XD Talk

ChippyTX · 12-31-2011, 01:20 AM

I just received this Winchester Model 12, 12-guage pump shotgun as a gift from my Dad. He told me he bought it brand new about 65 years ago. [CORRECTION: He bought it approx 54 years ago. Based on the S/N, this gun was made in 1957.]

I don't know very much about shotguns. Hoping y'all can tell me something about this gun.
1. Is it special? or just run-of-the-mill ordinary?
2. Is it valuable?
3. Should I clean it good and head to the range to try it out? Or, should I just put it on a trophy shelf?

You get the idea..... Please help tell me what I have here....

Thanks

xdmp22 · 12-31-2011, 01:30 AM

Pics or it never happened....

If you clean it, don't ruin or change anything of the finish.

I would shoot it from time to time and keep it on the shelf the rest.....

You really need to search out the serial number, date of manufacturer, etc

Then try here http://homesteadfirearms.com/appraisals/12winShotgun/default.htm

and on gunbroker

They are worth between 300 and 3000 depending on model

ChippyTX · 12-31-2011, 02:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xdmp22

Pics or it never happened....

Here's the pictures:

rayikeo2 · 12-31-2011, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChippyTX

I just received this Winchester Model 12, 12-guage pump shotgun as a gift from my Dad. He told me he bought it brand new about 65 years ago.

I don't know very much about shotguns. Hoping y'all can tell me something about this gun.
1. Is it special? or just run-of-the-mill ordinary?
2. Is it valuable?
3. Should I clean it good and head to the range to try it out? Or, should I just put it on a trophy shelf?

You get the idea..... Please help tell me what I have here....

Thanks

What did your Dad tell you? He surely filled you in on some details!
The Model 12 Winchester was and still is one of the best, most reliable and most saught after shotguns ever produced by Winchester. Yours looks to be in excellant condition and worth a premium price. Those guns were used for Duck hunting and Trap shooting. Don't sell it if you have kids to pass it on to as it will only gain in value. You can shoot it but don't abuse it or scratch the wood. Nice gift from your Dad, keep it as long as he is alive. He would be very disapointed if you sell the heirloom.

**thetravlor** · 12-31-2011, 07:24 AM

One of the best guns Winchester ever put out. With that one, keep it stored correctly and safe. It is probably quite valuable with the finish I see. There is more value in the heritage from your Dad.
Make sure if you do use/shoot it to not bang it up.

ChippyTX · 01-01-2012, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayikeo2

What did your Dad tell you? He surely filled you in on some details!
The Model 12 Winchester was and still is one of the best, most reliable and most saught after shotguns ever produced by Winchester. Yours looks to be in excellant condition and worth a premium price. Those guns were used for Duck hunting and Trap shooting. Don't sell it if you have kids to pass it on to as it will only gain in value. You can shoot it but don't abuse it or scratch the wood. Nice gift from your Dad, keep it as long as he is alive. He would be very disapointed if you sell the heirloom.

Thanks for the feedback...

I still need to get more detailed info from my Dad on the gun.
What I do know is:
1. He bought about 65 years ago (I need to try to get a precise date)
2. He bought it at the "Country Merchant" on Telephone Rd which is either in Pearland, Tx or near the border-line in southern part of Houston.
3. He told me he paid $99 for it. It was before the days of Sales Tax. He said he remembers handing the clerk a one hundred dollar bill and got $1 in change.
4. He bought it to go Duck hunting.
5. He told me of a few times that he went Duck and Goose hunting with a buddy on the east side of Galveston bay and in the shallow lakes south of Baytown and in the Anahuac area of Texas. (I need to get a more precise number of times he went hunting with this gun. However, I got the impression it was only a handful of times.)

I never remember my Dad going hunting as I was growing up. One day I asked him about his hunting experience.
After I was a young adult, he told me a story of going Duck hunting with a buddy. He left on Friday after getting home from a full work-week. He left my mom to tend to 4 young kids (I was the youngest) all weekend, then came home late on Sunday evening from hunting with a dozen or more dead Ducks that all needed to be plucked and cleaned. You can only imagine the reception he got from my Mom. Well, as the story goes, he never made that mistake again. And, he never went Duck hunting again. The good news part of this story is that they are still married after 69+ years and it will be 70 years in Oct'2012. (They are both eighty-eight.)

xdmp22 · 01-01-2012, 12:55 AM

Wonderful story! Good Luck with the Gun!

ChippyTX · 01-01-2012, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thetravlor

One of the best guns Winchester ever put out. With that one, keep it stored correctly and safe. It is probably quite valuable with the finish I see. There is more value in the heritage from your Dad.
Make sure if you do use/shoot it to not bang it up.

Please elaborate on "keep it stored correctly". What are the Do's and Don'ts of storing older shotguns?

And, several have said..."It's okay to clean the gun, but, don't mess-up the finish..." How do I keep the finish in great shape? and What do I avoid to prevent messing-up the finish?

Thanks...

xdmp22 · 01-01-2012, 02:06 AM

Just make sure you store it indoors in a clean, dry environment.

I would use gentle cleaners and only clean the bore and action....don't try and rub, or resurface the outside in anyway.....

If you store in a safe...make sure you have desicant, or a goldenrod, or something similar to remove moisture

I don't want the liability of suggesting specific solvents....someone else will come by to help

jtxdm · 01-01-2012, 01:01 PM

I had a Model 12 very similar to yours. It belonged to my grandfather who bought it new and used it bird hunting for many years. It was more worn than yours, but a fantastic shooting hammerless repeating shotgun.
Mine was stolen about 8 years ago. It still brings me to tears thinking about it.
My advice is when it's not stored properly in your safe, don't take your eyes off of it. And by all means, take it out and use it! No slugs in that full choke barrel.

You have a fine family heirloom. Thanks for sharing the pictures.