Winchester Model 50

Next up is the WInchester Model 50 vintage 1956. It was only Winchesters third attempt at a self loading shotgun and it was all the way into the 1950's! They were obviously having a problem and definitely time to think outside the box.
Turning their back on the best firearm designer 50 years before sure didn't help but grabbing up a design from his son Johnathan E. Browning and recruiting Carbine Williams with his floating chamber design sure woke up the shotgun crowd. Later refinements including a fiberglass constructed barrel were both innovative and unique to the industry.
Come join me going down the road of the Winchester self loading shotgun trials and tribulations......how far down does this rabbit hole go?
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[@domingomercado8340]

Wow, that Browning Design shotgun is a real beauty 😍. Gorgeous shotgun 😍 ❤️ John Moses Browning, my favorite gun designer. 1911 .45, h.p. Browning 9mm. Amazing history. Thanks for sharing. God bless.

[@trailbossx2]

Just picked up a used 50,,,made in 55, according to the serials,,,was confused, about the tapped hole, on the left side, of the reciever,,,thought a screw was missing,,,did research, and found, they all got em, for an alignment pin,,,scared the heck outta me,,lol,,,cant wait to fire up, that fast action,,,extremely cool, informative vid,,,,,thanks for posting it!!!😎

[@lonnienovak3621]

My dad just gave me his model 50. He carried it with him everywhere on the farm. Since he bought it new in the 60s. The fur azure is a little chipped up but it tells a story. When he gave it to me I asked when the last time he cleaned it was. He said never! It had never been cleaned! I tore it apart & it was perfect condition. There are two flat pieces of steel that the carrier rides on that are tricky to clean up on reassembly. It's a great shot gun & has a ton of personal meaning.

[@MilsurpGarage]

Nice to see it passed along through generations.....thanks for sharing.

[@carbinewilliams9943]

I own one Model 50 and three Model 59s. Love 'em. Aged 78, I am fortunate to have spoken (Trans Atlantic Telephone) to three close members of the Williams Family... his brother Gordon was 93 years old when I last spoke to him. Also, I was a telephone friend of the late Ross J. Beard, Jr., author of the book 'Carbine Williams'. P.S. this is an excellent video.

[@MilsurpGarage]

Thanks for the kind words. Interesting that you were able to speak with these people.....would make great interview material! Thanks for tuning in.

[@billechols7136]

The model 50 is an excellent semi auto shotgun. My grandfather bought one in 1958. I bought it from him in 1997. It still looks brand new. It is a honey of a shotgun.

[@MilsurpGarage]

It’s one of my favorites. The floating chamber feature is very unique and it functions well.

[@danreid6712]

I had one back in the 70's...Mainly for Ducks. Then after seeing the Upland Special, I modded it, by cutting the barrel back to 18.5 inches & sawed off the grip knob to make a straight grip. It now was open-choke, short & fast pointing on Grouse & Rabbits. Great memories..great gun. Cheers from Toronto, Canada.

[@MilsurpGarage]

They need to stop selling saws up there in Canada.......

[@d-nice8834]

Small world, Carbine Williams great grandson gave me this model shotgun, last night, for alil home protection. I think he said it is a type of buffer system in the buttstock , to dampen the kick alil. I'm loving the history lesson 👍

[@hquiller]

Got one for 170 bucks. Love it! Zero issues. They used to be cheap. Kinda heavy on the rear, but still a really good shotgun. if you use it with a good recoil spring, it will last forever.

[@Waterbottles711]

Thanks so much for all this in-depth info. I found one of these in a closet in my house, was definitely my grandfathers. Been wanting to learn about it and stuff. So thank you!!

[@MilsurpGarage]

Wow. Pays to clean out those closets, huh?

[@rockrat440]

Thanks for the video - I really appreciate the deep dive into the history! I have a Model 50, and I know it is a Featherlight Field model thanks to your video on the different versions! Mine weighs in at a little more than 6 pounds - incredibly light! I have detail stripped this twice. Taking it apart was a bit challenging at first, it is different than any other models I have worked on. I did learn that the stock will not come off until you remove the bolt. Tuning the recoil spring does not seem complicated at all though. I simply tightened the spring until I could no longer lock back the bolt. Then I loosened it a tad until it would lock. I then took the gun to the range and shot a bunch of clays - ran like a Swiss watch!

