Growing up, my buddies and I only shot local firearms and boy did we have the best options. In any direction from my Connecticut River Valley home there was a firearm company. Colt’s Manufacturing Company was 18 miles away in Hartford. Parker Bros was around the corner in Meriden. Marlin was a few miles away in North Haven. The big city of New Haven played home to three companies: High Standard Firearms, O.F. Mossberg and Sons, and the legendary Winchester Repeating Arms Company.

Two companies were on opposite ends of that line. We all loved going to Hartford to see Colt’s bright blue onion tower dusted with stars and topped with the Rampant Colt. It was a dramatic view of one piece of a broken lance perched across the colt’s front legs while its mouth held the pointed end. The Rampant Colt offered a dramatic entrance to the 130-acre plant and the firearms made there. But as inspiring as the Single Action Army, the 1911, and the M-16 were, we all thought that there was magic at the other end of the drive. The Winchester campus was awe-inspiring, a stately 255-acre campus with 876 buildings. A new, state-of-the-art factory opened in 1912 and at 275 Winchester Avenue. That’s important, because it was the same year in which one of the most storied of shotguns of all times debuted, too.

The Winchester Model 12 dominated the pump gun market for 52 years. Sportsmen flocked to it immediately from its launch in August 1912 and remained faithful until it was discontinued in May 1964. Danny Michael, the Curator of the Cody Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyoming, oversees the entire Winchester collection and considers the Model 12 to be a unique part of shotgunning history.

A New Kind of Shotgun

“At the turn of the 20th century, pump shotguns represented a new action for shooters and hunters,” he said. “John Browning designed Winchester’s first pump shotgun, the Model 1893,” he said. “Browning improved it to create the Model 1897 which many shooters know and love. The 1897 used a sliding forearm to remove a spent shell from the chamber and discard it through an ejection port. A tilting breechblock loaded a new shell when the forearm was slid forward. The Model 1897 had a 2 9/16” chamber, was designed for low compression paper shells, had an external hammer, and held six shells in the tubular magazine that ran nearly the entire length of the barrel. Over 1,000,000 shotguns were sold between 1897 and 1957. Compared to a two-shot side-by-side, the 1897 pump was a thoroughly innovative and modern firearm.”

But competition came fast, and Savage Arms introduced their pump gun a few years later as the Model 1904. Four years after that, Remington climbed aboard by releasing their Model 1908. Winchester’s dominance was threatened, and to maintain their position they needed a firearm that would capture the hearts of sportsmen nationwide. A few years later they released one that did just that.

Launched in 1912, the Model 1912 was the brainchild of Thomas Crosley Johnson, one of Winchester’s legendary engineers. Johnson relied on the core principles of reliability, shootability, and capacity, but then he knocked it out of the park. Johnson’s design included a machined, solid steel receiver that was streamlined and enclosed the bolt.  Johnson used an internal hammer and an inertia action side lock. When the hammer dropped, the bolt was partially unlocked and was further unlocked through the shotgun’s recoil. When the forearm was pulled back, an action bar cam pulled down the bolt, cocked the internal hammer and removed and ejected the spent shell. The next shell in the magazine was raised by a shell lifter, and the forward movement with the forearm chambered the new shell. If a shot wasn’t fired the shooter could eject a shell by pushing the forearm forward to release the slide.

Changing Shotshells

The tubular magazine held six folded crimp shells and five rolled crimp shells. Shells loaded from the bottom made for easy reloading. The first loaded shell depressed the shell lifter before the round was inserted into the magazine and the others followed.

Johnson’s pump was a take down model which could be easily disassembled for cleaning. The forearm was pushed forward, and the short pin at the end of the magazine tube was pushed from the top right to the bottom left of the tube. The pin then was used to turn the tube and unlock the barrel from the receiver. Then, the forearm was pushed forward and the barrel and magazine was turned 45 degrees to the left and removed from the receiver. Some Model 12s had barrels made from Damascus steel, but the majority were fluid steel.

