I didn't mean to start a fight here by any means. Could I replace the short action slide with a later long slide?
You didn't- and if you want to send the the forearm/barrel assembly (No FFL or C&R required)and the new replacement forearm, I will fit it for you for a small charge- and yes, I have the special spanner wrench required. I did this many times on GI issued M12 and M97 riot and guard shotguns while I served as a Master Armorer in the USMC- and as NCOIC of the base trap and skeet armory, also on some trap and skeet issued Model 12's--
Now, as to the other gent who did the "heat and beat" shank bending "technique"?? First off, I went ot my WRA Library- the WRA 1938 Salesman's Catalog- page 16 shows two clear views of the shank, receiver rear boss, and the bottomed in place tip of the threaded stock mounting bolt- not scaled or dimensioned, but to anyone with half the machine shop experience I like to think I have accumulated in 60 odd years-and still going-- we are talking about cylindrical threaded components here- you do an "Ed Da Torch" on the internally threaded shank while in place into the mating receiver boss- which also provides a threaded lower boss for the rear trigger guard set screw as well- and you get the ID and the thread "out of round" and you have a Fubar and a possible: improper fit, that will allow the stock to loosen over time and recoil of firing the shotgun- plus a "BFH forced fit" which means some day down the road, another soul may wish to remove the buttstock and will be faced with jammed or seized threads as a result of this screw-up-- The only proper and safe way is to remove the shank from the receiver boss, and insert the threaded end of either the existing stock mounting bolt, or as I do- I have a piece of 12L14 Screw machine stock with a threaded end to match the pitch and TPI of the original- as a "slave pin" or "dummy bolt". Then you can clamp the receiver facing end of the shank in a padded bench vise, apply slow and spreading heat (move the propane torch around carefully to get a dull heat sheen, add an "eye-ball" bend- let air cool- refit, and repeat if needed- until you have the new angle needed for the refit and change in either drop or cast (on or off from TDC line of the stock comb--
I disagree with the "Wonderkind expert" from the Land of Mary, who advised you to clamp the receiver into your vise and "have at it-- even with a padded vise, you can still mar a M12 receiver- and I saw it done by a similar numbnut- to a Pigeon Grade Trapgun with fancy wood and John Kusmit engraving- The other reason for isolating the shank from the receiver has to do with simple physics- and force and kinetics I should guess-with the receiver clamped into a bench vise and the shank in place, it is too tempting to try to make the "change" in one pass- and when you get in a hurry you make Fubars--
The Madis book- The Model 12-- page 83--quote: "Changes in dimensions of stocks were offered to raise or lower the drop or to provide an offset -------To bend shanks and offset a stock to the right or left, or up or down, ran from $5.00 to $10.00, again depending on the time of manufacture----"!
In a previous posting here about my beloved Model 12's- Old Eight-Baller may have made a negative comment about George Madis' expertise, alluding to some potential errors in this great book (actually, to give the Devil his due- there is one- but it is a typo, and not pertinent to the vast amount of accurate detail about the great Model 12- and Madis worked for WRA for over 30 years- if he were at my shoulder now, and told me the WRA used Scott instead of Charmin bungwipe in the employee's restrooms, I would believe him 100%--and so should you!!
