Welcome, if you are a newcomer to this fun bi-weekly segment of AllOutdoor.com! For those who have been following along, our last four articles explored the cultural icon that is the Red Ryder BB Gun, which wrapped up our holiday series running from mid-December through late February. As promised, we’re moving on to another fascinating firearm with a colorful history. Today, we’re diving into the Winchester Model 1911 SL, infamously known as the “Widowmaker.” Let’s get started on this unique chapter of firearms history!
Curious Relics Coverage on AllOutdoor:
- Curious Relics #102: The Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun
- Curious Relics #103: The Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun Part II
- Curious Relics #104: The Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun Part III
- Curious Relics #105: Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun Part IV
Welcome to our recurring series of “Curious Relics.” Here, we want to share all of our experiences, knowledge, misadventures, and passion for older firearms that one might categorize as a Curio & Relic – any firearm that is at least 50 years old according to the ATF. Hopefully along the way you can garner a greater appreciation for older firearms like we do, and simultaneously you can teach us things as well through sharing your own expertise and thoughts in the Comments. Understanding the firearms of old, their importance, and their development which lead to many of the arms we now cherish today is incredibly fascinating and we hope you enjoy what we have to share, too!
History Abridged: Winchester Model 1911 SL
To understand the Winchester Model 1911 SL, we need to first step back to the early days of autoloading firearms. The turn of the 20th century was a revolutionary period for firearms development, primarily due to the arrival of smokeless powder in the 1880s. This innovation made autoloading mechanisms far more practical since they wouldn’t quickly gum up with fouling like black powder firearms.
“French Chatellerault Model 1886/93 Lebel Bolt Action Rifle.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/2043/219/french-chatellerault-model-188693-lebel-bolt-action-rifle. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
The earliest autoloading designs were often experimental, with manufacturers trying to stake their claim in this emerging market. One man stood at the forefront of this innovation: John Moses Browning. His relationship with Winchester had already produced several successful firearms, including the Model 1893 and 1897 pump shotguns. However, this productive partnership was about to hit a major roadblock…They had a bit of a breakup.
Lot 1297: Exceptional Antique Winchester Model 1893 Slide Action Shotgun – Exceptional Winchester Model 1893 Slide Action Shotgun. (n.d.-i). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved August 28, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/77/1297/exceptional-antique-winchester-model-1893-slide-action-shotgun.
In 1899, Browning approached Winchester with a new design for a self-loading shotgun. Unlike his previous arrangements, in which he sold his designs for a lump sum, this time Browning wanted royalties on each gun sold. Winchester, accustomed to their previous arrangement, balked at this proposal and rejected it outright.
Browning wasn’t deterred. He first went to Remington Arms with his design, but circumstances intervened when the company president died of a heart attack during negotiations. Undaunted, Browning went to Belgium where Fabrique Nationale (FN) eagerly accepted his terms. This design would become the Browning Auto-5 shotgun, first produced in 1902. Browning later licensed it to Remington as the Model 11 and to Savage as their models 720 and 745.
“Early Belgium Browning Auto 5 Semi-Automatic Shotgun.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/54/1728/early-belgium-browning-auto-5-semiautomatic-shotgun. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
The Auto-5 was revolutionary and quickly became popular. Winchester, seeing the success of this design they had rejected, knew they needed to enter the autoloading shotgun market. But there was a problem: Browning had thoroughly patented his design, leaving Winchester with few options to create their own self-loading shotgun without infringing on those patents.
Winchester turned to their own talented designer, Thomas Crossley Johnson (often called “T.C.”), to create an autoloading shotgun that would work around Browning’s patents. Johnson was already an accomplished firearms designer who later created the legendary Winchester Model 12 pump shotgun.
The task before Johnson was immense. Browning had patented nearly every aspect of his Auto-5 design – ironically with Johnson’s help during their earlier collaboration. According to lore, Johnson joked that “it took him nearly ten years to design an automatic shotgun which would not be an infringement on the Browning gun.”
The primary challenge was the charging handle. Browning had patented the concept of a charging handle on the bolt of a shotgun. Without this crucial component, Johnson had to devise an entirely new way to operate the action. His solution was unusual, to say the least.
In 1911, Thomas Johnson finally completed his design, and Winchester announced the “Self-Loading Shotgun Model 1911” (later commonly referred to as the SL). The gun was a long-recoil operated shotgun, similar in basic operation to Browning’s Auto-5. However, its method of charging was entirely different.
Instead of a charging handle, the Model 1911 featured a heavily knurled section on the barrel. To load the first shell, a shooter had to grasp this knurled section and pull the barrel straight back toward the receiver. Winchester recommended that the shooter either rest the stock against their hip with the barrel pointing away, or grasp the stock in their off hand while performing this procedure.
In contrast to others who have done their research solely through Wikipedia, the Model 1911 SL was chambered exclusively in 12 gauge. Never 20, 16, or 28 gauge. It featured a five-round tubular magazine and was available with either 26 or 28-inch barrels. In total, the gun weighed about eight pounds. It also featured a takedown design that allowed the receiver and barrel to remain together while separating from the trigger assembly and stock.
Another distinctive feature of the Winchester 1911 was its use of laminated wood for the stock – another innovation in firearms manufacturing. This was necessary because of another patent workaround: Browning had patented metal recoil rings to reduce felt recoil, so Winchester had to use fibrous buffer rings instead. These rings wore out quickly, allowing the gun to develop what was described as a “hammering recoil” that could split standard wooden stocks.
