Winchesters SX3

[ajvigs]

I handled one at my local Bass Pro and was pretty enamoured with it. Sleek and felt right in my hands.

Anyone have experience with one? This may be my future shotgun. Its tied with the Browning Maxus right now.

 

[DrMike]

These are very nice shotguns. Patrick Flanigan could easily make a believer out of you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCB7uEQ9W9A

 

[DrMike]

Here are a couple of other YouTube Videos that may be of interest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofcnDLA3pFE

'O course, there's always Tom Knapp with his Benelli: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofcnDLA3pFE

 

[ajvigs]

Im speechless...

Seriously though, I am impressed. Highly. It looks soft shooting, and may be coming home with me in the near future to round out my gun library.

 

[Oldtrader3]

They are seriously good shotguns for waterfowl and other game. Mine was fast and the recoil was well controlled. Watch Mr. Flanagan take unmodified gun and watch how fast it operates. I gave my 3 inch SX3 to my grandson. He hunts with his dad (mostly water fowl) and needed a good auto shotgun to control recoil for heavier loads. I gave him my nearly new SX3 and he has been happy with it for several years now.

 

[OU812]

I have the SX3 and absolutely love the gun. I have never had any issues with the gun and mine gets used ALOT. You will really like all the shims it comes with so the gun can be set up exactly as you want it to fit. I could not imagine you being sorry you bought one.

Bill

 

[Hegland]

Can't comment on the SX3, but I have the 3.5" SX2 and it is superb. I have noticed that there doesn't seem to be the flood of aftermarket trinkets available for Winchesters that you find for, say, an 1100. But for a hunting gun, it is just fine out of the box, and darned near perfect. Simple, rugged, and dependable.

Have thought about upgrading to the SX3 a couple times, but the X2 works so well I have a hard time justifying it...

 

[Oldtrader3]

There are not a lot of aftermarket trinkets for the SX3 because it works as it is designed!

 

[Firebird]

I've owned the sx2 and sx3 and loved them both. I put a briley choke in it with outstanding results. Had no problems with either of them and we use our waterfowl gear hard! I now own a beretta a400 which I bought because I loved the look and wood grain, but would not hesitate to pick up either of those sx shotguns again

 

[SJB358]

I handled one at my local Bass Pro and was pretty enamoured with it. Sleek and felt right in my hands.

Anyone have experience with one? This may be my future shotgun. Its tied with the Browning Maxus right now.

AJ, my best friend runs an SX3.. Awesome shotgun. Very dependable, it fires 2.75" trap loads and it'll handle up to 3.5" buckshot, you can mix up, the gun doesn't care, it just runs. Just a great gun. Pretty light too. I would be torn between the new Browning A5 and a SX3.. Both are slick shotguns.

 

[ajvigs]

I keep hearing lots of great things about the Winchester. I will be going to do a comparison of the Winchester, Browning Maxus, Benelli Vinci and M2, and the Franchi Affinity. Whichever one fits me the best out of all those will be my next purchase.

 

[Hegland]

There are not a lot of aftermarket trinkets for the SX3 because it works as it is designed!

Hard to argue with that! Good luck with your decision, AJ. A couple guys in my trap league shot the Maxus and seemed to get along with them.

 

[OU812]

I keep hearing lots of great things about the Winchester. I will be going to do a comparison of the Winchester, Browning Maxus, Benelli Vinci and M2, and the Franchi Affinity. Whichever one fits me the best out of all those will be my next purchase.

With the Browning, Winchester and Benelli, not sure on the rest get the one with features you like best as they all come with shims to allow the gun fit you. It's possible that with a factory set up a gun you might really like may not be set up to fit you and you will pass it by.

Owned a Benelli super black eagle once. Only shotgun I have ever thrown out across a muddy field. You would be surprised on how far you can throw one when your pissed at it.

 

[ajvigs]

I keep hearing lots of great things about the Winchester. I will be going to do a comparison of the Winchester, Browning Maxus, Benelli Vinci and M2, and the Franchi Affinity. Whichever one fits me the best out of all those will be my next purchase.

With the Browning, Winchester and Benelli, not sure on the rest get the one with features you like best as they all come with shims to allow the gun fit you. It's possible that with a factory set up a gun you might really like may not be set up to fit you and you will pass it by.

Owned a Benelli super black eagle once. Only shotgun I have ever thrown out across a muddy field. You would be surprised on how far you can throw one when your pissed at it.

What made you do that?!?!

 

[SJB358]

I don't know, but I bet it is a good story.. I need to hunt geese with you Bill! Sounds like you keep it exciting! :lol:

 

[ajvigs]

I don't know, but I bet it is a good story.. I need to hunt geese with you Bill! Sounds like you keep it exciting! :lol:

Yeah Im in on that. Almost like a few guys in college with me...one tried to use the barrel of his 870 to finish off a honker. He missed ended up face first in mud with a plugged barrel. That was a good one

 

[OU812]

I keep hearing lots of great things about the Winchester. I will be going to do a comparison of the Winchester, Browning Maxus, Benelli Vinci and M2, and the Franchi Affinity. Whichever one fits me the best out of all those will be my next purchase.

