Great uncles old Win M12 "duck gun"

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Scooter22

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Made around 1920. Not a 3" Heavy Duck model. He used it for duck hunting. Plain walnut ribbed forend 12ga 2 3/4 " 28" full choke. . Solid gun but no bluing. crappy repair on crack on grip. So I haven' shot it since the early 80s. Should I leave it, restore it, or turn it into a short barrel HD or Trench gun? That Winchester take down is great to store it. I also have my Grandfathers M12 16ga same age, shape/configuration. Suggestions? Not for sale.
 
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An awful lot of those 3 inchers wound up as trap guns, especially the 30 and 32 inch ones. Heavier barrels, longer chamber acting a little like a longer forcing cone. If its rough, have at it. Won't hurt the value and may enhance it.
 
Oops. My speed reading and comprehension got stuck at Duck ad before "not a 3".
 
I don't have any pics and both are buried in the back of a safe. Not sure which. I'll see if I can dig them out. It's not that I need a shortbarrel HD shotgun. I have several. It's not being used in it;s current configuration. This model and age were made as legit "trench guns" and I thought it might be an option that would get some range time. Theres really nothing I'd use a 28" full choke for these days. I'm just thinking out loud and seeing any ideas.
 
I wouldn't cut on a family heirloom, even if it isn't pristine. Doing a proper repair on the stock is fine.

I picked-up an nice Model 25 that sat unloved in the used gun area of a Tactical Ted LGS for cheap and had my gunsmith make a great looking "Elliot Ness Special" Winchester riot gun.
 
Those nickel steel shotguns are nice looking. The 16 ga I believe will be built on a 20 ga frame thus a very nice lite hunting gun to carry all day long.
 
Scooter22 said:
Should I leave it, restore it, or turn it into a short barrel HD
Click to expand...
Restore (mechanically), don't touch the bluing, and consider having Briley install a screw-in choke set.
Nothing ever made as a pump shotgun compares w/the Model-12.


postscript: You sure it isn't a 2-5/8" ?
FWIW: My grandfather's 1924 2-5/8" shot several 10's of thousands of rounds of skeet, trap, ducks,
geese, and rabbits for more than 90 years before somebody told us "...it couldn't do that."

.
 
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Thanks for the replies. I rechecked the s/n,s. The 16ga was made in 1930 and marked 2 3/4". The 12ga is 1924 and only marked 12ga. I don,t know when 2 3/4" came in. I,ve only put a couple boxes of factory 2 3/4" shells through it and that was in the 70s. No function issues from what I remember. Any easy way for be to measure the chamber?
 
I have expanded the photos, looked closely and do not see a rib or evidence of a poor repair in the wrist area on either gun. These appear to be field guns, not ribbed barrel duck guns. The wrist repair it is not showing in the pictures, may be easily repairable so it will disappear. They appear to be in good shape, no rust, just honest finish wear. I would probably have the guns professionally restored if I could not do the work myself, which I can. In the 20s Win used rust blue

This is the reason: The M-12 is without peer, the very best pump shotgun ever made, bar none. You may take it anywhere, pull it out of the case and always be well dressed. Your great grand children could do the same, 100 years from now. Do not mess it up, keep it up and treat it right. They are steel so require oil.
 
This is the 12ga. I got it like this in the early 70s. Kinda looks like plastic wood or similar. My great uncle used this into the early 60s so I don,t know when it was done.
 
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I am not a gunsmith, but a woodworker. Many glues today are stronger than the wood they touch.
 
Scribner said:
I am not a gunsmith, but a woodworker. Many glues today are stronger than the wood they touch.
Click to expand...
Yes, I know that. I,ve used some good CA glues to fix cracks that are invisible. Since I posted this thread and pulled these out I have thoughts on the crack repair. Looks like a nail on the bottom repair. Maybe I'll get into it after the holidays. But I'll leave the configuration as is. Maybe take it out and shoot it. As I mentioned earlier I do have short barreled shotguns. A Mav 88 18", H&R Pardner 18"(870 clone), 870 Wingmaster with 20" rifle sight smooth bore plus 26" rib Remchoke barrel. I may throw a pic of my Grandfather's 1928, Win 1894 .30wcf lever that rounds out the trio. Same condition. That gets shot a lot more over the years.
 
That old wood putty repair can be removed and then the crack and the fractures repaired properly so they disappear, doing a light refinish to keep the dings and dents for history. As Scribner mentioned, some new glues are stronger than wood, the gunstock must be prepared, all oil removed, so the glue will absorb and adhere.
 
Gunny seems to be a master at fixing broken stocks. See the "thanks Gunny" thread in the Rifles section. You might send him a PM for advice.
 
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