Читать книгу Gun Digest 2011 онлайн

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The remainder of the Model 59 was a carry-over from its predecessor, the standard-barreled Model 50. However the Model 50 was also a very innovative gun. It was probably the only shotgun to use the floating chamber system of operation. Back then, gas operated shotguns were available, the first successful one having been the High Standard Supermatic, released under the J. C. Higgins brand name. Unfortunately those guns were unreliable, especially if their gas pistons weren’t cleaned regularly. This problem was exacerbated by the fact that their gas pistons were difficult to dissemble and clean.

The Model 59 introduced the now ubiquitous concept of interchangeable choke tubes.

The quick detachable trigger mechanism featured several design features that resulted in one of the best trigger pulls ever offered on an autoloader. Unfortunately the complex shapes of the components meant that they could not be economically stamped from sheet metal but rather had to be investment cast. This significantly increased the cost of production. Why did Winchester color the assembly gold? Perhaps they just wanted to flaunt some of the many innovations in the mechanism.