Century PW87 $300 Winchester 1887 Clone
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- čas přidán 28. 11. 2016
- I always wanted to have an 1887/1901 Winchester after seeing one featured in the The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean with Paul Newman. Looking at originals I figured I would never afford one. One day I happened into the gun shop and asked if they ever got cheap used ones on trade. They said no but they had brand new Chinese clones for $270. Bricks were shat and credit accounts were tapped.
John Moses Browning originally designed the 1893/1897 pump action for Winchester. At the time they insisted on a lever action so he went back and designed the lever action 1887 we all know and Winchester didn't use the original design until 1893.
The PW87 is actually a clone of the 1901 Winchester in 12GA. The distinction being that the original 1887 Winchester came in both 10/12Ga but was only chambered for black powder. The 1901 only came in 10GA but was chambered for smokeless powder and had a latch mechanism to keep the lever up.
The 1901 Winchester was also famously used by Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator in T2: Judgement Day. Though the one he was firing and spincocking on the Harley Fat Boy was actually a mockup with an aluminum barrel. Chiappa does make a terminator clone called the T-Series.
I had some rotting pumpkins that needed to be ventilated with deer slugs and figured it would be a fun task for the 1887.
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🇦🇺😎👍I’ve got 2 1887 IAC 12 gauge guns and they’re great. Providing the action screws are tight , the fore end screws are tight and the correct ammunition is used, they work floorlessly…great video
I bought one of the IAC guns back about 20 yrs ago. Overall nice finish, the wood is nice, no ugly stampings, and they smooth out with use. Agree with you on minding the screws, and working the lever "briskly". I've seen a few of the Century imports, and the finish and wood were ugly, but cheaper cost.
I really enjoy your review and commentary on various firearms. What I appreciate the most is that you seem to have done your homework on all the stuff you present. Cheers
just picked one up. you have to break these in with 100 rounds or so to smooth em out
I used my dremel and just polished all the wear surfaces inside and modified the trigger spring to help the process. I've shot the hell out of it since.
Do you still like yours?
Tbh even if it runs clunky. I'll still be satisfied
in terms of recoil pads, you could just cut up a $2 pair of foam flip flops and get a decently soft one that way
I have the iac version(international arms company) here in Australia, the generation 4 models up to generation 6 are much better than the first 3 models, greatly improved loading plate, improved extractor claws, strengthened firing pin, there is a knack to the cycling, after ejecting the fired found I find if I pull the lever back just a half inch it positions the round perfectly for the bolt to chamber the round on closing, so throw the lever and retract just a half inch, then complete closing the mechanism, works perfect
2 1/2 inch shells rollcrimped work great in the PW 87 !
Good review, and appreciate your honest comments regarding this weapon. Thanks.
Nice clone especially for the price...Good stuff...
I'm very happy with it. Some people insist on spending $700 for the Chiappas but I like the Century's $300 price tag.
I am with you...
does anyone know if one can have a smith mod the barrel to fit a full choke
Gun&ShotTV I got a used one for $275 after tax and the action seems decent
I've had mine for more than a year now, first thing I did was to take the gun down and polish the action as much as I could, made a HUGE difference in the way the gun loads and ejects. My first trip out I went through a box of 25 rounds of 00 buckshot, had only one empty not kick out. I found the Hornady 00 buckshot with the 8 pellets works the best, and the reason why is the shell is 2 5/8" which is what the original 12 gauge shells were back when those guns were designed. I had a hiccup in the action, which turned out to be the mag tube follower, which I was shocked was metal. (Even Remington won't give you a good one like that for the 870). The follower had sharp edges on it and that was kind of digging into the tube. I also took some 000 steel wool and ran it down and mag tube cleaning it out and then cleaned up the tube and got a lot of gunk out. For the money you pay though, it's a great gun for the $325 you're paying for it.
The fact that your PW87 works at all is a miracle. - a former Century arms employee.
About the lever cutting your hand. I had a similar problem with one lever actions. I wrapped the lower part of the loop with thin leather straps. It solved the problem and added a little style.
I think the cowboy cap ones come with a leather sleeve to eliminate the issue. The problem is the sharpest part is the hing at the front of the place where your rear 3 fingers go. I'm not sure how to wrap it without binding the hinge and screwing up the lockup.
