Winchester Diamond Grade

Becky McKenzie says this solid old-timer really shines and is worth anybody's time and money

- Becky McKenzie

This month I’m going retro. The first gun I bought was a Winchester 6500 Sporter 12-bore with 28in barrels and Teague chokes. I loved that little gun, and it got me my first win, so Winchester is close to my heart.

In a moment of madness I decided I wanted to buy another one, but fancied something slightly different. After trawling Guntrader to see what was out there, I did a bit of research to see what I thought would suit my style of shooting, if you can say that I actually have a style.

Winchester was a big name in the late 1970s and 1980s, with its 101 range of guns being made in Japan by Olin-Kodensha. Production of the Winchester Diamond Grade started in 1983, making this one of the later models turned out by the Japanese factory. Winchester guns have a reputation for quality and reliability. My old 6500, through which I must have put 15,000 cartridges a year, had just one ejector snap. The Diamond Grade is no exception. It was highly regarded when it was first introduced and is still quite a popular gun today despite having some stiff competition. The model has been superseded by newer versions.

Heavy beast