Viral Video Quickly Leads to Winchester SXP Shotgun Recall OutdoorHub Reporters 04.21.15



There is a reason that one of the most important rules of firearm safety is to keep your gun pointed in a safe direction at all times. This is true whether the gun is unloaded, your finger is off the trigger, or if the safety is on. Sometimes, it’s especially true if you think your safety is activated. A viral video uploaded to YouTube last Friday quickly garnered more than 600,000 views, along with raising a fair bit of concern for shotgun owners. In it, a gun owner demonstrated a rare and extremely hazardous malfunction for the Winchester SXP shotgun. According to the video uploader, when loaded the SXP has the ability to fire simply by closing the action.

You can watch the video below:

Winchester immediately addressed the issue by stating that a small number of SXP shotguns may be prone to this type of all malfunction, and to be safe, has issued a recall on all SXP models that are affected. This includes the SXP Waterfowl Hunter, Black Shadow, Turkey Hunter, and Long Beard. All recalled models are in 12 gauge with a 3 1/2-inch chamber. Barrel lengths range from 24 inches to 28 inches.

“Winchester Repeating Arms has discovered that a limited number of SXP (3 ½” chamber) shotguns (also called the Super X Pump) may, under certain circumstances, unintentionally discharge while closing the action,” the company stated. “Failure to return any affected shotguns for inspection and/or repair may create a risk of harm, including serious personal injury or death.”

Winchester additionally warned customers not to shoot or load any of the affected shotguns until they have been inspected and cleared by the company’s service center. The company has not yet commented on the video, but did say that it will be contacting all owners of the affected shotguns directly. You can learn more on their website here.

What do you think? Have you ever seen any malfunctions like this one?