Winchester model 12 questions

[okanagan hiker]

I have been offered a Winchester model 12 by a friend, who got if from his dad.

I am not overly familiar with this shotgun, and was wondering about a few things -

1) Can I use ( 2 and 3/4 ) slugs with it? ( no choke )

2) is steel shot ok to use?

3) it is the take down version ( are they all take down models? )... done carefully, what would the life cycle be of taking it down? ( seperating the barrel and magazine from the reciever ) Hundreds of time? thousands?

4) lastly, how do I do a search on here for a model 12? ( 12 is too short a search string, I believe )

thanks in advance
OKH

 

[straightshooter]

1) Yes you can.

2) If by "no choke" you mean cylinder bore, yes you can.

3) Yes they're all take down. Done correctly, you can break them down thousands of times (although you may need a higher offset adjustment ring after each hundref years - give or take depending on frequency of use).

4) Try searching for "Winchester pump". You'll get 1897's, model 12's, 1200's, and 1300's.

 

[straightshooter]

Should add for #3:

Done correctly, there's no appreciable wear or damage caused by taking down and reassembly. You do want to take your time the first several times, as unfamiliarity can be expensive. For example, if the actuator slide is allowed to slide towards the breach slightly before the barrel/mag assembly is reattached, it can block the assembly from turning into the interrupted threads. The result, if you try and force it, is a broken butt stock. Expensive lesson!

Take your time. Get someone to show you the correct method. Do not force it - if it doesn't go together relatively easily, you have the adjustment wrong, or you're not doing it right.