Honestly if I can grab one for under $400 right now I’ll be happy even with their questionable reputation. As an experienced weapons salesman I’m also aware that most American civilians are just wimpy and complain about anything that doesn’t practically do everything for them. Hell a lot of customers I’ve had were too weak to even cycle the slide on a semi auto handgun. Your weapons don’t mean anything if you aren’t even strong enough to use them or clear malfunctions lol
Federal x slugs and buck worked flawlessly...
Very good presentation. Thank you.
just bought one. i love it. amazing video
I bought one a few years back. Dealer I've bought a lot of other guns from gave me a super deal (I think I paid right at $200 or $225 total). Anyway, beautiful piece, but to say it's unreliable is a vast understatement. I took mine apart and smoothed the proper mating surfaces. I ran out of cuss words three times getting it back together, but it definitely smoother now. Still nowhere near 100% reliable, but I guess it's good enough for a fun gun, which is fine; I have plenty of others for "serious" work. ;)
Nice! Thanks for the review. Subscribed
I think I just found Jonah hill's doppelganger. Hope he didn't take a Jeffery before doing this video
Pretty good video. Thanks for posting.
In my 60s now...I grew up with my 1887 10 gauge goose gun. Yep, never fired in our family.
I have one of those and shoot Black Powder out of Metallic Shotgun Hulls. I use it in Cowboy Action Matches where I collect style points. I also use Federal Paper Hulls loaded with BP when I am at a match where you can not collect your empty shells. They are neat guns and fun to use. Mine also shoots slugs and Balls, (69 caliber in a plastic shot cup), very accurately out to 100 yards.
That’s one of my favourite guns ever.
Nice video. Thx for posting
Thanks for watching
I have the Chiappa bootleg holds 7, ghost load 2 no problem, hates Winchester ammo, ment for low brass, Remington nitro like butter thru it, about 200 rounds to break in & learning curve to throw lever hard, at least 1500 rounds thru it now flawless!
Good stuff man thanks for the great videos and cheers
Thanks for watching
really well Made video and really beautiful gun. I love it, especially in mw3
Especially on red Dead redemption 2
I love that gun! Thanks for the slow-motion in such an interesting video!! Now where can I find one in England.........
Have you tried 2.5 in. Shotgun Shells to help limit jamming because of the expanded crimped part of the 2.75 in. Shell?
Thanks for the review. I've taken a fancy to the 1887 because of the Terminator vibe around it but was unsure if the Norinco (Chinese) version was worth the bucks. The alternative would have been the Chiappa, better made but costs 4x more and has a case-hardened finish which I don't like. I would add a leather wrap around the lever (as mentioned below) and a leather buttpad with cartridge hoops, both for look and extra ammo.
for plastic hull shells, this might work better with custom made 2" to 2 1/2" shells (cut a standard shell back to between 2 1/2 and 3 inches)
Once you smooth out the rough edges from the firing mechanism, it will cycle more smoothly. I have the DA T2 version and its cool. :)
I went through and polished everything on the gun and smoothed it up when I first got it. It was like night and day.
Are the receivers milled from bar stock or are they cheap cast?
Great video....does it break down for cleaning easily?
Good find!!
For $300 I can handle the Zhong Zhou Machine Works marking and doing some action polishing.
Does anywhere on your gun say not to use steel shot or not to use slugs? Thanks
Also, have you compared your $300 Century model to the Chiappa or Taylors & Co. Models of this shotgun they cost quite a lot more than the Century one.
If I bought one I'd want to strip the coating, polish it and blue it
Looks pretty good
Thanks for watching
Nice to see a Non Sawn Off 1887
I always remember the Tom Selleck remake of "Monte Walsh" when Shorty Austin with his lever action shotgun kills Chet Rollins in his store.
I bought one of these today and am excited to shoot it on my days off work
Nice video
Well worth it for the price! I wonder if they make a 20ga version. In my shotguns Remington sluggers are fairly accurate.
No 20ga that I have ever seen. You can get Rossi Rio Grande lever actions in .410 but they look more like an 1894 shaped action.
Have you ever tried using mini shells in this? Curious to see if it would aliviate the jamming issues
Overwatch I have one of these shotguns. I’m gonna actually buy some mini slugs and see if they work. I normally run 2 3/4” slugs with no problem. Just gotta work that lever hard.
I gave mine the Terminator treatment. Looks good. Found 2 1/2 inch rounds. I wil let you know how it turns out
So long as you keep the OAL in mind you should be good. They had a TSeries Chiappa at the gun shop this weekend that I was playing with. neat but they must have messed with the trigger design as it was hard to handle compared to the trigger on these.
