doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How does one value a 28-gauge M12?

Plain Jane, ~80% condition, unrestored, 28-inch full choke 1936 gun. Everything I'm seeing has been either tarted-up or was/is a high grade gun. The Blue book says $3,500 but I'm not seeing anything comparable anywhere.

From what I see, and this may be due to my location; pump shotguns in general are slow sellers at this time. I think the BB estimate is somewhat optimistic considering its condition and the current general market situation.
Jim

Though they're heavy I would take a hard look at B.C. Miroku made for Browning and US Repeating Arms(?) which in field grade (no adornment) cost about $700+/-100. There are likely more faux factory old Winchester M12 28s than real ones.

A plain unmolested Model 12 28-gauge Standard Grade is rarer than the Model 12 28-gauge Skeet Gun. A right gun to a "collector" might well draw more dollars than a Skeet Gun. They appear so seldom, only way to really see what one would be worth would be to put it in an auction, like Julia's, and see what it brings.

Very carefully as their are many counterfeits extant, as the 28 gauge was built on the same receiver as the 16 and 20 gauge M12-- lots of solid was to tell a real one from a counterfeit- safest ways are two-- (1) Remove the buttstock from the receiver- the original factory gauge stamping will be found at the rear inset of the receiver- where the head of the stock mates into the ring shaped boss- secondly- look carefully at the magazine ring- the M12 in 28 gauge was mfg. from 1937 to 1954-- as WRA got closer to the end of production of the "Perfect Repeater" they went from a forged steel alloy magazine ring, stamped with 28 that should face reward when properly installed, to a lost-wax or investment casting magazine ring, which will have a grainy appearance, and the 28 gauge in different script and facing reward- so counterfeiters mixed up the parts when they cobbled together their "fake" 28 gauge guns to sell to the unwary- The extractor, ejector and firing pin are also different in the true 28 gauge, as compared to the 20-16 and of course, the 12 gauge guns- About 5 years ago I bought from a private party- a 1939 field grade M12 with 28" solid rib barrel, WS-2 choked, 28 gauge with 2& 7/8" chambering- NOT a skeet gun, but for some reason, choked Winchester Skeet 2-- special order? Who knows-

Mr. Fox: I guess I'm confused, what exactly is the magazine ring and are you sure about those production dates? This gun is clearly in the range of serial numbers from 1936. If I was going to counterfeit a gun, it wouldn't be as plain as this one.

The Bluebook of Gun Values warns about counterfeits, so I went and looked at the magazine tube and it is clearly crimped, swaged and necked down to fit 28-gauge shells. It is also a 2 7/8 inch gun, clearly marked. According to the Bluebook, the serial number falls within the range of 28-gauge numbers (746xxx). I'm seeing a variety of dates of production mentioned online, ranging from 1934 to 1937 as being the start of production. Who is right here?

Both my Madis and Riffle M12 books show 1937 to 1954 for the 28 gauge. The magazine band ring is the split steel double band that holds the magazine tube in place to the barrel, when the barrel, forearm and magazine group are assembled- a critical part of the take-down feature of the M12-

Found it (I guess I refer to it as the barrel band), it is forged steel and it is stamped facing back towards the receiver, it says "20" however. Did all 28s say "28" or were some of the earlier guns marked "20"?

Lloyd,
Bring it to the Northwest Angle next year, and we will give it a run!
I have a first year model 12 20 gauge, not a fake as far as I know.

Best,
Ted