Winchester Model 12

[richhodg66]

As I started getting a little more into shotguns last Spring, I picked up a 16 gauge model 12. The vat majority of my shooting was with a little Stevens 5100 side by side and I got a whole lot better with it over a few months going to the range and shooting two rounds once a week. Today was beautiful and my son and I decided to go out, so I took the model 12, this is after not having shot in a couple of months.

First time up, I hit 20, which is decent for me. Second round I hit 23 which is as good as I've ever done. I'm pretty pleased, that Model 12 is a good gun and sure seems easier to hit with for me for some reason.

I know some of you guys do 25 straight with regularity, but for me, today was a good day.

[lancem]

16 gauge Model 12, full choke is my favorite trap gun. In my case my Model 12 came from my grandfather who received it by trading a trained Beagle for it back in the late 40's.

[Minerat]

I have a Model 12 20 ga 3" chamber 30" full that is just a sweet shooting little gun. It just seem to point right every time just like your 16.

[MrWolf]

The 25's will come in time. Gets harder stringing four of those together. Watched a Pennsylvania kid shoot 200 straight at a South Jersey ATA event. My so won the Junior handicap but wouldn't compete much after that. Didn't want to practice to get as good as the kid was. Shame.

[Hamish]

Rich,

What load are you shooting through yours? Congrats on coming up with a “grail” gun!

[richhodg66]

The standard Remington one ounce of #7 1/2s. I need to get my reloader for 16 gauge set up, I have all the stuff just got to get around to it.

[Eddie Southgate]

I got a 16 made in 1913, the first year for 16 and 12 . It's 28" full choke . My house gun is a short barrel 1917 made 12ga with cylinder choke .

[6pt-sika]

Thirty years ago I had a very nice circa 1936 Winchester Model 12 16 gauge 28” Matt rib full choked . Back then I was shooting skeet/trap darn near every day . I could take that full choked gun and go 25 for 25 on the skeet field then go 25 for 25 at 16 yard trap one right after the other . I’ve only had five guns I’ve accomplished that trick and to be honest all of them were choked mod or tighter . I recently bought all the 16 gauge loading stuff a fellow I know had , that equates into 5 pounds of SR4756 , 32 BAGS of REM SP-16 wads and about 7,000 of the no longer made Winchester AA style 16 gauge hulls as well as another MEC 650 in 16 . I have MEC 600 and 9000 both in 16 and had recently sold a like new 650 in 16 and was planning on turning loose this new to me 650 . But I thought before getting rid of it I’d try this guys load using the wads hulls powder and ounce of shot . His load is supposed to be below the 6500 area and about 1150 FPS . I loaded two shot them in the snail and they were Pleasent , I then loaded a box shot a round of skeet and crushed them all . End of discussion everything stays and I’ll use his load atleast until I use up the wads . Truth be told I doubt I ever buy another 16 gauge was as I have all those SP wads and over a case of both sizes of the CB AA16 wads so that equates in 17,500-22,000 wads I think . I’m quite sure some will be left when they poor my ashes in the box .

[slim1836]

I've got a model 12 in 12 gauge, it was made in 1929. It was part of the estate buy a month ago. I'm gonna use it dove hunting next season.

Slim

[richhodg66]

I honestly never saw how the 12 was better than the Ithaca 37 which I've always been a fan of and have a 16 gauge one as well. I will say the side eject does make it less awkward at the trap range and this Winchester is fuller choked and it feels slightly longer and is a little heavier.

I too bought out an estate and got a bunch of 16 gauge stuff a while back. I have a lot of empty hulls now, most of which are the black Remington hulls. Thinking of just trading those off and buying Cheddites from BPI, they seem like better hulls from what I've gleaned from reading about it.

I tend to like "different" stuff and have grown to like the 16 gauge a lot, but when and if I get a dedicated trap gun, it will likely be a 12. There's a nice Remington Model 31 TC in a local shop I'm thinking about.

[Hamish]

I tend to like “different” too Rich, nothing wrong with that. My last two shotguns were a 16ga Stevens 520 and a Marlin model 90 in 12.

6pt., you made me a little ill when I saw how many sp’s and cf hulls you got into, good for you!

[dverna]

The 16 ga is a reloading candidate for sure. Factory stuff is expensive.

Lots of good scores posted with the Model 12 and they are a good gun. Glad you are enjoying it and not putting in a closet like so many wind up.

Those are good scores for someone who is not shooting a lot of Trap. Nice job!

[missionary5155]

Only 16 gauge we have had is an old double Batavia hammer gun I bought to do the cowboy thing but never went back. Realized I'd rather sit in bushes and pop crows. So the Batavia gets to go crow calling off and on. 1 ounce of #6 sitting on top of a news paper wad and Unique. Out to 30-35 yards the crows have little hope from those 30" barrels.

[richhodg66]

One thing about that Model 12 verses the little 5100, shooting two rounds with the 5100, I don't even feel it afterwards, but that Model 12 has the shoulder a little tender. I was only wearing a light shirt as the weather was beautiful. Strange, neither gun has a recoil pad and that Model 12 has to be at least as heavy as the little double. It certainly didn't seem like it was kicking hard while I was shooting.

Since shooting 16s the past year, a 12 seems like a cannon to me now. I have a beater Mossberg 835 if I ever need to do any real serious killing, coyotes or water fowl or something, but I think the smaller gauges will get the nod most of the time.