[@MilsurpGarage]

Nice. I think when you find the right spot for that spring you set it, and forget it! Thanks for tuning in.

[@davidcoudriet8439]

I love my 50! #30726. (1954) I had read the books and appreciated the design so much, that I had to have one. It's 8.04 lbs. Now, to find a model 40; I'll be happy..

[@jshappart]

I have a Win Model 50 vet rib full choke that I inherited from my gradpa. Works great!

[@MilsurpGarage]

It does. This Winchester Self Loading Shotgun rabbit hole lured me in! Stay tuned for what else I found there!

[@jshappart]

@@MilsurpGarage Just filled my blacktail buck deer tag last week, hunting in an area where you need to use a shotgun or a bow. I used a Brenneke KO 1oz slug in my Winchester Model 50 12 gauge, full choke vent rib to take it at 12 yards. That will put a hole in ya! It shoots the Brenneke KO slugs like a tack driver at least out to 50 yards, which is what I tested at before actual hunting. Sitting in the wall tent warming up by the wood stove in the afternoon prior to the successful evening hunt, shotgun shown in the vid briefly as well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q37ZkpSnf92VeNU

[@cubfan61554]

Now you need a Model 59 to keep it company. It’s a very interesting variation of the Model 50.

[@MilsurpGarage]

Fiberglass barrel lined with steel.......sounds strange. Supposedly you can hold the barrel after prolonged shooting because it never gets hot.

[@benm8973]

I have a M59, just went hunting today, super light AND light recoiling. Very, very nice hunting firearm.

[@codyarnold9504]

my father gave one of his two model 50's and found a 59 for my younger brother. both are wonderful shooting guns.

[@jamesclark6420]

@@MilsurpGarage That's correct. Model 59 barrels don't seem to heat up much during firing. Certainly much slower than steel. According to factory advertising it was wound with one continuous strand of fiberglass over 500 miles long. Theoretically it's stronger than a conventional steel barrel. A fascinating and unusual gun with unique handling qualities. Winchester claimed it could run any 12 Gauge load without adjustment. Which seems to be true so far.

[@JessieLand-l8c]

For gun I even buy love it

[@ivanbadillo4909]

I just picked up a model 50. The barrel is 18". I tried to look at the book you have in the video but could not find it on your book. Can't find much on the length they came in. Great video.

[@MilsurpGarage]

Barrel lengths were 26”, 28” or 30” for 12-gauge guns, and 26” or 28” for the 20-gauge guns. Chokes were Full, Modified, Improved Cylinder, or Winchester Skeet.

[@ivanbadillo4909]

Thanks for the info. Someone must have done some work to the one I got.

[@ItsThe675]

can you please do a full break down of this gun the Winchester modal 50.. i had a lot of trouble breaking it down and cleaning it, i couldn't find goood videos to show me how to properly. i feel like i might have done something wrong, and there was a lot of resistance when i put (struggled to) put it back together. please tag me or message me if you do,, thank you.!!!

[@MilsurpGarage]

What specific problem are you having?

[@ItsThe675]

@@MilsurpGarage the issue I was having was when I put everything back together and I went to go and I guess cock it back [when there is no shell in it it's supposed to lock back] but it wasn't locking back it was just coming right back forward. I finally got everything back together and it will now lock like it's supposed to unless I hit the little button for it to come back forward. But now in general I kind of feel like it's a little loose like I'll get 70% of the way back and it will feel like I get pension and it doesn't want to go all the way back so I kind of got to pull harder. I feel like the piece on the inside that move back and forward to load and eject I feel like it has too much wiggle room but I don't know where that's coming from

[@davidcoudriet8439]

Did you get it sorted yet?

[@hquiller]

Always verify the recoil spring. A weak spring can crack the receiver. First thing I did when I bought my Model 50 was replace the recoil spring and adjust it.

[@zenjon7892]

Is there a way to test the spring and tell if it's worn out?

[@hquiller]

@@zenjon7892 I bought a new one, just to be sure. Cheaper to replace a spring than a cracked receiver.

[@zenjon7892]

@@hquiller that's a good point. Is this a job I could do myself? I'm reasonably mechanicaly inclined

[@hquiller]

@@zenjon7892 Yes. It isn't difficult to do. I remember I saw a video on youtube about the spring replacement and adjustment.

[@MilsurpGarage]

Do you use Wolff Springs?

