Winchester Model 59
Winchester Repeating Arms Company · Shotgun · Discontinued · 1959
Also known as: Winchester 59, Win-Lite Model 59
Overview
The Winchester Model 59 is an American 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company from 1959 to 1965. A refinement of the earlier Model 50, it is best known for its lightweight 'Win-Lite' barrel, formed by winding hundreds of miles of glass fiber around a thin steel liner, paired with a lightweight aluminum alloy receiver. Rather than the recoiling barrel used in many short-recoil designs, the Model 59 uses a static barrel with a floating chamber patented by David Marshall Williams that moves rearward roughly 0.1 inches on firing to cycle the bolt. It was also among the first shotguns offered with screw-in Versalite choke tubes.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 2950 g (104.1 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1251 mm (49.25") |
| Barrel Length | 660 mm (25.98") |
| Action Type | Short Recoil |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 4 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Tubular |
| Muzzle Velocity | 400 m/s (1312 fps) |
| Effective Range | 40 m (44 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Aluminum Alloy |
| Barrel Material | Fiberglass Wound Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Anodized |
Calibers
- 12 Gauge · primary — also known as 12ga, 12 Bore
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Tubular Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Cross Bolt Safety
- Features: Win Lite Fiberglass Barrel, Versalite Screw In Choke, Floating Chamber, Static Barrel, Lightweight Alloy Receiver, Engraved Receiver
Variants
- Winchester Model 59 Pigeon Grade - Deluxe
Service history
Operators
- Civilian sport and hunting market · adopted 1959
Production
Estimated total produced: 82,085 · Production years: 1959-1965
Approximately 82,085 produced before discontinuation in 1965
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: David Marshall Williams
Discontinued: 1965
Notes
Despite its innovative fiberglass barrel and early screw-in choke system, the Model 59 was not a commercial success and was discontinued in 1965. Chambered for 2 3/4-inch shells.
Background
The Model 59's Win-Lite barrel was built from roughly 500 miles of glass fiber wound, fused and bonded around a thin steel liner, an unusual composite construction for its era. Its floating-chamber short-recoil action was based on patents by David Marshall Williams, the self-taught gun designer whose story inspired the film 'Carbine Williams'.