A beat up Model 12 followed me home from the show yesterday

[2ndovc]

I was on my way out of the building, having not found what I was looking for again, and noticed a table full of Model 12s that I had missed on the way through.
Along with several good old honest wear, field grade guns the guy had several shorter ones that caught my attention. The old boy said his gunsmith would round up Model 12s and shorten them for home defense guns years ago. They had all seen better days, but I picked out this Post War that still had matching numbers, but a split/ poorly repaired butt stock for cheap and brought it home. I grew up in a family that only had Model 12s and have always been a big fan.

I've found several new made replacement stocks online, but the few used on GB are really beat, short or have a recoil pad on them. Going to strip these down, put a couple of pins in through the break and use it as is until I find what I want. New stocks just wouldn't look right.
I don't think it's been cleaned and oiled for years, backing the mag tube out to take it down was really stiff. A good clean and light oil is all it needed. The bluing is better than it looks in the picture. Photo is a little over exposed.




jb

[GunnyMack]

Ya cant beat a model 12( well maybe a mod 42) ! Great old guns, a true workhorse.
I used to shoot with a guy years ago that had literally 100+ mod 12s. Every gauge,style and type. He is gone now, wonder where all those 12s went...
Nice find by the way!

[Oldncrusty]

Nice pick up. I need a couple more myself.

[AJMD429]

.

That kind of stock crack is something that modern epoxies and resins can make really easy to fix and strong. Not perfect cosmetically, but you would be able to have an extremely serviceable and good looking stock without all that much work.

[JOG]

As far as pump shotguns go, I like Winchester 12's and Remington 31's.
I had a model 12 from 1923 in sweet 16 that a buddy talked me out of.
I still have a prewar Remington 31 in 20 gauge.
Nothing better for home defense!
Johnny

[M. M. Wright]

Yeah, and if it has the short follower in the magazine it will hold 6 + 1 in the barrel. You really don't need an extended magazine on a model 12. I'd want a walnut stock on it instead of whatever that blond wood it.

[2ndovc]

The stock is going to go, just a temporary re-work until I round up the right one. It is walnut though. Looks like someone bleached it and shellaced it, giving it that awful color. I'll be hitting some larger shows over the next couple of months, model 12 stocks are pretty plentiful around here. Kinda surprised I've never picked up a set, just in case something ever happened with one of ours.

jb

[Pitchy]

Cool beans Jason congrats.

[Malamute]

I like the model 12s quite a lot. I got one from an old friend, it had already been chopped some, and was pretty rough. I tightened it up, cut the barrel to 20" and had rifle sights put on it, as well as sling mounts and a decelerator pad. The plan was a long gun I could take through Canada and easily carry in a day pack when hiking. I keep am old military style pouch with 10 rds of Brenneke short magnum slugs and a couple 00 buck attached to the carry handle of the case. I had a case made for it when taken down, it has made a great travel gun in the states, it goes in motel rooms with me at night when I stop. Nobody pays the slightest attention to the case laying on top on my black duffle overnight bag when going into the room. Unfortunately, I never made it back to Alaska again after getting the gun done.

One place that gave me the willies was Liard Hot Springs. There were signs warning of grizzly bear activity in the area, and the only way into the hot springs pools was on elevated boardwalks, as the surrounding ground was all marshy. I had my Randall knife on me, but it didnt seem all that comforting, and was the genesis of the takedown model 12 project. Some time after my last trip through there a rogue black bear attacked and killed several people in that place, one tourist ran the half mile or so back to his truck to get a rifle and ran back and killed the bear, but in the mean time, it had killed a lady and a guy that tried to help her.

Model 12 takedown 1.jpg

Model 12 takedown 2.jpg

Model 12 takedown 3.jpg

[2ndovc]

That's pretty slick!
I've always thought the takedown part was the coolest thing when I got my first one. I had a takedown case my mom made for us that looked like small rolled up red blanket. Very discrete. Used to drag my old '97 around in it so much, it finally fell apart. My wife said she could make some new ones for me if I got her what I want to make it out of.
I like the rifle sight idea, but for this one, I'm just going to put a bigger brass bead on it. The original is pretty small for it's revised role.

jb

[Bill in Oregon]

Nice, Jason. I will have always have a soft spot in my heart for the Model 12. I started out hunting with one made about 1919, in 16 gauge. Miss that slick old shooter.

[marlinman93]

Model 12 Win. and Model 870 Rem. are two of the finest shotguns ever made, and still better than a lot of newer shotguns made. I'd prefer either for home defense over most modern shotguns.
I'd probably strip the wood, repair the crack with blind pins, and stain the wood darker, as I prefer darker walnut also. But I guess if I found old stocks in nice shape, cheap, I'd also just swap them out.

[2ndovc]

I'm hoping to have some time this weekend to start refinishing the stock. Can't stand that orange finish!

Totally agree with your thoughts on the 870 and Model 12. I have an 870 in the bedroom now, after running several dozen shells through the Winchester, the 870 will be relocated somewhere else in the house. I need to spend a lot more time with the ne Benelli before it's anywhere near as natural for me as a Model 12.

jb

[6pt-sika]

I sold both my Model 12’s to the young gunsmith at the shop this week . Ones a 12 gauge 3” thirty inch barrel with Simmons vent rib in really nice shape the other is a plain Jane 16 gauge but with a less likely 30” plain full choke barrel . Most of the 16’s I’ve run across were 28” . The 16 I’d had reblued at the shop a few months ago and I’d redone the wood .