[@Kar-wm5on]

It was because JMB had already worked with FN for the 1900 pistol, and because he had been paid massive royalties on this incredibly successful pistol (in Europe) that he came back to Winchester with the idea of asking for royalties for the long-recoil designs.

[@MilsurpGarage]

Wish I was there for that meeting…..or the meeting of top Winchester designers afterwards.

[@dandee3032]

wow !! this very good explanation of this gun and the history is very good !!

[@MilsurpGarage]

Appreciate the kind words. Just used this shotgun again last weekend for four rounds of trap and it functioned flawlessly and gave me great scores once again. I love this shotgun.

[@brianlisaw5816]

I love your video on the model 50 I just bought one the other day it looks like new it's 1956 vintage tiger walnut wood it's the pigeon grade model

[@MilsurpGarage]

That sounds like a real beauty. Thanks for tuning in.

[@chrischiampo7647]

That’s 1 Nice Historical Score 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼😀😊 You Did Great on That Deal

[@sonnygunz9207]

That’s badass. I’d love a m50 to mess around with. Thanks for the video.

[@MilsurpGarage]

It’s gonna get crazier...

[@tberkoff]

Class is in session. Professor MG is back!

[@garylewis3641]

An interesting design, I too hadn't really heard of it. Thanks for sharing!

[@MilsurpGarage]

The designs Winchester explored after losing out on the A5 were interesting. Some called them failures, I call them content! Stay tuned!

[@garylewis3641]

@@MilsurpGarage The Winchester model 50 seems like a good design!

[@MilsurpGarage]

It was. Of the three attempts made from 1900 to 1960 to design a successful self loading shotgun, the Model 50 was the best......or was it the Model 40?

[@zenjon7892]

It's good, but I would have made some changes if I was on that design team

[@tomcox3154]

Featherweight model 50 has an aluminum alloy reciever. Made 1960-61, some have Featherweight stamped above the serial no.#. Some do not have Featherweight stamp, but serial number# has an A suffix after the serial # on these Alloy reciever model 50s.

[@MilsurpGarage]

Yeah, originally I thought that only Model 59’s were alloy but I see there were model 50’s that were as well, right?

[@dockir5737]

i love this thig thank you so much i never shot i yet but you said a monster i thought so....

[@nicvanfleet8110]

How are these in comparison to the M59? Just solved my problem with the buffer spring in my 59 and plan on taking it pheasant hunting regularly. Are they really very different at all?

[@MilsurpGarage]

The M59 is a modernized version with (I believe) an aluminum receiver and a steel lined fiberglass barrel. They must be real light and I hear the barrel never gets hot to the touch.

[@tomcox3154]

Same mechanism, 59 has Alloy receiver, Featherweight model 50 has same alloy reciever just not roll engraved like the 59. Featherweight model 50 made 1960-61. Standard model 50 is steel reciever. All model 50 have steel barrel. 59 has fiberglass wrapped Winlite barrel.

[@slickrick809]

Oh how Hartford has changed since the days when those great shotguns were made there

[@MilsurpGarage]

Connecticut isn’t so gun friendly anymore, is it?

[@slickrick809]

@@MilsurpGarage No sir it isn't.

[@jameslacy8331]

This isn't the 3 minute video with flashy music. Thus is feature length Model 50 TV. Scribe!

[@MilsurpGarage]

Nice! There was so much more I’ve learned about and experienced with this model since….I could do a full length sequel! I don’t know how these guys do 3 minute videos.

[@aaronwilson1666]

Will this take 3” shells?

[@bobhorne8410]

No

[@aaronwilson1666]

@@bobhorne8410 thank you for the information, Sir.

[@MilsurpGarage]

I had my chance to interact with the audience.....and I missed it. Great job.

[@tomcox3154]

No, 2 3/4" only. Magazine only has 2 round capacity due to design of the action.

[@tomcox3154]

Magazine on model 50, & 59 has 2 round capacity only.

[@MilsurpGarage]

Thanks for the clarification....definitely a bird gun.

[@douggarrison8556]

i have a model 50, Father in law bought new , works flawless.... how about some pics of the 71-74 roadrunner that you show the dash in the end of your video. Thanks

[@andrewwilson2235]

Very informative video. You did great in this video. Hit the nail in the head Thanks Milsurp Andrew

[@MilsurpGarage]

Thanks for the kind words. Have to go shoot a few trap rounds with this thing again. Love it.