With the Browning, Winchester and Benelli, not sure on the rest get the one with features you like best as they all come with shims to allow the gun fit you. It's possible that with a factory set up a gun you might really like may not be set up to fit you and you will pass it by.

Owned a Benelli super black eagle once. Only shotgun I have ever thrown out across a muddy field. You would be surprised on how far you can throw one when your pissed at it.

What made you do that?!?!

The operating design of the super black eagle is IMO the most piss poor ever created for a waterfowling shotgun. The SBE has a rotating bolt head like a semi-auto rifle which is fine unless you barely and I mean barely pump the charging handle. If you unknowingly do bump the charging handle the head will rotate ever so slightly, can't really see it or notice it and it won't fire. It's called "the Benelli click".

 

[OU812]

I don't know, but I bet it is a good story.. I need to hunt geese with you Bill! Sounds like you keep it exciting! :lol:

So here is the SBE story. I had always hunted with an A5 and a few of my friends had the SBE shotguns. One preseason I decided to semi-retire the A5 and went looking for an SBE since several of the guys had them and I had handled them and like the feel and fit. Found one and bought it and was happier than a pig in chit, or so I thought.

Now comes opening of goose season and old Bill is ready to roll with his new SBE, birds don't stand a chance. I've pattern test different chokes, shotgun shells, shot size and I'm ready for the killin to begin. So here we are, cut but muddy corn field, layout blinds hide amazing well and all of us in a tight row and decoys placed just right to have in your face shooting.

Right at shooting time the first volley comes in and works perfectly, the birds are in your face and I'm ready. At the call of the shot I drop my calls grab my gun and quickly set up in my layout blind, it was poetry in motion, doors fly open I shoulder my gun while picking out a goose slap the trigger and nothing. No boom, no recoil and certainly no dead goose. The rest of the guys are opening up and birds are scattering. I'm not sure why my gun did not fire but old Bill came up with a quick plan, why not pull the bolt back and chamber a fresh round? Seemed like a good idea. I pulled the bolt back and let it slam shut to chamber another round and get on another bird, slap the trigger and still nothing. By now the birds are getting the heck out of there and I'm wondering what had happened.

I look over at the blind next to me and there in the corn stubble is a new unfired shotgun shell. I'm thinking hey that looks like the brand of shell I'm shooting, wonder how it got there? Well as it turns out as I was originally setting up I bumped the bolt back, the SBE bolt also opens very very easy and I had unknowingly and accidentally ejected my first round which landed on the blind next to me. That explains the first round not going off but what about the second round I had loaded? Well as it turns out the SBE has yet another neat little feature I was unaware of. If you eject an unfired round as I did and pull the bolt back the SBE will NOT chamber a shell like any other shotgun. You must first depress the little red button on the side to get the next round to feed into the chamber, how special.

Alright I got this. It's stupid but I got it. Load shells in the gun and being mindful of what had just happened I'm going to be extra careful when the next volley comes in and make sure it does not happen twice. So my SBE is laying inside the blind beside me and I'm ready go. Geese once again start to work and before long it's "go" time. I set up as before but this time I'm extra careful to not bump the bolt handle when setting up. I pick out a bird, slap the trigger and nothing. No boom, no recoil and once again no bird. As birds are once again being killed by my pards I quickly check and see that a shell is in the chamber and yep there it is just setting there as pretty as you please. I release the bolt knowing a shell is in the chamber and try again. No boom, no recoil and no bird. On this go round is where I learned about the very slight bolt head rotation issue in which the gun won't fire.

For safety reasons ( not sure why I waited actually as these SBE has more won't fire safety features than I have ever seen) I waited for the dogs and guys to pick up their geese for the second time and get back by the blinds. I stand up grab the shotgun by the barrel and throw that POS as far as I could, which was quite a ways I might add. If shotgun throwing ever becomes an Olympic event I'm a shoe in. This was the first time any of the guys had ever seen someone throw a 1000.00 shotgun but I can tell you I have since seen the same thing from the guys who love their SBE's.

Bill

 

[SJB358]

Bill, no offense brother, but that is the funniest story I have ever heard! I can picture it, almost to a T in my head, and I can feel your frustration too.. WOW!! I needed that sorta laughing fit! :grin:

I imagine you are sorted out now with the SX3... My buddies fires like a its a machine. Just nothing he can't shoot though it.. Kinda why I would like one of the A5's or SX3's... Seem like very well made knuckle dragger shotguns.. I need that.. I break alot of stuff if it doesn't work correctly, and probably some stuff that does work right! :lol:

 

[OU812]

Oh the SX3 is an awesome shotgun and eats everything you feed it. All I want is a gun that fits and goes boom with every slap of the trigger, and the SX3 is that gun. If you ever want to come out and kill geese just let me know, we kill LOTS.

Here are a few pictures of incoming and landed geese.