In regards to all the posts recommending just turning it in and having it threaded for tubes, be aware that many older shotguns have insufficient barrel wall thickness to allow for that.
Threaded choke tubes did not exist when these guns were made, and most firms or 'smiths that thread/install will have to measure it to see if it's even doable.

And, I'd cut and go cylinder before I put the abomination of a Polychoke or Cutts on it.
good luck.

__________________
Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

I would ship it off to Briley to have the barrel cut and choke tubes added.

Also, I wouldn't be to fast to place blame on the barrel getting stuck in the dirt. For sure it was an obstruction that caused the damage. It is almost just as likely that a base wad from a cheap dove load separated from the case and got hung up in the choke. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that happened to someone.

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Bill Bates

Just a hint, but in a tight, you can always use a pencil for a plug.

NEVER LOAN ANY GUN TO ANY ONE

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John

Oh man! So sorry . . . but I did enjoy your post's humorous take on the sad situation, Mr. Green.

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Now go make God proud...

I would have removed the "plug" from the model 12 and lent that to him.
Plugs are easily replaceable....1959 model 12's.....not so much.

Years ago my daddy told me to never lend guns to anyone, good chance of not getting it back or if returned it will be damaged !

The plug that's in my model 17 Remington is from a piece of bamboo, cut from an old broken fly rod. I watched daddy crack the plastic handle off an old screw driver and drop that in for a plug...lots of ways to skin that monkey.
Gary

I would have made a demotivational poster of his and the shotgun and let it go viral.

Another thing to never loan out... pressure washers. EVERY time I have it's come back broken.

"I loaned him my 1959 Winchester Model 12 in 12 gauge."

Swears and swinging fists.

To respond to your rhetorical query, I'm not sure even Mothers Mag Polish will handle that task!

On your Briley thoughts, you might also consider Mike Orlen. The kid can afford Mike, and Mike's work is quite good.

twb

Man that's awful, I'm sorry. Friends looking to borrow money or guns only get prayers, no merchandise.

I know a guy with a little money, he would load guns out during deer season. Most were Model 94 Commemoratives. I saw him one day and he asked if I had borrowed a Buffalo Bill the previous deer season. Nope I used my own gun. He never remembered who and they never returned it.

My ex FIL and BIL decided to deer hunt one year. They asked to borrow my 2 rifles. I said gee what would I use? They said borrow one off your Dad. I said, nope, I'm using mine and keeping the 2nd one handy for a back up. They borrowed guns for a few years from the guy above, bought rifles then quit hunting.

I have seen too many things damaged or ruined by borrowers.

Shortly after buying a new home in STL our neighbor asked if he could borrow my truck, he was thinking and looking at my brand new 1999 Ford F-150 with just a few miles on it, to go get some dirt, mulch and gravel over the weekend for his yard.

He showed up early Saturday. I handed him the keys to my 1979 Jeep J-10 truck, he stared at the keys, then said
I wanted to use your new one. I said I'll be the first and only to put a scratch on it thank you. If you don't want to use the Jeep that's fine, Home Depot and Uhaul do daily truck rentals.

They used the truck all day and when he returned it he said the license plate is expired, I could have gotten a ticket. Did you know they were expired. I said yes. We became friends but he never asked to borrow again.

OuCH! Man I hate seeing that. My younger brother did that very same thing to one of our fathers 12 guage shotguns when we were teenagers. He used to take us out water foul hunting with him all the time. This was late December though and my brother had unknowingly ( he said) packed the end of the barrel with snow. So much so that it peeled that barrel back quite a ways. Needless to say, the ol' man wasn't too happy about it, but he was relieved that my little brother wasn't injured.

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I reckon so

By the way, I still hunt with two of my best friends from waaay back in high school. I wouldn't let either one of them borrow My model 12. Just sayin

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I reckon so

Never loan your shotgun to a friend

First...never loan any gun to anyone

Second.....he wasn't your friend.

