Winchester Model 12 the "Perfect Repeater" - Page 1

Armory » Shotguns

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Winchester Model 12 the "Perfect Repeater"

Posted: 4/21/2015 4:56:11 AM EDT

Why have these fallen out of favor so much? I realize they are not made any more, but they seem to never be mentioned anywhere even though millions were made.

Any Model 12 owners here? What have you got?

What do you use your Model 12 for?

Pics?

Posted: 4/21/2015 5:21:15 AM EDT

[#1]

I have my father-in-laws. It is a 12 ga. with a 28" modified choke barrel.

I used to hear my dad talk about his grandfather's Model 12. It was a 12 ga. with a 30" full choke barrel.

Lot's of the old timers (friends of my dad and grandpa) used to talk about them when I was a kid.

Great guns. They seem to be light but that may be balance rather than weight. Seven shots when full loaded.

Posted: 4/21/2015 6:00:26 AM EDT

[#2]

I bought a rusted up 30 in last year.

Cleaned up nice and I chopped it to 20 in.

Even cut the choke measures almost IC

I use it for random woods outings and one day camping.

It also goes on a lot of road trips

Posted: 4/21/2015 7:10:32 AM EDT

[#3]

Have five in the family, mines a 1945 built USGI Riot gun.

I'll put up some vids later.

To answer why they are not as popular now, marketing and generational shift. Either the guns are beat to death duck guns that are 200 pawnshop guns, or crazy survivor NIB worth 2-3 grand+ with a handful off different level refinishes in between.

Once people got used to paying for lower quality 870's and 500's... no one wanted to pay the same for a gross old used gun.

Posted: 4/21/2015 7:58:37 AM EDT

[#4]

Ive owned several,wonderful shotgun.

Posted: 4/21/2015 8:17:01 AM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
Why have these fallen out of favor so much? I realize they are not made any more, but they seem to never be mentioned anywhere even though millions were made.

Any Model 12 owners here? What have you got?

What do you use your Model 12 for?

Pics?

View Quote

1970's "Y" series model 12,12ga, 28" barrel, full choke owner here, it was my grandfather's gun and I now use it for trap almost every Sunday. He had at least 8 different model 12's when he passed.

Posted: 4/21/2015 8:24:56 AM EDT

[#6]

I learned to shoot trap on a model 12. Some day ill inherit my dads and my uncles, both of which were built in the thirties.

Posted: 4/21/2015 8:59:22 AM EDT

[#7]

I have a Model 12 3" Magnum Heavy Duck Gun with solid rib, circa 1957. Full choke 30" barrel.

As to why no longer popular, I can only speculate that they would be expensive to make today, tend to be a bit heavier than the lower quality, but far more popular 870s. I like that it will fire every time you push the slide forward, if you hold the trigger down. Lawyers would probably kill that feature today. These are the best pump shotguns ever made, IMHO.

I'll take a few pics and post later.

Posted: 4/21/2015 10:27:25 AM EDT

[#8]

Nothing wrong with a model 12, they still have a decent following. Prices on them are all over the place depending on the collect-ability of the piece. Your plain Jain model 12 in 12 or 16 gauge with plain barrel and the unfortunate coupling of a poly-choke will really bring down the price. I love them. I like the 97 more so, but nothing bad about the 12 to speak of. I like just about all old steel shotguns, Winchester, Savage, Stevens, Remington, Ithaca - I like them all!

Posted: 4/21/2015 10:30:19 AM EDT

[#9]

I almost bought one that had some issues; cracked stock with a repair and a bulge in the barrel.

I was tempted but I just didn't need an extra shotgun around at the time. They're nice, they're a bit overcomplicated internally. Their overall size and balance is quite nice. That said I also like the Ithaca 37 and the Browning BPS.

Closest I have is the 12's clunky uncle, the 1897. I love the thin comb on the stock and I shoot it well, a lot of people despise that bolt coming toward their eyeball. Not near as classy and sharp looking as the 12.

Posted: 4/21/2015 11:09:21 AM EDT

[#10]

Most of the beaters now pull $300 and sit on the rack forever because of it. Just because its a 12 doesn't mean it's a gold brick. Dealers need to learn that condition is everything.

Posted: 4/21/2015 1:59:37 PM EDT

[#11]

I've got a 12 made in 1941 with a full choke. I used it to down a lot of ducks, when they went to steel shot it got relegated to the back of the safe.

Posted: 4/21/2015 2:57:13 PM EDT

[#12]

I own two;

16ga made in the 1920s that somebody added a Poly-Choke to at some point. Personally, I like the Poly-Choke but any after-market "upgrades" really brings down the price (so much the better for me

).

