WINCHESTER SUPER X3 - NRA Museum

1 TE C H N I C A L D O P E B A G90SE P T E M B E R 2007AM E R I C A N RI F L E M A NWINCHESTER SUPER X3At the introduction of the SUPER X2 in 1999, a col-league said, They won t be able to make em fast enough, and time has proven him right. One of the softest recoiling and most reli-able gas-operated semi-automatic shotguns, the SUPER X2 has been an excellent Browning and Win-chester fi rearms are owned by the same entity, the Walloon Regional government of Belgium, the two companies have been able to share technology, and that is no more apparent than in the SUPER X3.

2 At the 1999 introduction Josef Rousseau, Browning/ WINCHESTER s chief gun designer, stated that the SUPER X2 was a simplifi ed version of the already successful Brown-ing Gold semi-automatic. They share the same gas system, and the chief difference is in the trigger group that has a one-piece carrier rather than the more complicated two-piece carrier of the Gold, so the SUPER X guns do not have the speed loading feature long identifi ed with Browning semi-auto SUPER X line of shotguns began in 1974. Long without a semi-automatic shotgun, Win-chester brought forth the SUPER X1 that was perhaps the finest gas-operated semi-automatic shotgun ever made.

3 Crafted of all-steel milled parts, the SUPER X1 was a true semi-automatic descendent of WINCHESTER s legendary Model 12 pump and, like the Model 12, became too expensive to manufacture at a profit. It died in 1981. The SUPER X2 had the same styling as the SX1, but with an aluminum receiver. Now, five years later, WINCHESTER decided to improve an already excellent shotgun by adding new styling and from the muzzle are Browning/ WINCHESTER s Invector-Plus chokes. The SUPER X3 comes with three choke tubes, and there is a plethora of aftermarket choke tubes for this system.

4 The chamber forcing cones are cut at fi ve degrees and the barrel is backbored to ", the favored dimension for good downrange patterns. Although the bores could be opened farther, " is about the maximum dimension that will provide good ballistics under all conditions. In very cold weather, the skirts of plastic wads do not obdurate as eas-ily as in warmer temperatures, hence for proper gas sealing behind the shot charge " is a proven operating system uses what WINCHESTER calls its Active Valve that serves two purposes.

5 It both regulates the amount of gas needed to reliably oper-ate the gun and it serves as the 91SE P T E M B E R 2007AM E R I C A N RI F L E M A NWINCHESTER SUPER X 3IM P O R T E R: WI N C H E S T E R (DE P T. AR), 275 WI N C H E S T E R AV E., MO R G A N, UT 84050, (800) 333-3288; W W I N C H E S T E R G U N O M AC T I O N TY P E: G A S-O P E R A T E D S E M I-A U T O M A T I CGA U G E: 12 2 ", 3" A N D 31 2"MA G A Z I N E: T U B U L A R, F I V E-S H O T R E D U C E D T O T W O W I T H I N C L U D E D P L U GBA R R E L: B A C K B O R E D T O " W I T H IN V E C T O R-PL U S S C R E W-I N C H O K E SSI G H T S.

6 M A C H I N E D V E N T I L A T E D R I B W I T H B R A S S C E N T E R A N D F R O N T B E A D S, TR UGL O S I G H T I N G S Y S T E M O N DE E R A N D TU R K E Y M O D E L SST O C K: S Y N T H E T I C O N W A T E R F O W L, TU R K E Y, CO M P O S I T E A N D DE E R M O D E L S, W O O D O N F I E L D G U N. PA C H M A Y R N E X T-G E N E R A-T I O N DE C E L E R A T O R R E C O I L P A D. LE N G T H O F P U L L: 141 4", D R O P A T C O M B: 1 ", D R O P A T H E E L: 2". OV E R A L L LE N G H T H: 49" W I T H 28" B A R R E LWE I G H T: 7 L B S.

7 W I T H 28" B A R R E LFI N I S H: MO S S Y OA K O N WA T E R F O W L A N D TU R K E Y M O D E L S, PE R M A-CO T E UT (UL T R A TO U G H) O N DE E R A N D CO M P O S I T E M O D E L SAC C E S S O R I E S: T H R E E C H O K E T U B E S, IM-P R O V E D CY L I N D E R, MO D I F I E D A N D FU L L; S P A C E R S T O A D J U S T L E N G T H O F P U L L A N D A S H I M K I T T O A D J U S T D R O P A N D C A S TSU G G E S T E D RE T A I L PR I C E: CA M O WA T E R F O W L $1,216; CA N T I L E V E R DE E R $995; CO M P O S I T E $1,048; FI E L D $979 SHOOTING RESULTS AV E R A G E O F 10 PA T T E R N S @ 40 811 911 118 8IM P R O V E DCY L I N D E R= PO I N T O F HO L DFE D E R A L PR E M I U M PH E A S A N T S FO R E V E R NO.

8 154-4 12 G A., 2 ", 11 4 O Z., NO. 4 CO P P E R-PL A T E D LE A DAV E R A G E PE L L E T CO U N T: 157ME A S U R E D VE L O C I T Y @ 3F T.:1355 TO T A L HI T S 77 (49%)21" IN N E R CI R C L E 42 (27%)30" OU T E R RI N G 35 (22%) WINCHESTER SUPER X3piston that puts the operating system in motion. When shoot-ing light loads, most of the bled gases are used. When magnum loads are fi red, more gas is released from the valve through the slots cut next to the barrel in the top of the fore-end. When 3 " magnum loads are fi red, excess gas is bled off forward through the Quadra-Vent ports on the leading edge of the fore-end.

9 The action has not been changed, there was little need, although the bolt is now plated with electroless nickel for addi-tional corrosion resistance. Win-chester exhibition shooter Patrick Flanigan has, to date, fi red in excess of 30,000 rounds through the same SUPER X3 without any critical parts failures. To assist in better, faster handling, the maga-zine tube of the SUPER X3 has been lightened by use of a tough but light aluminum the best has been saved for last. All synthetically stocked SUPER X3s are now fi nished with Dura-Touch Armor Coating that ensures a good grip regardless of the weather more exciting is the SUPER X3 s use of stock-adjusting shims.

10 Many shooters don t take advan-tage of this feature that enables the user to better fi t the stock to his physique. The shims allow the user to adjust both the drop and cast of the stock over a quarter-inch range. That amount of adjustment will move the point of impact 4" up or down and side to side over 16 course these shims can-not accommodate shooters who require extreme stock dimensions, but for the average hunter and shooter, they are quite suffi cient for fi ne tuning. Two spacers are included that allow the user to adjust the stock s length of pull from 14 " to 14 ".