Winchester Model 12 Super Field Grade

fugawi

fugawi

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Can anyone tell me a bit more about this version of the Winchester Model 12 shotgun? I'm pretty sure its a Model 12 Super Field Grade. What's interesting is that when I purchased it several years ago, it came with two matching barrels: one a 'Full' choked, 30 inch barrel, with a medium vented rib; the other 'Full' choked, with an approximately 26 inch, medium vented rib barrel with a Poly Choke on it. I'm measuring from the muzzle to the end of the threaded chamber on both barrels. The Poly Choke itself is about 2 1/4 inches long.

Both barrels are 12 gauge. Both barrels have identical serial numbers that match the receiver. The serial number places it in the 1959 year of manufacture.

On the Poly Choked barrel, the front bead is on the Poly Choke and is a smaller brass coloured bead; whereas the front bead on the other barrel is at the end of the rib, is larger and is ivory coloured. Both have a mid rib bead which are proportionally smaller than the front beads.

Both barrels have checkered fore ends and the butt stock has a checkered, capped pistol grip with a straight comb, plus a red Pachmayr White Line recoil pad.

The grain in the wood is beautiful with only a few very minor dings, no cracks and the bluing on the receiver and barrels are polished. All the numbers and lettering are crisp. The ribs and top of the receiver are matte. It has been fired but I'd say not much.

Was this a hunting shotgun or a trap/skeet gun? Or intended to be both? Is that why the front and mid beads on the 'Full' choked 30 inch barrel are larger than the Poly Choked barrel? I'm assuming the Poly Choked barrel was intended for hunting and the other for shooting clays.

Any thoughts to value? I'd say its in 90% or better condition. I know plain Field grade Model 12s don't go for much these days. Also any suggestions on how to store it so it doesn't get 'kissed' in my gun safe. I've thought of using one of those silicone gun socks but have no experience using them.

It looks similar to this Model 12 except mine has a vented rib, Pachmayr pad and the extra Poly Choked barrel:

suB5jUx.jpg


Thanks for any input.
 
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Lots of things going on with this one. The facts are these:

- if the two barrels serial nums match the receiver, than they were ordered that way from the Factory.
- 1955 was the first year of the Super Grade Field Gun, 1959 it was discontinued
- The Super Grade in 1959 would have been $155.95 with a 30" barrel with matted rib. An interchangeable barrel would have cost an additional $84.55
- Super Grades werent offered with poly chokes
- Super Grades were equipped with "undercut and hand shaped grip, steel grip cap, fluted comb, and neatly fitted checkered composition buttplate"
- Catalog doesn't list a Super Grade with a ventilated rib, however it may have been ordered special
- Compensators seem to have been dropped from the catalog by 1955 (doesn't mean they still couldn't have been ordered)

So now if your gun has a steel grip cap and matches the description above, then it was probably a Super Grade. Missing any of these, it may be a Model 12 Trap with an extra barrel or a Model 12 Skeet with an extra barrel. If its got the pachmayr recoil pad, thats been changed from the original

The shorter barrel itself, if it has a poly choke, then it was added later and is not correct. To be correct it would have had to have a Lyman 1A style Cutts Compensator on it. The compensators had been dropped by 1959 though, and while they may have been able to be special ordered, it wouldn't be verifiable. If its not a Cutts, then the value is lowered a bit. However the matching barrel set I think compensates for that somewhat.

As to value, well its the time old response that you'd have to get some pics up of the gun and its barrels in order to really draw out all of the Opinioneers.
 
Thanks, I'm leaning towards a Super Field grade as it does have the steel capped pistol grip and fluted straight comb (not a Monte Carlo comb). The Pachmayr pad was probably added later unless Winchester offered those as a special order. My 70's Franchi Falconet International Trap gun has a Pachmayr White Line recoil pad but its black not red. Not sure if or when Pachmayr changed colours.

Its a Poly Choke on the shorter barrel not a Cutts which makes me think the longer barrel was special ordered for clays. The Poly Choke is engraved 'The Poly Choke Co. Super', Hartford Conn. with 'Full', 'Imp Cyl' and 'Mod' with 1, 3, and 5 interspersed between the choke settings; all marked around the circumference. Speculation on my part but the mid height rib on this barrel might be to get the bead high enough above the top of the Poly Choke for aiming purposes.
 
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Well sounds like it is a Super Grade then! The poly was a later addition and without pics it would be hard to verify whether the rib on that barrel was changed, added or just altered to accommodate the poly. The original choke of the barrel before the poly will be marked back in the usual place near the collar.

Pachmayr wasn't an option on Winchesters unfortunately. Winchester did offer a recoil pad, but they were branded Winchester. No real biggie, lots of model 12's had that done over the years. If the stock was cut to accommodate the recoil pad, then it cuts a bit of value, but if it was just added on the original stock, then there is always an option to put it back to rights if desired.

Either way, sounds like a pretty neat and unique set, being that it has two matched barrels! As to values, I don't know if I would be comfortable with providing such at this point, there is a disparity I see between what people seek on CGN vs what I have been seeing at the stores.
 