12ga made in 1954. This was a near perfect condition gun EXCEPT somebody had taken a hand saw to the buttstock and cut it off just beyond the bolt. It looked like some punk had raided Dad's gun cabinet with a plan to go all Patty Hearst somewhere. I got that gun real cheap and installed a nice looking Boyd's repro buttstock and repro recoil pad. It won't fool a serious collector but it is still a good looking gun and a great shooter.

The model 12 design and manufacture is a work of art. However, like others have said, they don't make them anymore and younger shooters are more likely to spend $300 on a brand new Mossberg wearing all tactical black than spend $400 on a used "Fudd" gun.

Posted: 4/21/2015 4:37:36 PM EDT

[#13]

Anyone have any links on how to disassemble the bolt?

On mine I thought the extractor on the ejection port side, is that right or left? Was broken.

Just kinda flopped around so I had the bolt out and started wiggling it around and something clicked inside, so I pumped it full of kroil and worked it back and forth and kept flushing with kroil till rust mud stopped coming out.

I would like the check the spring out and get any remaining rust out.

It extracts fine

Posted: 4/21/2015 5:32:23 PM EDT

[#14]

Expensive to make, expensive to buy

Winchester couldn't produce the 12 cheap enough to compete with mossberg and Remington, even the 1200 and 1300 couldn't compete

Posted: 4/21/2015 6:00:28 PM EDT

[#15]

I've got "some" the oldest are a pair of Model 1912 16 gauges built in 1915, I need to remember to take one of those hunting this fall to celebrate it's anniversary. I've got a couple of 12 gauges built in 1927, a 20ga from the late 50s and another 16ga from about the same time period. The early (Model 1912) 16 gauges are one of the best pointing factory shotguns I've ever used.

Posted: 4/22/2015 9:50:57 AM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
Anyone have any links on how to disassemble the bolt?

On mine I thought the extractor on the ejection port side, is that right or left? Was broken.

Just kinda flopped around so I had the bolt out and started wiggling it around and something clicked inside, so I pumped it full of kroil and worked it back and forth and kept flushing with kroil till rust mud stopped coming out.

I would like the check the spring out and get any remaining rust out.

It extracts fine

View Quote

THIS is the best tutorial I have seen. It has helped me a lot

Posted: 4/22/2015 1:34:20 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:

THIS is the best tutorial I have seen. It has helped me a lot

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Anyone have any links on how to disassemble the bolt?

On mine I thought the extractor on the ejection port side, is that right or left? Was broken.

Just kinda flopped around so I had the bolt out and started wiggling it around and something clicked inside, so I pumped it full of kroil and worked it back and forth and kept flushing with kroil till rust mud stopped coming out.

I would like the check the spring out and get any remaining rust out.

It extracts fine

THIS is the best tutorial I have seen. It has helped me a lot

Good link! Thanks

Posted: 5/4/2015 9:20:01 AM EDT

[#18]

I've got 4 of them. 2 12s, a 20, and a 16. One of the 12s, my grandfather bought in a local hardware store in 1929. The 20 was bought in West Germany and was made for the european market and is chambered in 2 1/2 even though it's marked 2 3/4. As I said, one of the 12s came from my grandfather, the other 12 and the 20 where passed from my dad, and the 16 (which is in really poor condition and needs a refinish) I got from my uncle. It's a family thing. Finest field gun ever made imho.

ka

Posted: 5/6/2015 9:40:16 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
I've got 4 of them. 2 12s, a 20, and a 16. One of the 12s, my grandfather bought in a local hardware store in 1929. The 20 was bought in West Germany and was made for the european market and is chambered in 2 1/2 even though it's marked 2 3/4. As I said, one of the 12s came from my grandfather, the other 12 and the 20 where passed from my dad, and the 16 (which is in really poor condition and needs a refinish) I got from my uncle. It's a family thing. Finest field gun ever made imho.

ka

View Quote

The original Model 12s or rather Model 1912s in 20 were chambered 2 1/2 inch, then in about 1914 the 16 ga and 12 ga were introduced. I believe both of those were 2 1/2 inch as well, I know the 16s were because I have two of them. Not sure exactly when they changed to 2 3/4 inch, but I believe it was the late 1920s.

The early Model 1912s also had a 25 inch barrel, the 16s were balanced really well and for me point about as good as a pump gun is going to point.

Posted: 5/6/2015 10:30:15 PM EDT

[#20]

1952 12ga
1953 12ga
1954 20ga - Polychoked

My dad used the 20ga then gave it to me when I started hunting, he switched to the 1953 12ga and we only stopped using them when we needed to start using steel shot, I would still be using it if I could shoot steel in it.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Winchester Model 12 the "Perfect Repeater"

Armory » Shotguns

Warning

Confirm Action

About AR15.COM

Stay Connected

Newsletter

Contact Us