student of history
CGN Regular
Hi,
It's been quite a while since I made a contribution to the forum so I'd like to take the opportunity to share my most recent acquisition with all of you. Pictured below is a late production (December, 1943) factory parkerized Winchester, Model 12 Trench Gun. This particular variation is rather unique in the sense that the vast majority of American military shotguns produced during WWII were blued. In fact, it's estimated that only 6,000 were factory parkerized.
The thinly applied zinc phosphate finish on the receivers of these late Model 12 trench guns has a tendency of appearing worn, but in reality, the illusion is largely attributed to the fact that the finish was applied to a crude, unpolished surface. Something worth noting is the "thumb print" located just to the right of the U.S. property marking on the receiver. This is a characteristic which just about every original factory parkerized Model 12 trench gun displays. While there has been quite a bit of discussion on the "thumb print", the consensus is that it was a byproduct of the heat-treating process.
Another interesting characteristic of these late production Model 12s is that while most large components are parkerized, many of the smaller components including the: safety, trigger and screws are typically blued.
Hope you all enjoy the thread. Any and all comments and questions are welcome.
Regards,
Chris
It's been quite a while since I made a contribution to the forum so I'd like to take the opportunity to share my most recent acquisition with all of you. Pictured below is a late production (December, 1943) factory parkerized Winchester, Model 12 Trench Gun. This particular variation is rather unique in the sense that the vast majority of American military shotguns produced during WWII were blued. In fact, it's estimated that only 6,000 were factory parkerized.
The thinly applied zinc phosphate finish on the receivers of these late Model 12 trench guns has a tendency of appearing worn, but in reality, the illusion is largely attributed to the fact that the finish was applied to a crude, unpolished surface. Something worth noting is the "thumb print" located just to the right of the U.S. property marking on the receiver. This is a characteristic which just about every original factory parkerized Model 12 trench gun displays. While there has been quite a bit of discussion on the "thumb print", the consensus is that it was a byproduct of the heat-treating process.
Another interesting characteristic of these late production Model 12s is that while most large components are parkerized, many of the smaller components including the: safety, trigger and screws are typically blued.
Hope you all enjoy the thread. Any and all comments and questions are welcome.
Regards,
Chris
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