Model 12 16 gauge

[LittleAugieMo]

Sold a 1954 model 12 @ a small,local gunshow for a friend late 2022/early 2023. Don't remember if it had V.R. or not it brought in the $900 +/- range IIRC. It was unfired near as I/we (buyer) could determine& owner hadn't fired it. No box tho. Total disclosure was the 3rd or 4th show we had it at in this area.

 

[DWalt]

As the owner of two M12s (12 & 20), I really prefer my 12 ga Winchester 1200. Lighter, smoother action, and highly reliable.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

As the owner of two M12s (12 & 20), I really prefer my 12 ga Winchester 1200. Lighter, smoother action, and highly reliable.

I wore out a 1200 over the years. Lots plastic and stamped parts.........It's not worthy of standing the shadow of a mdl 12..........BTW My oldest mdl 12 is 108 years old and still going strong. The 1200 I had wore out in about 18 years.

 

[kscharlie]

I purchased my very first gun in about 1962 at the age of 13. Had to have my own shotgun for hunting. Paid $40 for it, with money I had earned mowing lawns. It was a Winchester Model 12, 12 ga., made in 1921. Still have it.

Have added several more M 12s since then, but my two favorites are a Y series trap model I purchased new in 1973 for $525, and a 16 ga made in 1957 purchased in 2002 for $450.

I had a well known stock maker custom make a trap stock for my Y model in 1974 at a cost of $300. Over the years I have put many thousands of rounds through that gun, and it is as tight today as the day I bought it.

The 16 ga. had a MoneyMaker rib installed on it at some point before I obtained it. This gun is one of the sweetest shooting 16 yard trap guns I have ever shot.

To the OP: If the 16 ga M 12 you are looking at trips your trigger (so to speak) and can be purchased at a price you are comfortable paying, buy the gun. You won't be sorry. I love me some Model 12s.

 

[Cooter Brown]

As an upland gun, the Model 12 hits the sweet spot in 16 gauge. It's built on the same frame as the 20, which came out first. The 12 gauge came out last of the three and has a larger frame.

The 12 ga. Model 12 is a little heavy but the 16 ga. has terrific balance and handling qualities and makes a fine field gun. I have one from 1915 or so, factory cylinder choke, and it still takes a woodcock every once in a while. Unfortunately RST is just dribbling shells out at this point and my gun has the short chamber and ejection port.

 

[DWalt]

I wore out a 1200 over the years. Lots plastic and stamped parts.........It's not worthy of standing the shadow of a mdl 12..........BTW My oldest mdl 12 is 108 years old and still going strong. The 1200 I had wore out in about 18 years.

Mine is a Skeet grade 1200. It has not a speck of plastic anywhere in or on it. Beautifully figured wood, impaired only by having pressed checkering. It shot an average of four rounds of Skeet per week for about six years, 1983-90, never had a failure of any sort other than losing the center ivory sight bead on the vented rib. Winchester also made 28" and 30" Trap grade 1200s, but those are much more common than the 26" Skeet guns.

 

[alwslate]

I believe the 1200s do have a few nylon parts and washers inside but nylon isn't really "plastic" is it?

 

[erikpolcrack]

The 16 gauge Model 12 is one of the best bird guns ever produced! Much lighter than a 12 gauge!

I've had one for years and couldn't agree more!

 

[H Richard]

A friend of mine has a 16 Ga o/u he won at a NWTF (National Wild Turky Foundation) dinner several years ago. Interchangeable choke tubes, single trigger selective, hard chrome receiver with the NWTF logo. He reloads and used it for skeet.

I had one Mod 12, a featherweight choked IC. That was one nice bird gun, but sold it for $450 a few years ago.

 

[Jack Flash]

In response to the OP, I can't really say what the Model 12 should sell for, but I don't think I would let it go cheap.

I always read threads about the 16 gauge with great interest. There always seems to be comments to the effect "Not much of a market for them, giveaway prices, ..." When I was looking for one on the used gun market, that certainly wasn't my experience.

Originally I thought I would get a Browning Sweet 16, but quickly discovered they were priced very high. Other makes/models were all priced at least as high as their 12 gauge counterparts, at least from what I was able to glean from the internet.