Nice!
I’d love one with a 28in barrel with screw In chokes, for waterfowl
My old college professor and i are into vowboy action shooting, he has a 87 lever shotgun original, he fires black powder out of it and we also reload cowboy ooaf shotgun shells and fire them thru it, no problem, ive never had a jam or a hang up of any kind, the originals work flawlessly, i think just the cheap chinesium ones have drawbacks
Hey vowboy.
7years ago this was only $300? Wow times have changed...
Try some powdered graphite in the action, it should help a lot.
does anyone know if one can have a smith mod the barrel to fit a full choke
Where can you get one of these? I would definitely love to have one.
I don't know if it is true or not, but I heard when Winchester asked Browning for this shotgun, he told them that nothing is more reliable than a pump action so it wouldn't really be worth it. However, they insisted on having a lever action so he designed it for them. Like I said, I don't know if that is true or not but from what it sounds like when you speak of the action on this, he would have been correct.
I think they struck a compromise because they did release the 1890 Pump 3 years later which he also designed and once it was successful they brought out the 1893/1897 shotgun.
I made a 1890 winchester video if you are interested.
czcams.com/video/_D2n4VV5uF4/video.html
yes it is true. lever was old news and the pump was the new and coming idea. win how ever was like a old dog. they didnt want change. jist like the 97 he put the hammer there to make them happy
I was just watching a Browning documentary and they mentioned this. Even though he told them upfront that this was a mediocre design and they would fare better with a pump, Winchester insisted on the rolling block design. To his credit, Browning tried his best to make the action as reliable as possible, even though he was fond of saying "you can't polish a turd" when discussing the rolling block Winchester.
He did say something along the lines of a pump action design being a better idea but at the time Winchester wanted to keep with their traditions and stay with lever action firearms. When the 1901 version of the shotgun came out sales were poor as the pump action design was more popular based on my limited knowledge of the gun
Can you shoot modern ammo out of a 1887 original if you upgrade the action and barrel???
I bet wrapping the lever with a lever wrap (I did one on my .30-30) would help give you a bit more of a feel with that gun. I plan on getting one for the heck of it. Like you I would like an original or a higher end replica but for the cost, I can get one of those for $325 and you really can't beat that.
I have seen the wrapped ones. I can see how it would restrict the latching point on the lever so it's probably easier to wear gloves.
I was able to leather wrap the lever and keep it away from the latching point. It does help a lot, fired it many, many times, never had an issue and it works just fine. I also found slightly canting the gun back just a bit helps ejecting the shells. I've had one for more than a year and it's a fun gun to shoot.
Is the action stiff? Can you shoulder it and cycle without taking the buttstock off your shoulder?
The action isn't that stiff but it's difficult to work the action hard and fast enough to get proper ejection while on your shoulder.
Seems like a good hip fire gun. You don't need to aim with 00 Buck
MERCIE ET BRAVOS
Merci d'avoir regardé
How easy is it to remove the stock? I'm half tempted to buy a second stock with the bootleg grip and swap em whenever i feel the need. I like the stocked version, but childhood me really wants to get the terminator gun
IIRC you just take out the tang screw and the stock comes out.
Here is a video
czcams.com/video/Qrvi0eIGE7Q/video.html
For the price just buy 2 and hacksaw one off. Just make sure you measure the overall length and stay legal. The T series may have longer barrels to account for the shorter grip I don't know off the top of my head.
need this
I've heard the PW87 has a choke in the barrel. Can you fire slugs from it or only shot?
It has an integral choke. You can fire slugs in it just like any other integrally choked gun.
TheInfamousDaikken I fire only slugs through mine. Works fine for me.
Got any stockless models?
What is the receiver made of on those. Good review!
I'm assuming forged steel. It looks like a regular blue it's just not very nicely polished like the higher end guns.
There's a bunch of pansies throwing off on the gun cus they can't eject the shell and it's too hard to cock and it has too much recoil, they really need to man up, I'm glad you didn't complain about these things but u did warn them that it is kinda hard to eject the shell
I do think the buttplate is a bit pointy but as I said just throw a limbsaver on if you plan to shoot it a bunch.
It's incredibly gorgeous for a 300 dollar gun
I agree the finish looks nice I'm going to buy one. The gun shoots good . The ejection issue isnt the guns fault it's the shot shells of today. Not the gun
Can you shoot modern ammo out of a 1887 original if you upgrade the action and barrel???