Shotshells and the new “nitro” powders were the reasons for a variety of chamber lengths. The first Model 12 to be released was a 20 gauge with a 2 ½ inch chamber. The 12 and 16 gauges debuted the following year in 1913, and the 16 gauge had a 2 9/16-inch chamber length. It wasn’t until over a decade later in 1927 that chamber lengths were standardized into a longer 2 ¾ inches. And those chambers shifted again in a new, robust shotgun called the Heavy Duck Gun. The Heavy Duck Gun first appeared in 1935 and was able to handle the new three-inch magnum Super X shells.

The Perfect Repeater

“The Model 12 achieved prominence that cemented the concept of a pump shotgun for commercial sales,” Michael said. “Sportsmen used the Model 12 for all types of upland and waterfowl hunting. It was a popular shotgun for competitive skeet and trap shooting, too. The Model 12 was such an ideal shotgun that it became known as ‘The Perfect Repeater.’ Over 2 million shotguns were sold between its launch in 1912 and its discontinuation in 1964. Winchester dominated the pump gun market, and its commercial success was not challenged until Remington launched the 870 in 1950 and Mossberg released the Model 500 in 1961.”

Military Application of the Model 12

The Model 12 was so reliable that Winchester received several government contracts. “The Model 12 was used in World War I, World War II, Korea, and early Vietnam,” Michael said. “The Trench Gun model had a shorter barrel, a vented heat shield, and a bayonet adapter. In World War II, the U.S. Government purchased about 80,000 Model 12s. The United States Marine Corps used many of them in the Pacific Theater. The Riot Gun had a short, 20-inch barrel and was favored by domestic police forces. One reason military and police detachments favored the Model 12 was because it had no trigger disconnector. If the trigger was depressed and held and the slide was moved back and forward the shotgun would slam fire. That feature made it excellent for close combat situations.”

A Shotgun For Sportsmen

For sportsmen, the Model 12 appeared in several different grades. Barrel lengths were 26, 28 and 30 inches long in Cylinder, Improved, Modified, Full, Skeet and Trap chokes. Lots of different combinations of ribs, engraving, inlays, and exotic wood, with a few different standard models listed below.

• Field: Available in 12-, 16-, and 20- gauge, with fixed choke options corresponding to barrel length. 12-gauge 30-inch barrel in full choke, 28-inch barrel in full or modified choke, and 26-inch barrel for improved cylinder. The 16- and 20-gauges came in a 28-inch barrel in full or modified chokes and a 26-inch barrel in improved cylinder. The barrels were plain.
• Fancy: 12-gauge, with a vented rib and fancy grade American walnut with rubber butt pad.
• Skeet: 12-, 20-, and 28-gauges. 26-inch barrel with a Winchester Skeet choke.
• Trap: Featured a Monte Carlo stock and Winchester ventilated rib, a 30-inch barrel, and recoil pad. A straight stock was available as well. In 12-gauge only.
• Pigeon: Engravings and carvings based on options per year.
• Heavy Duck Gun: accommodates five 3-inch magnum shells.

Depending on the year, between 20,000 and 30,000 employees passed through the gates of the storied factory located at 275 Winchester Avenue.  For them it was just a job but to us it was where 140 years of legends were created. Behind the brick exterior and tall, rectangular windows was the birthplace of the Model 66, Model 73, and Model 94 lever-action rifles. Big game hunters made the Model 70 bolt action an American classic.  Winchester helped the war effort through military contracts as racks upon racks of Enfield rifles, M1 Garands, and M1 Carbines temporarily replaced sporting firearms. Shotguns were a big part of Winchester’s legacy, with the Model 21 side by being a favorite. But for shotgunners, it’s the Model 12 that occupies the top slot in this Winchester highlight reel. It’s for good reason, one that has continued to perform over half a century since it was discontinued.