Examining the Lever-Action Shotgun from Terminator 2

It's clunky, hard to operate and a relic from the 1800s. So of course a time-traveling robot from the future would use it.

"I'll be back" is the famous Arnold Schwarzenegger line from the Terminator movies, but can you name the iconic shotgun from the second film? That's it in Ah-nold's right hand on the movie poster.

 

It's a lever-action Winchester Model 1887. Here's the scene from the movie that helped make it famous.

 

As this video from the National Firearms Museum points out, it likely made its way onto the silver screen for looks. It's actually pretty clunky to operate. Not even its designer, John Browning, was all that fond of it.

 

Despite its name, many Model 1887s are still in circulation, and new clones continue to be manufactured. For writing fiction, it'd be available for characters in settings from 1887 through today.

 

However, a character using a Model 1887 needs to be strong and able, sort of like a Terminator. Working the large lever-action, as the next video demonstrates, is a chore. A pump-action shotgun might be a better fit if the character isn't cut out for the Model 1887.

 

Here's a video from a Guns of the Old West magazine editor firing one of the newer clones. Note how easy it jams and how difficult it is to reload.

 

Is the Model 1887 the right fit for one of your characters? In my work-in-progress crime novel, I give everyone pump-action shotguns. They're popular, easy to use and reliable. But that's just me. What do you think?

 

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