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Posted: 7/12/2012 7:50:53 AM EDT
| A friend has a Winchester Model 12 - 16 gague - nickel steel. It was made in 1923 and has a 20 inch barrel. I know condition is everything and I would rate it as "good". Any help? Thanks |
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I think there were some original "trench guns" made on the model 12. Those would have had a 20" barrel. Bank guards, prison guards, and police departments also would have been in the market for model 12 with a 20" barrel. But, most of those entities already had model '97s in their arsenal. So, I'm gonna guess there were not many 20" barrel guns made.
Now, having said that, if it IS a factory original 20" barrel, I suspect it will bring a premium price. You have two problems as I see it. First, you have to determine if the barrel left the factory as a 20", or if it was cut by some later owner. Second, if it is an original 20", it almost certainly saw service somewhere. The provenance of that service could significantly affect the value of the gun. So, you've got to give it a very, very close look and inspection to see if there are any cartouches anywhere on the wood or receiver. If you could prove it is original and that it has a verifiable provenance, then you might have a gun worth North of $500. My understanding is that the Model 12 was originally introduced as a 20 gauge. I don't know how rare the 16 gauge is. I have personally seen three of them in the past week. 12 gauge guns seem to be harder to find than do 16s. |
| Actually there were 2 million Model 12's made from 1912-1964 and from 1972-1980. Some folks claim the 16 ga.Model 12 is the ideal field gun. If the barrel has been cut down to 20", the gun being in "good" condition would be in the $200-250 range. What is the choke marking on the barrel? If it's "full" or "modified", more than likely the barrel's been cut. That's not to say the gun wouldn't be a sweet home defense gun or maybe shoot slugs real well but other than for those purposes an "antique that age with a cut down barrel won't have much appeal to most hunters or collectors. |
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