Value of a well-worn early Winchester 1912?

[nulook45]

What to do

Do you have a local Lions club ? Most of them have turkey shoots . At that game you would definatly be bringing home the bacon and the money per shoot would go to a good cause . we have them here in Ohio all the time .I spend 30 dollars and usualy take home 3lbs of bacon a turkey or two <frozen > and steaks or prime rib . I fill my freezer for winter this way and money goes to a good cause . They help kids get eye glasses and help the food bank . Win Win for everyone . That model 12 would be great for that . Clean it up and keep it Thats what i would do

 

[ABTOMAT]

That's not a bad idea.

 

[Crawdad1]

When I had mine I shot these:

http://www.mackspw.com/ItemList--Kent-Ammunition--m-1328

Or these;

http://www.rstshells.com/store/c/18-12-Gauge.aspx

Or have a gunsmith grind the choke down some to modified. I did that with my Ithaca Nitro Special and a buddy did that with his Fox Sterlingworth. The only reason I sold my Model 12 was a guy offered me more than double what I paid for it. Model 12s have that kind of effect on people.

 

[gunut]

Yes...you can duck /goose hunt with it using one of the bismuth/tungpoly loads available....they are expensive but work well.....

 

[LtBlue425]

Steel shot requirements really put the skids on the M12 market. I now live in SD where you have to use steel on any state owned land, so even pheasant hunting is steel. With all the water on the east side of the state and the Missouri River Flyway, working class waterfowl guns rule.

So Model 12's are dirt cheap unless they're super nice original in something like 20 or 28 ga. Another issue is so many M12's were messed with sometime in history by refinishing (usually poor quality work) or adding Cutts compensators or PolyChokes. So you have a lot M12's that aren't used for hunting and are not collector material.

Some years ago I talked to two different guides in Texas who did waterfowl hunts. They were using no choke and Imp Cyl. Both claimed they got very good patterns using steel. Full choke is for lead and M12's are REALLY full choked!! I patterned one of my riot M12's with "F" shot 2 3/4" shell recently at 50 yards. Pattern was good enough for geese.

My last two M12's cost me $175 and $180 in past two years. Both are now riot guns and balance beautifully with 20" barrels.

 

[ABTOMAT]

Well, a good postscript to this. I decided to keep the 1912 as a sentimental keepsake, but a nice fellow on a local shooting board fell in love with it and I couldn't turn down $400 from an appreciative new owner. He plans on actually hunting with the old girl.

Had a great range day with the buyer at his gun club shooting each others' collections after we did the deal.

 

[243winxb]

$400, you did great.

 

[bobg67]

I have a model 12 that my dad bought used in the late 1930's. Paid $12.00 for it. It has had a lot of paper and plastic fired throught it. No Problems with either. No steel.
Killed more pheasants and rabbits with that gun than anything i have owned.
Last one i seen for sale was marked $350. Never did ask if that is what he sold it for.
Doubt if i would take a $1,000 for mine.

 

[Les Brooks]

Win.12

Mod. Win 12's which have had lots of shooting can have a problem if the locking area in the top of the receiver has failed to lock up properly. At one time Simmons Gun Shop would weld up the receiver and make a new locking area. It was expensive!! In the old days Win. made a new extra long locking breech block to fit. These new blocks required a new chamber ring and it had to be reamed in place for the correct headspace to make it safe to shoot.

The older Win. 12's in 16 and 20 ga. were made for the shorter shells of 2 9/16 in. I converted several of these for the 2 3/4 in shells. I don't recall when the guns changed over to the 2 3/4 in. shell. These old shotgun chambers were reamed so the pressure would not be too high in the forcing cone area. The receiver was tapered down to the chamber after about .075 was cut in the ejection port.

Just my two cents worth

Les Brooks, retired gunsmith too old to work !!!!

 

[gp911]

You can buy ammo loaded with other shot that is safe for the gun, 2.5" paper shells, etc. you just have to search for it. That ol' dog can still hunt! You can just keep it around and enjoy it for what it is. I know I would. Nice old gun you have there.

 

[kawaliga]

Value of a well worn early Winchester 1912

I have a Model 12 Heavy Duck, Model 12 16 gauge, and a Model 12 20 gauge, plus a Model 25 12 gauge. I absolutely love each one, and my family would have to be starving for me to part with any of these shotguns. I fell in love with Model 12's way back in the 50's, when I was a young lad.

 

[Crawdad1]

Who doesn't fall in love with a Model 12 and our military sure loved them.

"By the time World War II began, stocks of shotguns were too small to support the mobilization and new orders were placed. The well regarded Winchester Model 12 trench and riot guns were again procured with a total of more than 80,000 guns ordered by the U.S. Government by 1945, more than any other combat shotgun of the time."

http://olive-drab.com/od_other_firearms_shotgun_m12.php


In good shape they command some pretty hefty prices for a pump shotgun.