The Winchester Model 1911 used a long-recoil operating system, similar to the Auto-5. When fired, the barrel and bolt recoiled together as a unit. At the end of their rearward travel, they would hit the rear of the receiver, and the bolt would lock to the rear with the spent shell casing held by the extractor.
The barrel would then be driven forward by a heavy spring wrapped around the magazine tube, and the ejector would flip the spent case out through the ejection port. If there was a round in the magazine, it would be released, allowing the bolt to drive forward and chamber the fresh round.
The gun featured a bolt hold-open that the shooter could manually activate by pressing a button on the rear of the receiver. If engaged, the bolt would lock back after every shot. There was also a manual safety behind the trigger.
Loading the magazine could be tricky compared to modern designs. On the sides of the carrier were two notches in which shells had to be carefully balanced during loading. Getting the process right required some finesse, especially in cold weather or low light conditions.
The Winchester Model 1911 SL remained in production from 1911 to 1925 (some sources say 1921 or 1928), with approximately 82,774 units manufactured. While this number is significant, it pales in comparison to the Browning Auto-5 and its licensed variants. The Auto-5 had a 96-year production run (1902-1998) with over 2.7 million units made, plus 850,000 Remington Model 11s and thousands more Savage variants.
“U.S. Remington Arms Model 11 Sportsman Semi-Automatic Riot Style.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/73/1842/us-remington-arms-model-11-sportsman-semiautomatic-riot-style. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
The Model 1911 never gained the widespread popularity or military adoption of its competitors. Its unique operating mechanism, the recoil issues from the degrading buffer rings, and its somewhat deserved reputation for being difficult to handle safely all contributed to its limited success.
“WWII U.S. Savage 720 Semi-Automatic Shotgun.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/1048/2606/wwii-us-savage-720-semiautomatic-shotgun. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
By 1925, Winchester discontinued production, although some guns continued to be assembled from existing parts for about three more years. The design was eventually superseded by more conventional and user-friendly autoloading shotguns. Winchester wouldn’t make another autoloading shotgun for 14 years until they came out with the Model 40 in 1940. The Model 40 had a charging handle and all.
“Winchester Model 40 Semi-Automatic Shotgun.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/69/1736/winchester-model-40-semiautomatic-shotgun. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
The “Widowmaker” Reputation: Winchester Model 1911 SL
The nickname “Widowmaker” didn’t emerge without reason, though historical accounts of actual fatalities are surprisingly difficult to verify – in fact, despite exhaustive research, I’ve been unable to find any verified historical accounts of these shotguns actually killing their users as the nickname suggests.
The Winchester Model 1911’s unique barrel-charging system created a potential safety hazard. If a shell became swollen due to moisture (common with the paper shells of the era) and jammed in the chamber, some users would attempt to clear it by placing the butt of the gun on the ground and pushing down on the barrel – essentially pointing the muzzle at themselves.
If done carelessly or if the gun had certain mechanical issues, this could potentially result in an accidental discharge. The firing pin design, if worn or modified, could potentially cause a “slam fire” when the barrel returned to battery. However, it’s worth noting that with proper handling and following basic firearms safety rules, these dangers were largely preventable through adherence to basic firearms safety principles.
The “Widowmaker” reputation appears to be a classic case of a firearms legend that grew through retellings and became accepted gun lore without substantial evidence. As collectors know, many historical firearms have acquired dramatic nicknames or reputations that aren’t necessarily supported by the historical record, but make for compelling storytelling. This appears to be one such case – a unique firearm with an unusual operating mechanism that, while awkward by modern standards, was not inherently more dangerous than other firearms of its era when properly handled.
A more common problem was injury to hands when operating the action, as described by famous gun writer Elmer Keith. In one account, a helper got his thumb caught in the ejection port when the bolt went forward, driving the extractor through his thumbnail.
It’s worth noting that Wikipedia incorrectly cites a 2005 incident as evidence of the gun’s dangerousness, insinuating it just goes off as it pleases. Looking at the actual details, the incident involved Oklahoma police officers who were unfamiliar with this unusual firearm and were injured when it discharged during attempts to clear it after confiscation from a felon. This was likely a case of improper handling of an unfamiliar historical firearm rather than evidence of some inherent design flaw.
This mischaracterization is understandable to some extent – the average modern gun user would be completely unfamiliar with the 1911 SL’s unique cycling mechanism, as virtually all semi-automatic shotguns since the 1940s have used some form of conventional charging handle. When law enforcement or other individuals encounter these old firearms, they’re essentially dealing with alien technology by today’s standards.
End of Part One: The Winchester Model 1911 SL
The Winchester Model 1911 SL represents a fascinating chapter in firearms development – a testament to both the ingenuity of T.C. Johnson in working around Browning’s patents and the reality that not all innovative designs achieve lasting success. Despite its shortcomings, the Model 1911 holds a unique place in shotgun history and is now a beloved piece for collectors.
In our next installment, we’ll explore the variations of the Winchester Model 1911 SL, although they were fewer than many other Winchester models due to its relatively short production life. Let’s just hope I can track down the photos I need. Until next time, safe collecting and shooting!
In closing, I hope our Curious Relics segment informed as well as entertained. This all was written in hopes of continued firearm appreciation and preservation. We did not just realize how guns were supposed to look and function. It was a long and tedious process that has shaped the world we live in. So, I put it to you! Is there a firearm out there that you feel does not get much notoriety? What should our next Curious Relics topic cover? As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
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