Winchester SX3 Shotgun Review

Winchester SX3 Shotgun Review

Editor: Mike

Basic Description of Item:

Winchester SX3 Semi Auto Shotgun. Waterfowl edition in camo.

Just the Facts:

Synthetic stock with textured gripping surfaces dipped in Mossy Oak® Duck Blind® give your hands a sure, non-slip grip and non-glare finish for wary waterfowl
• .742″ Back-Bored Technology barrel reduces recoil and provides ideal shot performance with less shot deformation
• Invector-Plus Choke Tube System™ offers uniform, reliable patterns
• Hard Chrome Chamber and Bore make surfaces highly resistant to wear and corrosion
• Truglo® Long Bead® Fiber-Optic front sight offers true, precise sight picture
• Load Diversity shoots all shells from factory target to heavy waterfowl and turkey loads
• Qudra-Vent™ Ports vent excess gases for cleaner operation
• 12 shots in just 1.442 seconds put you on the game faster
• Drop-Out Trigger is easily removed for cleaning
• Ambidextrous Safety is easily reversible
• Cast/Drop Shims and Length of Pull Spacers allow adjustments for perfect fit, both 12 and 20 gauge

The Super X3 Waterfowl Hunter is well hidden in Mossy Oak® Duck Blind® camo, ready to take on wary ducks and geese. Get the renowned Invector-Plus™ choke tube system on this models and be ready in seconds with the proper shot pattern.

Story:

I have a good Water Fowl hunting  friend that LOVES the Winchester SX3. In the duck blind he raves about this semi auto shotgun.

He has been known to say:  “This gun aims itself, with the SX3 I cannot miss, there is no better gun made, this gun is the waterfowl slayer…”   His praise goes on to the point of being nauseating. LOL

I decided that I had to try the Winchester SX3 Semi Auto shotgun,  to either prove him right or wrong. I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to get one of these guns late in the Utah Waterfowl season of 2012.

The first thing I did with the gun was take it apart, and give it a decent cleaning. You would be surprised how dirty a gun is from the factory.

The gun was a breeze to take apart and clean. There are several videos of this procedure on Youtube. Let’s just say here, that it was very easy, and just as easy as taking apart a pump shotgun.

Putting the gun back together took a little work. The bolt has to line up just right with a small cup in the bottom of the stock. This can be tricky, but is easy if you are aware of it.

Ok, now on to the hunt. I have used the new gun on several hunts now. If you want to go look at the weather during the winter of 2012 in Utah, you will see it was the coldest on record. My first day of duck hunting found me trudging through thigh deep mud to a little spot of open water. It was below zero, muddy and wet. The perfect conditions for testing a semi auto.

The duck flight that day was limited, but I was thrilled to find the SX3 shoulder with ease onto my very padded shoulder, and then fire perfectly on each tug of the trigger.

The next duck hunt was just as miserable…We hiked to an open section of water on  a local stream. The hiking was tough as we hiked through 2 feet of snow. We kept the gun in the jet sleds that we used for carrying the guns, decoys and our layout blinds.

The ducks flew a little better on this day, and I was able to work the gun many times, and take several ducks. I was so impressed with how the gun shouldered even though I had on LAYERS of clothing. It fired every time, and left me very happy.

I am not sure that the gun “aims by itself” as my buddy claims, but it is a dream to hunt with, and really has made me a better shooter.

Nice work Winchester!

Some key things I love about this gun:

-It comes with several shims that allow you to adjust the angle and length of the stock for your personal preference.

-It cycles FAST.

-It is very light weight, and does not feel like I need to be a weight lifter to use it.

-The gun came with a very nice True Glow front site.

-IT JUST WORKS!!

Summary:

The Winchester SX3 is a semi automatic shotgun that you should really consider for any shotgun situation. I used mine for waterfowl in HORRIBLE conditions and it worked perfectly.

The gun is lite weight, fast, nice looking, and just works.

Well done Winchester / FN

What they could do better:

The front sling lug sits in an odd location. This makes the sling swivel rub on the gun.

Update the manual to outline how to re-assemble the gun.