Those who adopted the Model 1200 in spite of its departure from earlier Winchester designs found that the gun was rugged, durable, and in many ways an improvement over the Model 12. While modern guns utilize aluminum in their design, this was rather radical for Winchester guns in the 1960s, and many shooters simply refused to own a “new” Winchester ump gun. More notably, the Model 1200 came with an aluminum alloy receiver that was lighter and less expensive to manufacture than the Model 12’s steel receiver. For starters, it utilized a four-lug rotating bolt that locked into the barrel in place of the Model 12’s tilting breechlock design. Shotgun purists hated the Model 1200 from its inception.

To remain competitive Winchester decided to discontinue the Model 12 because it did not lend itself well to the most modern, efficient production methods of the times. This was largely a result of the advent of less-expensive competing firearm models like the Remington 870 pump-action which first appeared in 1950. The Model 12 reigned supreme until 1964, the year that Winchester decided to take several cost-cutting steps to reduce production costs and improve margins. Built with an alloy steel receiver, the Model 2 was a durable and reliable firearm that instantly became popular with shooters and hunters. The Model 12 was a replacement for the exposed-hammer 1897, and by concealing the hammer within the receiver Johnson created a more streamlined gun that has impacted the geometry and design of the modern slide-action shotgun. The Model 1912 (which was shortened to the Model 12 in 1919) was the brainchild of TC Johnson, a Winchester engineer. This is, after all, a gun that shares DNA with what many hunters and shooters consider to be the best pump shotgun of all time, the Winchester Model 12. It shouldn’t come as any surprise to hunters and shooters that the SXP has earned a spot in the top-selling shotguns. It’s also good to see that Winchester’s modern pump shotguns are receiving the attention and interest they deserve. It shouldn’t be any surprise that this quality-built, reliable pump shotgun consistently occupies a position in the top-selling slide-actions, for the SXP offers great quality for a very reasonable price point.

The Winchester SXP pump-action shotgun is the fifth best-selling pump shotgun in this month’s Top Selling Report, presented by, a position that it occupied last month as well.

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