If that had a bigger loop I would buy one
The only true safety is yourself
@Fawthur ...Dont put your finger on the trigger until youre ready to fire? IE the #1 safety rule every range and instructor teaches.
Well I gotta get it
What if you use aguilla mini shells?
shells would be too short, it would try to load 2 of em at a time. I would suggest the NSI mini buck shells or slugs. a bit of a pain to find, but that half inch difference in cartridge length makes a world of difference.
It is a nice review. Sadly no reputable company presented in EU sells lever-action shotguns, with the exception of Henry and their .410 one. I will gladly buy a Winchester clone even if it is Chinese, just for the sake of fun.
However, you should work on your shooting technique. You hold the shotgun as if you are shooting quails or clay targets, which isn't the correct way to operate a lever gun IMO. You have to keep both your elbows tucked down as close to your body as possible, body slightly bent forward and your weight on your lead leg. This way you'll be able to operate the lever without taking off the stock from your shoulder and you'll run the gun a lot faster.
I need one for the house
why are some but plates curved and some are straight?
My PW87 shoots slugs a couple feet low, does anyone else have that problem with theirs?
300$ so look worth it!!!
Can it shoot 3in magnums
Can I get this with a pistol grip?
i wonder if slugs eject better?.......and is that a slug barrel?
Slug hulls are shorter and eject better, it is a regular barrel with a modificed choke IIRC.
Theres estate 00 buck shot that has no crimp just a clear cap that would prob feed good really cheap too bulk ammo
you could put a cool winchester label over top of the tacky import stamping
Way too much effort and expense. If you make it pretty you will be tempted to turn it into a safe queen
Can anyone tell me where I can buy one?
🇦🇺😎👍Never trust the hammer spur as it can slip past your thumb and discharge the gun with one up the pipe. Very dangerous ☠
Hate it when guns are used like billboards.
Post to UK? Pmsl. Mom has a Fatboy! Would go with that! Very cool tool.
Reload 2.5in shells instead of 2.75 maybe?
Any come in longer barrels?
I'm wondering the same. A 24" barrel with full choke would make this a sweet goose gun
"Bricks were shat..." BAHAHAhahahaha
I appreciate his humor as well.
will it accept 3-inch shells.
No, the action isn't going to feed 3" shells even if the barrel were chambered for it.
So the reviews of people hating on this gun were just crybabys basically. Cause it fires every time and ejects always and only time is doesnt ismt the guns fault it's just shot shells this day in age. Not a problem and u can shoot slugs and the finish looks really nice from what I can see
Have one and you have to rack it with force. Mine is an older import so no BS writing.
This looks like a proper grandpa rifle ..
spin it spin it spin it
ca legal?!
I'd like to get one and cut the stock and trigger guard off and make the terminator 2 replica
Chiappa does make one like that they call the T Series but it's $800 last I checked so making your own would be cheaper. The biggest issue is that in the real world the 1887 isn't that great when cut down. The movie used a special prop gun that had an aluminum barrel and lightened lockup because it only shot blanks, having played with a T series it's not as fun to handle as it looks like it would be. IMHO Better off just getting a Cruiser pump or one of those shockwave AOWs that just came out.
bubba....you will only shoot a box and then it will set on the shelf unused.......go with stock on everything ,including your vehicles
Where can I buy this beauty.
I just bought one off gunbroker for 260. They are insanely cheap for being as cool as they are. If you like this PW87 (that's what this specific remake is called) then you should definitely check out this other remake of the 1897 Trench gun that Norinco makes! Its the Norinco M97. Its pretty reasonably priced.
Any good gunshop should be able to order one from their distributor for you. If not you can order one online and transfer it to your dealer. Check slickguns to find the best price. The list at the bottom has all the online store's prices.
gun.deals/product/century-arms-pw87-lever-12-ga-19-barrel-5-rnds-31862
I found a used one at a local gun shop. You can also have one shipped to someone with an FFL license
How much you want for it
Bro why do you shoot with your elbow above your head lol
I like the gun but it is not the best looking gun, I don`t care for the very flat spots with no design, makes it look cheep. However, that aside, I Like it. Nice video thank you.
You can absolutely spin cock a lever pistol grip.
That’s not a modification! You can load two at a time !!!
Work the action in your shoulder
You can just paint over the wording