Yes, I am aware of that very thing.
Whoever gets the repair job will have discussed and comforted me knowing that it can be done.

bdGreen

Bill, after he showed me the picture out in the field I commented on what happened. He immediately went through the physical motion of doing the very thing that I suspected. Picking up a spent shell or a bird.
He is a large man and rather forceful in his mannerisms.

bdGreen

Foolishly loaned a mint model 12 16 ga to a customer on a dove shoot after his shotgun broke down. Got it back scratched to hell & back. He used it to lift barbed wire fence for his kid to go retrieve downed birds. And the *** didn't offer to fix nor pay for shells he used. Went fullbore USMC DI on him! The string of obscenities hover over that field to this day and I'm reminded of it annually! Had gun reinished. But it's just that, refinished. Backup gun stays in truck unless I need it!

It's a good breacher barrel now.

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Back to back World War Champs.

Many do not like adjustable choke devices, and they do affect the gun's value. HOWEVER - they do work, and I would install one in this case. Doing anything else is probably going to cost as much as getting another Model 12. I think installing internal choke tubes is pretty expensive, and may not even be possible on an old barrel, but I have no idea about either cost or feasibility. Keep in mind that you made the decision to loan the gun, and therefore you bear at least some of the responsibility.

"They say" never loan a gun or your wife/girlfriend as you may not get them back as they were when loaned.

You know what's funny?

After I read this thread yesterday, a friend who lives in a bad area told me about his 6906 being stolen (by family - that problem's been resolved) . . . and I unhesitatingly pulled a revolver (he's a relative newbie) out of the safe and loaned it to him. Didn't even think about Mr. Green's travails - but if a friend needs something, you just step up. Sometimes you may suffer a loss as a result, but that's the right thing to do.

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Now go make God proud...

Never loan anything, that's a hard fast rule of mine. I'll come help and bring my tools but don't ask to borrow them...

__________________
Join the NRA today

I once let a now ex friend use one of my pistols on one of our shooting sessions.
He shot out my passenger window, from INSIDE the car.
He never did cough up the money for the replacement window, hence the "ex" part.
I don't loan things.
Customers and neighbors always want to borrow things.
My wife let my former neighbor borrow my push mower after his daughter bent the crank on his, by running over rocks.
I was at work and didn't know it had happened until I went to cut my grass the next weekend.
My mower knocked like a diesel. I asked her what happened to it.
"Steve needed to borrow it, so I let him use it."
Yep, his daughter bent the crank on mine, hitting rocks.
That was the exact reason I have never been a lender.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

That's the way I look at it. I stayed out of this thread cause my first response was..... shotgun or friend? No question about it. Friends come first to me. If a chunk of steel got accidentally damaged so be it. Accidents happen. I'd gladly send him a 2nd, 3rd, 10th shotgun. The shotgun...or any gun...is just a thing. Never got hung up on things

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

I offered to let my great nephew fire my AR, but only after he could demonstrate a field strip, clear a jam and proper handling procedures. He refused to learn these things, so didn't get to shoot my AR. Last thing I saw was a video of him shooting his friend's AR and treating it like a paint ball gun, sweeping the muzzle all over the place.

While we're on the subject of loaning things, has anyone else ever loaned out a chain saw? How did it come back home (if it did)?

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Dick Burg

Looks like the fellow mounted a nice old school three-pronged flash hider -- you should buy him a beer.

Shakespeare, on lending, in Hamlet:

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry."
Steve W.

I had forgotten this, but there is another simple answer if you want a fixed choke - cutting the so-called Jug choke or Tula choke (I think because it is used in Russia) in your shortened barrel. It is a several inch long recess cut in the bore a little behind the muzzle, and I have understood they work quite well. It would be worthwhile for you to investigate it. I think it's fairly simple to do if you can find someone to perform it.

Great! Whatcha got?

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

Chain dull and gas evaporated out of the tank. It came home after a year, was used once when borrowed and let set.

Early next week its going in for an overhaul.

Family.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

What do you want my friend?

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

It came back dull and empty. One of my employees borrowed it and charged a guy 1500 bucks to drop a big spruce tree and haul it away. He also went to my shop and borrowed my old 08 F350 for hauling duty (didn't put fuel in that either).

I've learned not to lend things but its taken some lessons learned. A M1200 that came back wet in the soft case a week after it was used, a CZ .22 that was left in the rain and came back ORANGE.

I also lent my Win .270 to my wife's friend to take care of some coyotes on their farm about 4 yrs ago, still haven't gotten it back, not sure if they are even in the area any more.