[beagle]

Love those old Model 12s. Was stationed in the Army in Maryland. Went with my wife to the NCO club one Saturday afternoon so she could play Bingo. I got bored and walked down to the Rod and Gun Club. Turkey shoot going on. One of my buddies kept egging me to enter. Said I could use his Model 12. Took that old gun and lost the first time. Won the next three matches. Either a choice of a ham, a turkey or merchandise in the amount of $7.50. Took a ham, a turkey and three boxes of AAs (tells you how long ago). Had a heck of a time packing that up the hill but I made it. Walked back in and the wife hadn't won a thing. Last time she let me pull that stunt but I do love the old Model 12s. He wouldn't let me use the Model 12 anymore as I beat him with his own gun. Luck matches. Closest shot to the X.
Was at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia and they opened the skeet range again. The Air Force had left twenty Model 12s when they had it. Birds were free and I loaded my shells. Shot a Model 12 a lot there. Came in one Sunday and asked for a Model 12. None. They had traded for ten new 1100s. Boys, you was had./beagle

[rking22]

Rich, is that M12 you have marked 16 - 2 3/4 or only 16 ga? Before 1936 all the M12s were chambered for 2 9/16 shells and the ejection port is not long enough for most 2 3/4 inch shells. The black Remingtons are the exception, only factory 2 3/4 that will eject from my 1913 vintage M12. Also, get some of those cheddites and try them in your M37 before committing. My 1954 (or 57??? CRS) does not extract the European hulls. Works fine with Rem,federal, and old Winchester. The M12 doesn’t care, I got 250 short cheddites for it and they extract fine.
For me the M37 needs a solid rib to not be butt heavy, the 16ga M12 is just perfect. To me, 12 ha M12s are pigs and the 20s are just OK, a 16 is “Just Right”. That M31 was an awesome shotgun, just too expensive to manufacture and the M12 was already established. I have a bad tendency to buy M31 and M17 remingtons whenever I get one in my hands, with retirement on me, I gotta quit that! Get you one (or more) of each before the collectors discover them!

Oh, I bet if you weigh the 5100 and the M12, I bet the M12 is notably lighter! My early one is lighter than most everything else I hunt with, except the M17. Stock could be a bit short for you as well.

[CLAYPOOL]

I bought out a retiring trap shooter's 16 GA. stuff. 2500 hundred purple hulls, a little powder, and some shot. The loader was a size master Mec. 100.00 dollars and had been on face book for sale for 4 days.. no bites. A guy says what are you going to do with that. Do you even have a 16 Ga. Nope but i bought 3 model 12'ves before the recent rise.....

[6pt-sika]

At the moment I’ve got seven Parker 16’s , a German 16 SxS , two drilling’s that the shotguns 16 , a Winchester 37 16 and an old Remington 870 16 . I’ve been loading 16’s on and off for 35 years . Only things I’d like for the 16 would be ten more pounds of SR4756 and a few thousand of the no longer made Remington R-16 wad . Do I need the R-16’s nope but I’ve never used that wad before and would like to before I give up loading .

[6pt-sika]

6pt., you made me a little ill when I saw how many sp’s and cf hulls you got into, good for you!
:bigsmyl2:

[Walks]

Love the Model 12, have a 12ga 30"-3" FC and a 20ga 28"- IM. Have as much regard for the M97 too. Have a 12ga - 18 1/2" with choke tubes installed for Cowboy Shooting. Great SKEET Gun too. The 16ga M97 was My Son's favorite shotgun.
Grew shooting my Grandfathers "Wards Western Field" a Mossberg 520 or 620 20ga - 28" FC

All Takedowns. Hunted ducks with the M12 - 12ga in the 1960's, very sweet shooting shotgun.
You just can't beat those old pump guns. So smooth, so well made.

Craftsmanship loong gone bye.

[richhodg66]

Rich, is that M12 you have marked 16 - 2 3/4 or only 16 ga? Before 1936 all the M12s were chambered for 2 9/16 shells and the ejection port is not long enough for most 2 3/4 inch shells. The black Remingtons are the exception, only factory 2 3/4 that will eject from my 1913 vintage M12. Also, get some of those cheddites and try them in your M37 before committing. My 1954 (or 57??? CRS) does not extract the European hulls. Works fine with Rem,federal, and old Winchester. The M12 doesn’t care, I got 250 short cheddites for it and they extract fine.
For me the M37 needs a solid rib to not be butt heavy, the 16ga M12 is just perfect. To me, 12 ha M12s are pigs and the 20s are just OK, a 16 is “Just Right”. That M31 was an awesome shotgun, just too expensive to manufacture and the M12 was already established. I have a bad tendency to buy M31 and M17 remingtons whenever I get one in my hands, with retirement on me, I gotta quit that! Get you one (or more) of each before the collectors discover them!

Oh, I bet if you weigh the 5100 and the M12, I bet the M12 is notably lighter! My early one is lighter than most everything else I hunt with, except the M17. Stock could be a bit short for you as well.

This one is marked 2 3/4", someone mentioned that after I bought it and I checked.

I might have to weigh them, I know that 12 is lighter than my 37. but the 37 has a pad on it, I wish it didn't, but at least it was installed well and not some hack job.

[sparky45]

Absolutely my most coveted shotgun is my Model 12 12ga that was my dads. A 1920's gun that I carried more than my dad used it. Had a GS go through it in 1968 and it's still tight as she can be and a great shooter.