Hard opening 21 20 gauge|Winchester Shotguns|Forum|Winchester Collector

Mike has a point worth investigating.i had just assumed that your gun was manufactured as a two-barrel set, but Mike and I know nothing about the gun’s provenance.  It would be very helpful to see photos of the markings on the Skeet set compared to those on the field set. 

Do you know anything about the history of the gun? 

The barrels of a Model 21 are marked with the gun’s serial number. Make sure both sets have the same serial. 

One of the things you should do is contact the Cody Museum and obtain a letter. My understanding is all or virtually all of the Model 21 guns made are “letterable” – unlike other Winchestet 

The letter should tell you whether it was originally sold as a two-barrel set. If it wasn’t,  it should tell you which set of barrels it was made with. I’d guess the Skeet choked set. 

Is it possible your field choked barrels were made up later and not used?  

However, you really should get a Cody letter, to know what you’ve got. If you will show us the stamps and marks on both barrel sets, that would help immensely.  

EDITED: I misread your post and erroneously thought it was the Skeet set that was hard to open.

You are obviously a highly skilled shotgunner and are the right man to own a Model 21 20 gauge.with two sets of barrels. 

Out of curiosity are the chambers of the M/F set ny any chance 3″ ?

TXGunnut, Jeremy P and I shot a round of Skeet a couple of days ago and I was able to shoot my “new” 1947 12 gauge Skeet Gun for the first time. While none of us distinguished ourselves,  I learned several things;

1..Despite having an Old English pad in place of its original checkered wood butt, a 3 1/,4 dram equivalent [1350fs]  charge behind 1 ounce of lead pegged my fun meter at the first shot, cutting my middle finger with the back of the trigger guard. The pistol grip of this gun is very wide-radiused and the wrist tends to slide through my hands. 

2. On doubles, I had trouble getting the second shot off – the trigger was not reset. I don’t know whether I am not releasing the trigger to allow it to reset or the problem is somehow related to my inability to control recoil. I have a box of weighted gunsmith testing dummy cartridges and will try those. 

3. The right barrel ejector performed very  inconsistently. It may be a weak spring or old dried lubricant. I suspect the former since the barrel is fired far more..

However, some of these guns have.likely set up in the dry atmosphere of a gun safe for a long time. So, after laying in some 2 3/4 dram equivalent [1180 fs] behind 1 ounce of #9 shot, I’ll see if a little more Skeet will encourage the balky ejector to do its job. If not, I have a local gunsmith people trust with their Purdeys and Hollands who can clean, lube and diagnose it. For a hefty fee, I’d guess..

In my case, I need a 12 that shoots like a 16 or 20. I didn’t think the gun was notably light but the 26″ barrels make it seem so. I can, if I have to, make powder puff loads but I find shotshell loading a real bore. 

If I had to guess, based on your balky fitting barrel set having been made up in New Haven with the rest of the gun, that you have a maintenance problem. Although, in your case, it might be possible the tight-fitting set has never been used enough to wear in. 

I expect you’ve already tried Gunslick or something at the wear points. If that and repeated shooting doesn’t solve it, you’ll have to have it looked at.

Unless the barrel connecting parts were dropped on concrete enough to be slightly  distorted but then polished off to conceal the flaw? 

Why don’t you apply Gunslick or some other opaque viscous grease to the assembly parts of the barrel set only, then assemble the gun, opening and closing the breech several times. Then disassemble the gun and see what parts of the barrel have been disproportionately affected?  This at least might indicate where the interference is located.

Just my musings…