This is our most incredible Winchester Model 21 acquisition ever! Sit back, and I will give you a detailed description of this amazing Winchester Model 21 Grand Royal. The concept of the Grand Royal came about in the 1970’s, and these guns were to be “over the top,” and the first of the series of seven guns was to go to John Olin; unfortunately, the first gun was completed in March of 1983, and John had died the previous September.
Of the seven guns to be made, two are known to exist, with a third possibly out there somewhere. One gun can be found in the NRA Museum in Fairfax, VA, and then there is this gun!
This Grand Royal is the actual gun that was made for John Olin. We know this because Alvin White engraved only one gun; Howard Dove engraved the second. Additionally, this Grand Royal is the actual featured in the Model 21 book by Ned Schwing.
The configuration of this gun is 28ga/.410 combination with two 26” vent rib barrels, the 28 gauge is choked WS-1 and WS-2, the .410 is oddly enough choked FULL on the right and MODIFIED on the left, as you may know, John was a proponent of choking guns backwards like this. In fact, it is common to find Winchester Model 21’s choked more open on the left barrel than on the right barrel. The straight gip stock is AAA fancy, fully symmetrical, full-feather crotch American black walnut with a hand-applied oil finish, and the stock and two small beavertail forends have what could best be described as a combination A and B Carve checkering pattern. The gun also has a stylized skeleton butt. This gun has a flatside round-frame receiver with lightning cuts on the watertable, a gold single-selective trigger, and automatic ejectors.
The engraving on this Grand Royal is like no other Winchester Model 21 you will ever see. The left side has a high-relief bust of him with his signature in gold; the right side has a gold setter in high relief; the bottom has King Buck in high relief, with King Buck inscribed in gold. The toplever has the Winchester horseman in gold. Winchester is also engraved in gold on the bottom of the frame. The entire frame is covered in classic American scroll engraving with fine gold linework, complemented by highly detailed ornamental gold engraving. The fence additionally features high-relief gold acanthus leaves. The trigger guard, forend iron, and unusually sculpted forend catch plates have engraving matching the engraving on the frame. The muzzles of the barrels feature gold double-line wedding bands that extend 3” long engraved wedges. These wedges are complemented by 4” long wedges on the muzzles with gold line work to match the corresponding area of the frame.
Additionally, on the checkered side panels are ovals with deep-relief, gold-inlaid grouse in flight on the left and a deep-relief, gold-inlaid duck on the right, and the mating area of the frame has been cut out to complement the engraved side-panel ovals. The gun also has a fitted Huey case with all the accouterments in gold, and a Winchester label describing it as a Winchester Model 21 Grand Royale, custom-built for John M. Olin.
While Winchester engraved quite a few Model 21’s in various levels of engraving and gold, none of these guns could ever rival the level of opulence of these two known Grand Royal Model 21 shotguns. These guns signify the very best of the Winchester Custom Shop with the very last of the factory engravers, stockers, checkerers, and gunsmiths.