So I just started looking local. Nobody had any, except for one shop that had exactly one Browning Pump Shotgun, made in Japan by Mikoru. They wouldn't budge on the price, so I gave in.

Maybe I don't have the dedication or patience that some others here have, but I sure couldn't find any low-priced ones. I imagine if you go to sell it at a gun shop you will hear that "dime a dozen" stuff.

 

[DWalt]

I believe the 1200s do have a few nylon parts and washers inside but nylon isn't really "plastic" is it?

There are two small nylon washers listed as "hammer spring supports."

 

[JamesWP]

Also, there the magazine feed throat that is a known weak point.

 

[DWalt]

The most interesting 1200 is the 12 gauge military model. They were used in Vietnam, and allegedly even some saw service as late as in Iraq. For sure, the USAF had some, as I have personally seen several of them, riot versions, that came through the USAF gunsmith shop at Lackland AFB about 15 years ago. The story is that about 16K were made in two configurations, riot and trench. The riot version was essentially the typical 1200 but with a bare 20" cylinder bore barrel. The trench version had a perforated metal barrel heat guard and a bayonet mount on an 18.5" barrel. Both are identifiable by a U.S. stamp on the receiver. Nearly all were later demilled, so they are quite rare. Priced in the lower thousands, maybe even more, if one could be found. Does anyone here have more information?

 

[hardluk1]

Of course one can hunt with a 28, but I'd bet that that 90% of 28 gauge shells are sold to Skeet shooters through their gun clubs. I don't remember seeing a single box of 28 on a gun store shelf. To a somewhat lesser extent about the same can be said of .410 shells. Skeet shooters probably also make up a majority of the .410 shell purchasers.

I once had a friend who was a very good trap shooter who used a 16 gauge. He was the only 16 gauge trap shooter I ever knew. And he reloaded his shells.

Slow to check some forums , sorry .

Guess you live in an area where 28ga is hard to find too but reality is If your really are a shotgunner having a local gun shop order larger volume of cartridges with normal ammo orders and or reloading your own too. 28ga is still very good for quail and dove in a seasons hunters hands . For the novice shotgunner the 410 , 28ga or 16ga may not be a best option but still makes for a fine choice to own if bought right .

 

[44wheelman]

They are a tough sell, have to find that right buyer. I would say $500 for a semi-patient seller, a bit more at auction.

20 years ago, when 12’s were a bit more popular, picked up a 16ga for what I thought was cheap. Fellow was asking $250, gave $225. 85% condition, but was cylinder bore. Shot up about 6 - 8 boxes of ammo that I had at the time, mostly at clay birds, no real need for it- so down the road it went. It took going to several shows to sell it for what I had in it….sorta surprised.

 

[DWalt]

Were it in high condition, a M12 16 might be of more interest to some M12 collector than a hunter. The main consideration for a bird, bunny, and squirrel hunter is that a 16 doesn't offer anything more than a 3" 20 gauge would, with the added complication of finding ammunition to feed it. As I already have both a M12 12 and a M12 20, a M12 16 would be of no interest to me, other than at a giveaway price.

 

[alwslate]

I have two Winchester model 12s in 12 gauge and three in 16 gauge bought pretty cheap on GB over the last several years. The basic game loads of one ounce of 6s or 8s are standard for all three. The difference is the velocity. My local Meijer grocery store used to carry 16s for $1 more per box than 12s or 20s so I stocked up. Don't know if they still do or not because I haven't looked. What I like about the 16 gauge model is that it is on the same smaller size frame as the 20 and probably can be bought for less money. I got one on GB for $175 because the seller said it was locked up and needed work. I assumed it was just put back together incorrectly after being disassembled for cleaning. I was right.

 

[Buick]

Just had the old 16 gauge M12 out for the first weekend of quacker season last Friday and Saturday here in glorious East Central North Carolina! What a delight to hunt with! And I must give proper respect to the Mad River Canoe Co.! They make fantastic canoes for the money. I hope everyone is making it out of doors some this Fall.