump (SXP) 12g 18" Defender Model
