Hello Everyone,
I found this site while trying to find info on my new-to-me Model 12 riot gun. The gun came from the collection of a gentleman who is now deceased. His widow says he bought it from a retired Saint Paul police officer (no PD marking on gun). Serial number is 937,4XX. The riot gun has front and rear sling swivels and I’m trying to figure out if these are factory Winchester pieces, or something else. After much searching in the internet I was able to find one other Model 12 riot gun with the same swivels. It also happens to be from 1942. Thanks for any help.
Auction of other M12 with swivels:
https://www.gunauction.com/buy/7880690
Thanks again.

Your photos do not show up. Can you try to re-post them?
Your Model 12 is a pretty low number for a WW2 military shotgun. Does the receiver have the US and Ordnance bomb mark on it? Does the barrel have an Ordnance bomb on the top rear? And does the stock have a cartouche?
There are only a very few WW2 Model 12 riot guns that have factory sling swivels and, if I recall correctly, these went to a National Guard Unit. There were also some Model 12s that had sling swivels added to them as part of a rebuild program. All of these will have martial markings on them.
By the way, the Model 12 on Gunauction is not a military shotgun.
Thanks Chuck for getting my pictures on here. Seems every gun forum I belong to has a different way of posting pictures. Eventually I’ll learn.
Tom, my Model 12 is pre-military contract. No US markings on it. It came from/thru a law enforcement agency. Just trying to learn as much as I can about what I have.
Thanks.
P.S. Just found the same front swivel on an Ohio Army National Guard 1897 that was manufactured in 1941. So I now know these are actual Winchester items. Also, this site dates my Model 12 as 1941, other sites put it at 1942.
Gunut,
I wouldn’t call them “typical”. In Bruce Canfield’s book about combat shot guns (2007) he states “Unlike the M97, there are no known M12 riot guns with factory installed sling swivels.” Then on the next page shows a picture of two M12 riot guns, one without swivels and one with. If your’s has the same sling swivels, that would make three so far that I know of. All three are/were in the mid-west, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. I’ve also been told that these riot guns were used for security at defense contractors (Boeing, Chrysler, Ford, munitions plants, etc).
Then again, I could be completely wrong.
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