+1
You can say that it's a new stand-off muzzle device for breaching doors, etc.
Now after my attempt to be humorous, I'll offer this; it's unfortunate what happened... lesson learned. And as to the remedy, have the barrel cut back and/or look for a replacement.

Now that the topic has morphed into 'loaning', guess I can post this....

Some years back, had a couple of friends that asked to borrow a 'deer rifle'. I like most of my rifles in their current condition. I decided to put together a dedicated 'loaner deer rifle'.

Most of the conditions and locales these folks would be hunting was woodsy, fairly close-in places, with most shots <125 yards.

I put together a Chinese SKS, took off the midget wood stock, replaced with a black synthetic with a cheekpiece. Drilled/tapped and installed a Tasco 4x scope. Cut off about 4" of barrel and recrowned.
Installed nylon sling, and put elastic ammo cuff on stock.
Sighted in with Russian 7.62x39 123 gr. HP ammo and filled the cuff with it.

Cheap, effective, and surprisingly would keep those rounds in a sub-palm sized group all day at 100 yards.
And there must've been a horseshoe installed inside the stock - it accounted for a surprising number of deer over the years.

Last year I ended up giving it to one the friends that borrowed it and took several deer with it.

__________________
Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

Mistakes happen

Everyone involved is fortunate to have all body parts present and accounted for.

IMHO if your Model 12 was a matching front and rear he should get you a comparable gun and take the stove piped one in trade

__________________
Buy American
Vote Responsibly

I get a good gun with bulged or split barrel about once a year.
99% of the time it is a kid or rookie. On run of the mill gun a
cut down is usually the fix. I have a 97 that I saved with screw
ins, and a A5 that I made into a slug gun. YouTube has started a new crop of idiots, there is guys shooting all kinds of things out
of shotguns. The "secret" of the ringed shotgun shell is blowing
knots in full choke barrels.

Chain saws;
I never lent one, usually the borrower had destroyed his and wants yours.

I never lent a boat/motor.

I lent my ex's brother my camping gear, very nice tent, cast iron cookware, a nice Bofors (Spelling?) Swedish cruisers axe, US Army utensils, Western hatchet and other assorted camping stuff. It was all neatly kept in an Army duffel bag.

A storm came up, he and his fiance threw the wet tent in his trunk. Drove home and I ran him down 2 weeks later because he was not bringing it home when he promised. He opened his trunk, there was a ruined mildew covered tent, nothing else.

I was ticked, he said they forgot the rest and drove off. I never bradded his beak when he needed it several times over, to keep peace in the family. Looking back.....

I was a deputy at that time, revenge smells sweet even if you are not present. I once told his father to take him in the yard, if he ever talks to me that way again there will be no peace in this dysfunctional unit. After the talk he was respectful.

One weekend my ex and I went by her parents house, her lil brother was not yet married. He came in bawling like a baby, his mommy hugged the little feller who was sobbing and having difficulty talking.

When he calmed down I asked who did this and what kind of car were they driving, I'll go find them. Are you ready/

Per the cry baby; they were on bikes and about 12 years old, he was 19.

He went to the high school tennis/basketball outside courts to shoot some baskets. The 2 12 year olds were playing tennis. Mr tough guy went to that court to shoot baskets, all other courts were open. The 12 year old kids asked him to move they were there first. HE told them to kiss off and move or he'd kick their butts.

They took him to the woodshed. He did not want people to know. The problem was I did.

I burst out into laughter, every time he'd sniffle I'd laugh, every time I looked at him I'd laugh. His dad never said a word, embarrassment will do that to ya.

His 2nd wife'd Dad was a reserve deputy and got my BIL a commission. On his first night an altercation occurred in the booking room with a fair size fella, I stopped it quickly, lifted the feller off the floor and took him to his cell airborne by his lapels or throat, don't remember which. My BIL was staring at me when I came back, he said do you know the guys feet never touched all the way down the hall? I said yep. Another fella told him it was probably a good thing the BIL had never made me mad, wouldn't have been pretty. He is still nice to me 25 years after I divorced his sister.

Bruce

Sorry about the model 12.

Charlie

Thanx Charlie.
I have a lot going on right now and I really don't relish the idea of doing the research and the deed of getting it repaired. Bummer.
But, I have to be quick about it as the 'guy' is good for the repairs. Just don't want the project to languish into obscurity.

