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Unlike the Model 50, which was available in 12 or 20 gauge, the Model 59 was available only in 12 gauge. However, a deluxe version called the Pigeon Grade was manufactured in 1962 and 1963. It featured hand-honed internal components and engine-turned bolts and bolt carriers as well as better-grade stocks built to customer specifications. In 1962 this grade listed for $249.65 while the standard grade sold for $149.50. To put these prices into perspective, the competing Browning A--5 “Hump Back” listed for $129.75 with a plain barrel or $149.75 with a ventilated rib. So the Model 59 was competitively priced. Yet sales of the Model 59 were so poor that Winchester even resorted to a free trial offer. Prospective buyers could take a Model 59 hunting for a day, free of charge. Still, sales lagged to the point that production was terminated in 1965.

The Win Lite barrel, although slightly larger in diameter and shinier, closely resembles a conventional shotgun barrel. Note the interrupted threads at the breech and the interchangeable choke tube at the muzzle.