I just noted you have some “Desirables’ in your wants for the gun. It’s just a suggestion, but I’d be prone to jump on one that was close enough - to get myself in the game (so to speak), then I could take my time looking for the “right” one. You can always get a reasonable deal on the one you’d be selling off. You’re just trading paper money for steel-and-wood money.
Winchester Model 12
- Thread starter rchall
- Start date
StrawHat
Member
But only among a select very few. Most folks will take a loss in the short term if they try to sell too quickly.
Unfortunately, the Model 12 is no longer viewed as desirable. Too many newer and cheaper shotguns to buy to worry about something you have to buy a twin to have spare parts.
And I own a couple of them!
Kevin
DWalt
Member
Me also, a 12 ga, ca. 1940, and a 20 ga, ca. 1913. I think both are excellent shotguns, but the fact is that their time is long past. As I have said in other postings, my favorite shotgun is a 12 gauge Skeet grade Winchester 1200 pump. And I don't care to hear others complain about how low their opinions are of the 1200. My 1200 has always been very trouble free and fits me well. That is all that matters. And it bothers me not at all that it contains a few small pieces of plastic which gives some others apoplexy.
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I'm hearing comments from the "shooters" about the Model 12 being outdated. I'm not sure what the OP's intent is with the shotgun he was looking at, but collectors still value the high condition Model 12 with rare features such as the solid rib described.
Installing the solid rib on a shotgun barrel was a painstaking process of soldering and alignment to insure a straight and centered rib upon completion. It proved to be too expensive a process and was therefore discontinued. Solid rib guns aren't common and are thus desirable to collectors.
As previously stated, Winchester installed some vented ribs themselves, farmed some out to Simmons, and many others were done by Simmons on an aftermarket basis. This is a whole other area where collecting knowledge is required.
My point is this: model 12's are still an area of interest to collectors. Deluxe wood, skeet and pigeon grades, ribbed, less common gauges, etc. all add value to the collector and they continue to be in demand. The shooter grade 12's and 16's are what most of you are referring to in the low to mid $100's.
The shotgun described in the OP sounds like it has collector qualities to it.
Installing the solid rib on a shotgun barrel was a painstaking process of soldering and alignment to insure a straight and centered rib upon completion. It proved to be too expensive a process and was therefore discontinued. Solid rib guns aren't common and are thus desirable to collectors.
As previously stated, Winchester installed some vented ribs themselves, farmed some out to Simmons, and many others were done by Simmons on an aftermarket basis. This is a whole other area where collecting knowledge is required.
My point is this: model 12's are still an area of interest to collectors. Deluxe wood, skeet and pigeon grades, ribbed, less common gauges, etc. all add value to the collector and they continue to be in demand. The shooter grade 12's and 16's are what most of you are referring to in the low to mid $100's.
The shotgun described in the OP sounds like it has collector qualities to it.
Charlie Foxtrott
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A 1936 mfgr should be 2 3/4" chamber and should be marked on the bbl.
Change over from 2 1/2" to 2 3/4" came about around 1926
The 2 1/2" chambered guns were not marked as to chamber length.
The very first of the 2 3/4" chambered guns had the chamber length marked on the bottom of the recv'r right underneath the Ser#.
That only lasted for a short time until the supply of early unmarked bbl's were used up.
Make sure the Recv'r(Frame) and the BBl assembly ser#'s match. Look closely as many have been 'forced matched' when it comes to ribbed bbl guns. Look for the bbl assembly number having been removed and the new matching number stamped into place.
The correct font usually isn't quite correct and the bbl assm ser# will be stamped lightly in an effort to avoid crushing the thin bbl extension ring.
The ring has to have been reblued after these efforts. Some are professional,,others are a quicky cold blue attempt.
Proof mark on the bbl should be on the left side of the bbl at the breech just off of the Raised Rib.
The matching proof on the Frame should also be off to the left side of center at the top front of the frame.
Both should appear to have been stamped 'Thru the Bluing'
NOT blued over the stamped image. Definetely not polished over.
A decent buy on a true 90% Mod12 pre-war 20ga w/raised rib in excl mechanical and bore condition IMO should be betw $700 and $1000
The difference comes in when intrepretations of what 90% means.
and...What the bbl length of 28" means to you the buyer ..Good or not so Good.
Even if you like a 28",,you can say you were shopping for a 30" ..which is very much the popular want these days in a small bore.
Same with the Choke.
(Check the choke with a gauge and see if it is what the factory marking states it is.
If it has been honed out,,then the price lowers as it's non-factory,,,
The price lowers even if the alteration is to your liking. Time to kick tires.)
Change over from 2 1/2" to 2 3/4" came about around 1926
The 2 1/2" chambered guns were not marked as to chamber length.
The very first of the 2 3/4" chambered guns had the chamber length marked on the bottom of the recv'r right underneath the Ser#.
That only lasted for a short time until the supply of early unmarked bbl's were used up.
Make sure the Recv'r(Frame) and the BBl assembly ser#'s match. Look closely as many have been 'forced matched' when it comes to ribbed bbl guns. Look for the bbl assembly number having been removed and the new matching number stamped into place.
The correct font usually isn't quite correct and the bbl assm ser# will be stamped lightly in an effort to avoid crushing the thin bbl extension ring.
The ring has to have been reblued after these efforts. Some are professional,,others are a quicky cold blue attempt.
Proof mark on the bbl should be on the left side of the bbl at the breech just off of the Raised Rib.
The matching proof on the Frame should also be off to the left side of center at the top front of the frame.
Both should appear to have been stamped 'Thru the Bluing'
NOT blued over the stamped image. Definetely not polished over.
A decent buy on a true 90% Mod12 pre-war 20ga w/raised rib in excl mechanical and bore condition IMO should be betw $700 and $1000
The difference comes in when intrepretations of what 90% means.
and...What the bbl length of 28" means to you the buyer ..Good or not so Good.
Even if you like a 28",,you can say you were shopping for a 30" ..which is very much the popular want these days in a small bore.
Same with the Choke.
(Check the choke with a gauge and see if it is what the factory marking states it is.
If it has been honed out,,then the price lowers as it's non-factory,,,
The price lowers even if the alteration is to your liking. Time to kick tires.)
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