Bruce

No loan of any firearm to anyone ever again.
Stock scars, micrometer sights bent, a detachable mag missing (Oh,,Sorry!).
It was supposed to be a white tail hunt,,not combat.

Tools are out of the question too.

How about Borrowing without even asking,,
There was a certain boss of mine (you'd all know the name) that decided he was going to 'borrow' my truck one time while at work w/o even asking me. (The answ would have been no anyway)
On top of that I caught him going out the door wearing MY jacket and hat he took off the hook at my bench.
The truck keys were in the jacket as well as my wallet..
He had his own truck. Mine was just more convenient and he didn't want to get his dirty hauling the stuff he was about to carry and dump..
I really blew a gasket that time..
I didn't last much longer there.

"9-1-1, what is your emergency?"

"Someone just stole my jacket and drove off with my truck!"

When he's stopped, act surprised it was him and say "If he'd asked me, I'd have known it was him and he wouldn't be face down eating pavement."

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Can open, worms everywhere.

Sooner or later you learn to only lend that which you can

afford to lose. I've been kind-hearted in the past, and

withstood some real jerk-arounds over it, too.

Hindsight is 20/20 but a ticket would have been cheaper.
Sorry about your model 12. I bet a replacement bbl wouldn't be too hard to find.
Good luck.
mark

I loaned my high-condition WWII byf Luger to my brother once. When I got it back, he had sanded the original, perfect checkered wood grips smooth - because he liked them better that way. He also fired corrosive military ammo in it without cleaning the bore. It still hurts to think about it.

Sorry this happened to that fine Model 12. Several years ago I wanted a shooter Sweet 16 to quail hunt with. I finally bought one and then bought another barrel off of GunBroker. Sent it off to Briley where they did a fine job of putting a thin wall choke tube system in. It ended up costing me a fortune. If I recall correctly around $500. Very pleased with how it turned out. I live in NC but hunted on several leases in Texas over the years. The last one being outside of Aspermont. The guy that was head of the lease is from Abilene and raises and trains birddogs there.

The shotgun looks like something from a mushmouse and punkin'puss cartoon.

Your friend is the poster boy for mandatory hunter safety courses. Sorry it happened. Glad to see you can take such a philosophical attitude and that he is stepping up to the plate. Maybe in 20 years or so the two of you can have a laugh about it.

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I need ammo, not a ride.

I'm pretty sure fratricide is justified in such a case.
In fact, I'm pretty sure cases such as this are the reason the word "fratricide" exists.

Recently, a customer asked me if I had a Sawzall they could borrow because........one of their employees had broken theirs.
Without missing a beat, I said "No".
I don't loan my tools that I bought with my hard-earned money, and rely on to earn my hard-earned money.
It's bad enough, that I have tools stolen by customers, I'm surely not going to give them permission to do so.

My attitude is, if someone needs a rifle to hunt with, they need to do what I did.
Get a job. Save their money. Buy their own rifle.
Nobody ever loaned me a gun, and I never asked anyone to do so.
Well, there was this one time.
I went deer hunting with my then-girlfriend and her father.
I brought 2 rifles with me.
Her dad didn't seem to think that my Mini-30 or my UNISSUED #4 Mk2 SMLE were up to the task (I had a Savage 110LH .30-06 on layaway at the time)
So, he insisted that I hunt with his Model 70/.243.
I didn't want to use his gun. I wanted to use my own gun, but I also didn't want to be rude.
Nobody in camp saw a single deer that weekend.
Either one of my rifles would have been equally capable of sitting in my lap, unused, that weekend.

In the 20+ years since, both of those rifles of mine have proven to be quite capable in the woods.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

I would have said to him, your gun is not legal for hunting doves and sent him off without a plug. And told him If you get caught fess up and pay your fine. Right about now he would have that new Benelli barrel on its way to his house.
Finally, after 3 years I see the first upside to Colorado’s new Back Ground Check law between private parties. It would have been illegal to loan him a gun here.
That was one good looking Model 12, makes me hurt inside to see that. I could go on about how you never loan something you can’t afford to lose, but it looks like you’re getting beat up already. Live and learn, all parties involved are already smarter.

Bruce, aka Big E3