Winchester SXP Defender 12 Gauge
Model: 512252395
Winchester SXP Defender 12 Gauge
Model: 512252395
Full Specifications
About This Firearm
The Winchester SXP Defender is a composite-stocked pump-action 12 gauge built for home defense. It has an MSRP of $390. Its 18-inch barrel is chrome plated right through the chamber and the bore, which is the surface that pits on a shotgun kept loaded in a humid closet and shot twice a year.
The bore is a fixed cylinder with no choke threads, and a brass bead at the muzzle is the whole sighting system. The magazine holds five. The trigger group drops out on a pin, so the action can be cleaned without tools, the forend is deeply grooved and an Inflex pad is fitted at the back. Length of pull is fixed with no spacer system, so it cannot be shortened for a smaller shooter or for anyone running the gun in a winter coat.
If you're cross-shopping, the Mossberg 500 holds six rounds and puts its safety on the top tang, where either thumb reaches it without a parts change, against the cross-bolt behind this gun's trigger guard. A Remington 870 Express has an MSRP of $540 and a steel receiver that brings it to 120.0 oz, 16.0 oz more than the Winchester's 104.0 oz, and that gap shows up holding a gun at high ready and not carrying one on a sling.
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Strengths & Limitations
- Chrome plating through the chamber and the bore is unusual at this price, and it is aimed at exactly the way a defensive shotgun gets used.
- The drop-out trigger group means the action can be rinsed and brushed after a wet or dusty session with nothing dismantled.
- Winchester fits textured gripping surfaces to the stock and cuts deep grooves into the forend, so the pump stroke stays put in wet hands.
- The receiver is not drilled and tapped, so a ghost ring set or a red dot needs a clamp-on mount or a gunsmith.
- A fixed cylinder choke cannot be tightened for birds, so a second barrel is the route to any other pattern.
- The gun is made in Turkey, so parts and service route through Winchester's importer network instead of a domestic factory.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does it take three-inch shells?
Yes. The chamber handles standard and three-inch loads interchangeably, and the chrome-plated bore is rated for steel shot.
Will stocks from other pump shotguns fit it?
No. The SXP uses its own stock and forend interface, so the usual aftermarket does not transfer.
How many shells does it hold?
Five in the magazine, with the chamber on top of that. There is no factory extension for this configuration.
