Taylors & Company 1887 Lever Action Shotgun 12 GA 22″ Case Hardened

Description

There's something about running a lever gun in 12 gauge that a pump just can't match. The Taylors & Company 1887 is a faithful reproduction of John Browning's original design for Winchester, the gun widely considered the first truly successful repeating shotgun. Taylors has this one built by Chiappa in Italy, and the fit and finish shows it. The color case hardened frame carries those swirling blues and browns that no two guns wear quite the same way, set against a deep blued 22 inch barrel and oiled American walnut stock and forearm.

What the 1887 Lever Action Brings to the Table

The rolling block style lever action feeds from a five shell tubular magazine, plus one in the chamber, giving you six rounds of 2.75 inch 12 gauge on tap. That's real capacity for a gun with this much old-world character. The 22 inch barrel keeps the overall length right around 39 inches, so it swings quicker and handles tighter than the longer field versions. It ships with three screw-in choke tubes, Improved Cylinder, Modified, and Full, so you can set it up for skeet distances, dove fields, or tighter patterns as needed.

Where the Taylors 1887 Shines

Cowboy action competitors have kept this design alive for good reason. Once you get the lever rhythm down, follow-up shots come fast, and the big loop action is just plain satisfying to cycle. It also pulls duty as a working field gun for upland birds and small game, and plenty of folks buy one simply because it's an iconic piece of firearms history you can shoot instead of leaving in a display case. Fans of a certain motorcycle-riding movie character will recognize the silhouette immediately.

At roughly nine pounds, it soaks up 12 gauge recoil nicely, and the steel receiver and walnut furniture mean this is a gun built to be handed down. If you've been wanting a lever shotgun that's true to the original but ready for modern shells and chokes, this is the one to grab.