Any pro's / cons?  Likes dislikes?. I have two 870'ds already

I had one. Bought it NIB for $205.00. Good shotgun but i sold it when i decided to standardize on the 870 platform.

What 1200? For what purpose?

As a defensive shotgun, they are outstanding. They were used by the US military, state/federal LE agencies and foreign goverments for years. Many 1200's are still serving proudly.

The differences between the later 1200's and the 1300 are inconsequential for the majority of users.

The Winchester 1200/1300 is among the best pump-action shotguns availible. Its reliability and durability are at worst, equal to its competitors.

The Winchester 1300 Defender is my second favorite defensive pump. I had several Winchesters, all of which were amazing. The action is very, very smooth and positive... Not to mention extremely fast. Reliability/durability are idnetical to an 870/Mossberg.

I decided to standardize on Benelli automatics/Supernovas. While I like my Supernova's alot, I like the 1300 Defender more in some ways.

Winchester 1200's are outstanding shotguns. You will like it more than your 870's, I am sure.

Quoted: What 1200? For what purpose? As a defensive shotgun, they are outstanding. They were used by the US military, state/federal LE agencies and foreign goverments for years. Many 1200's are still serving proudly. The differences between the later 1200's and the 1300 are inconsequential for the majority of users. The Winchester 1200/1300 is among the best pump-action shotguns availible. Its reliability and durability are at worst, equal to its competitors. The Winchester 1300 Defender is my second favorite defensive pump. I had several Winchesters, all of which were amazing. The action is very, very smooth and positive... Not to mention extremely fast. Reliability/durability are idnetical to an 870/Mossberg. I decided to standardize on Benelli automatics/Supernovas. While I like my Supernova's alot, I like the 1300 Defender more in some ways. Winchester 1200's are outstanding shotguns. You will like it more than your 870's, I am sure.

just curious, what is your favorite pump then?

I am a big fan of the win 1200/1300 myself

I have a FN Police and it s a Winchester Defender with the FN badge.

I like it.

I have a 1300, which as a previous poster said is basically the same as a 1200.  Mostly the 1200s are chambered for 2.75 as far as I can tell, but you can put a 1300 barrel on if you need the magnum.  If you want an 18" barrel for the standard magazine, though, buy one that already has it, because they are quite hard to find right now.  That may change in the future with production starting up again, but you never know.  Other accessories are somewhat harder to find than for an 870 or 500, but you can find them without too much work.  Anyway, I like mine a lot!  The manual of arms is somewhat different than the 870, though, so that may or may not be an issue for you.  YMMV

Quoted: What 1200? For what purpose? As a defensive shotgun, they are outstanding. They were used by the US military, state/federal LE agencies and foreign goverments for years. Many 1200's are still serving proudly. The differences between the later 1200's and the 1300 are inconsequential for the majority of users. The Winchester 1200/1300 is among the best pump-action shotguns availible. Its reliability and durability are at worst, equal to its competitors. The Winchester 1300 Defender is my second favorite defensive pump. I had several Winchesters, all of which were amazing. The action is very, very smooth and positive... Not to mention extremely fast. Reliability/durability are idnetical to an 870/Mossberg. I decided to standardize on Benelli automatics/Supernovas. While I like my Supernova's alot, I like the 1300 Defender more in some ways. Winchester 1200's are outstanding shotguns. You will like it more than your 870's, I am sure.

I agree with your post except for the reliability part.  It's not that I really think they're not reliable shotguns, but I just don't think some parts of their design are as robust as an 870 or 500.
For instance, the exctractor on the 1200 is not as substantial as an 870, and coupled with the rotating bolt design, can cause problems.  I have broken a couple of extractors on my 1200 by having a shell kind of stick in the chamber and trying to open the action.  Just something to consider.

The winchester has a aluminum receiver and can be deeply scratched.

They have a tendency to loosen up their stock screw after a decent use of slugs and buck shot.

Great shotgun.

Reliable

Secure, robust, rotary chamber locking mech

Quoted: Winchester 1200's are outstanding shotguns. You will like it more than your 870's, I am sure.

I do!

I appreciate everyones input here. I went and picked it up yesterday and it was cleaner then I expected. It looks lke the typical handling marks on it from leaning in a closet, other then that it looks like it shot a handfull of rounds. For $175 I could not pass it up.
I shot gun is like...a good screw driver..if your into tools you have several.

My personal favorite is the Benelli Nova/Supernova. I have owned pretty much every "Fighting" pump and this one is by far my favorite. There are many features that cannot be found on any other platform...

While the Nova's are my favorite and even though they offer features other guns don't, I am still objective about things. In terms of reliability/durability/servicability, all the top tier guns are equal IMO. The Mossberg 500's, Winchester Defenders, Nova's and 870's have all been subjected to LE/military trials and have all passed. After owning them all, I don't see any that has a clear performance advantage over any other.

Alot of guys here get confused and forget they aren't a member of DEVGRU. What I mean by this is that steel or aluminum receivers will be of no consequence to you. Personally, I wouldn't pay a nickel more for an A1 or Police Magnum. Civilians will likely never know the difference...I have had hundreds if not thousands of rounds through my non A1 or Police Magnum Winchester's and haven't broken a single part. The same is true with my Mossberg 500's and 870 Expresses.

Keep in mind that the majority of Mossbergs in the "sand box" are non-A1 500's. If they can get by with aluminum receivers, we probably can to.

I understand preference and I have mine, but there really isn't any appreciable difference in function between any of these upper level pumps. Atleast none that an average civilian would notice. An NEF Pardner would be adequate for the vast majority of peoples uses...