As mentioned in the “Heavy Duck 12” thread, I was top bidder at a local auction house and brought home this Winchester Model 12 for the princely sum of $210.  I’ve never owned a Model 12, and I figured that an inexpensive clapped out on would be perfect for me to play around with. The forum dating tool puts the manufacture year as 1919, but there is evidence on the gun that perhaps 1918 is more likely (pics of evidence below).

This shotgun is nothing too special, and is well used. It seemed to function correctly but the action was stiff due to untold decades of dirt and grime. I always like to take old guns apart for inspection and to see how they work, so the first thing I did was to hit YouTube and look for instructional videos. There is a fellow, Mark Novak, that has a gunsmithing channel, and he had a really nice tutorial on how to disassemble/reassemble the Model 12.  Along the way, he explains the function of all the moving parts, and this came in very handy. I also have a copy of “Encyclopedia of Modern Firearms: Parts & Assembly Vol 1” to reference, which has pictures and step by step instructions . As an aside – f you’re fooling with disassembling and reassembling vintage American guns, this is a must-have for your library.

After I had it apart, I cleaned and inspected all the parts. In doing so, I discovered that the firing pin retractor screw was badly worn and the retractor spring was broken, which resulted in the firing pin not being blocked when out of battery. So, the gun as it sits is unsafe to fire until that spring is replaced – I’m not keen on experiencing an out of battery event .  Luckily, new repro screws and springs are about $5 and $3 respectively, courtesy of Numrich Arms.

The original butt plate is worn and has a crack, so I took it off to see about repairing the crack with some epoxy. When I did so, a couple of small canisters fell out of the bolt hole – one containing matches, and the other containing a small note from 1947. In addition, there was a pencil inscription with a name and date on the wood, dated 1918.  Interesting.

Anyway, take a look at the pics – I think I got my money’s worth with this gun, and it was a real education taking it apart and reassembling.