Model 12's (and 1912's) My "Vade mecum" of repeating shotguns. I grew up with M12's- all the men in my family (except my maternal grandfather, who shot a Pigeon grade Model 1897 12 gauge for ducks) shot them. I have nine, all made before 1950- and all of them are using guns, best pointing, natural action repeater ever designed. My 1948 Pigeon Grade Trap gun (30" older two-pin milled rib) has had over 200,000 registered ATA targets under its "belt" plus God only knows how many practice birds- still works as sweet as the day it left the factory in New Haven- never had a broken or defective part. The rest are field guns, mainly 12's and 20's with one 28 gauge, and two of the 12 gauges are the 3" Magnum Heavy Duck versions that came out in about 1935.
I like the M97, as I respect John Browning's genius, but it is a flawed design when compared to the Model 12-
Here are some "myths" various gun hustlers/huckers/con-men/ psuedo dealers will try to run by you to get you to buy their over priced Model 12's (1) I have a Model 1912- predecessor to the Model 12- Bull &^%$- same damn gun, WRA had beaucoup "running changes" and in 1919 they changed the roll stamp from Model 1912 to Model 12- why? Ask Edwin Puglesy or Thomas Crossley Johnson- I don't know why, and they are both dead.
This is the scarce "nickel steel" Model 12- again BS- from 1912 until about 1931- except for the short-lived Stainless steel Fubar WRA had from about 1926 to 1929- Nickel steel was their trade-mark for their nickel ordnance steel- in 1933 they went to AISI 4140- guess what- nickel steel, different markings. (3) This is a genuine Model 12 Trap gun-- Trap shooting is a game, as is skeet- But WRA confused a lot of folks when they had a Trap, Tournament and then Pigeon grade offering in trap shooting configuration: 1921 to about 1936-then 1950 era, when they went to a Simmons designed rib- I have a friend who has a (segue here to a side-by-side Winchester) Model 21 20 gauge Trap grade skeet gun--a 26" barreled 20 bore with open chokes is no more a gun for 16 yard rise at ATA Trap targets than a lemon is a fire hydrant--
All 12 gauge Model 1912's and Model 12's had std 2 & 3/4" chambering from the get-go- aprox 1914--the 16 and 20 gauges had shorter chambers until about 1930-when they were standardized at 2 &3/4" as well- exception being of course, the heavy duck gun, which has 3" chambers-- Rare Model 12's-- IMO-- Any 28" gauge with 30" barrel, ribbed or plain- Any std. 12 gauge with a 32" barrel, agauin plain or ribbed, and perhaps rarest of all the 12 gauges- a 12 with 32" solid rib barrel that was returned to New Haven and converted to a 3" chambered Model 12 (NOT a true Heavy Duck) and if you have the verifying paperwork, you have a "rara avis" indeed.
I see lots of Model 12 12 gauge "shooters' in my travels, let me know when you decide what you want and I'll try to help you find it- I love older Model 12's like Lindsay Lohan loves being a general RPA to the free world--