I found this reference to Poly Chokes on another forum:

According to my 1955 9th edition Shooters Digest these choke devices were quite popular.
In 1948 the new Poly-Choke was introduced.
In addition to the nine instantly adjustable degrees of choke of the Standard model, it has TWO great extra features of reduced recoil and more perfect patterns. The forward trust of the escaping gases against the ventilator slots in the sleeve lessens the backward 'kick' of the gun. At the same time the escape of the gases through the slots lowers the pressure on the wad and prevents dislocation of the pellets in the rear of the shot collumn.
Standard Poly-Choke. Price installed.......$16.95
Ventilated Poly-Choke. Installed ...........$19.95

Shooting Master Champion
Herters Vari-Choke
Cutts Compensator
POWer-PAC
Weaver Choke
Multi-Choke
Savage/Stevens Super-Choke

Also listed in the catalog is a Winchester Model 12 Skeet Gun with Cutts-Comp for $137.30 - with Winchester Special vent rib $176.70
And Mossberg listed their version known as C-LECT-CHOKE

Note the reference to a 'Winchester Special Vent rib'. I'm thinking that this might have been a custom ordered Model 12 Super Field Grade with an extra barrel for Trap shooting ('Full' not 'Skeet' choke). The bluing on the Poly Choke appears to match the bluing on the barrel. If anything was added after it was built by Winchester it was done by a master gunsmith. None of the screws show any signs of tool marks and everything is well fitted. I'll try to take pics tomorrow before the Grey Cup.
 
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Bittermansbro said:
Well sounds like it is a Super Grade then! The poly was a later addition and without pics it would be hard to verify whether the rib on that barrel was changed, added or just altered to accommodate the poly. The original choke of the barrel before the poly will be marked back in the usual place near the collar.

Pachmayr wasn't an option on Winchesters unfortunately. Winchester did offer a recoil pad, but they were branded Winchester. No real biggie, lots of model 12's had that done over the years. If the stock was cut to accommodate the recoil pad, then it cuts a bit of value, but if it was just added on the original stock, then there is always an option to put it back to rights if desired.

Either way, sounds like a pretty neat and unique set, being that it has two matched barrels! As to values, I don't know if I would be comfortable with providing such at this point, there is a disparity I see between what people seek on CGN vs what I have been seeing at the stores.
Click to expand...

I'm not interested in selling it. Its truly in amazing condition for a used firearm. I bought it when I didn't know much about the Model 12 but could appreciate its beauty. Plus I love the craftsmanship of old firearms. I won't hunt with it, I have other shotguns for that. I was just cleaning rifles yesterday and decided to oil/wax the stocks of some of my older guns to prevent them from drying. I got to thinking about this Model 12 and wanted to know more.

Bittermansbro said:
...The original choke of the barrel before the poly will be marked back in the usual place near the collar.
Click to expand...

Yes its marked 'Full' on the left barrel side by the collar. I also noticed a 'P' inscribed over a 'W' within a horizontal oval inline with the axis of the barrel. Its on the left side of the barrel next to the rib by the collar. Similar to this pic taken from an auction site:

HTWEJeX.jpg


I'm wondering if the Cody Museum keeps records on the Winchester Model 12? I believe you can trace old leverguns for a fee. Perhaps shotguns too.

What I really need is to buy a good reference book on Winchester Firearms - any recommendations?
 
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Well in this hobby, nothing surprises me when it comes to what may have been done, there were a lot more good smiths out there than there are today unfortunately.

Looking forward to seeing pics

Cody lists that they do have records on the serial number application for numbers 1-1970885 but doesn't look like they have configuration information which would be under the warehousing ledgers. A phone call would verify that though.
 
fugawi said:
Yes its marked 'Full' on the left barrel side by the collar. I also noticed a 'P' inscribed over a 'W' within a horizontal oval inline with the axis of the barrel. Its on the left side of the barrel next to the rib by the collar.

What I really need is to buy a good reference book on Winchester Firearms - any recommendations?
Click to expand...

The P W oval is the standard Winchester proof mark used from about 1902 onwards, its standard and if you don't see it, you either have a refinished barrel that obliterated the original stamp, or a pre 1902 gun.

As for books, the ones I have that reference the Model 12 are "The Winchester Book" by Madis and "The Greatest Hammerless Repeating Shotgun Ever Built" by Dave Riffle, and that last one is really the authority on the 12.
 
lol! I know what you mean. I'm been hankering for a another levergun for sometime. Older Winchester or Marlin. Or Savage or Browning... Or all of them!

That and a nice SxS!!

All the best, Bittermansbro.
 
I found this on an auction web site:

My gun has a checkered slide handle and has a MATTED ribbed barrel. The gun has 26", 28" or 30" barrel, and is a 12, or 20 gauge. The stock is deluxe walnut, checkered and pistol grip. You have a Winchester Model 12 'Super Field Grade Gun. '

I'll post some additional info and pics that I found as well as soon as I upload them. I'm certain now that what I have is a Special Field Grade with an additional Trap barrel ordered and a Simmons Vented Rib on the Trap barrel. I'm suspecting that the rib on the Poly Choked barrel is also a Simmons and perhaps this rib and Poly Choke were added later, as was the Pachmayr recoil pad perhaps not by Winchester at time of manufacture but by a very competent gunsmith.

Due to the popularity of vented ribs, one web site states the Super Field Grade was made to use up the matted solid ribs Winchester had in stock. Apparently this variation was only made for four years from 1955 to 1959.

ZL0Thup.jpg


These last pics taken from two auction sites show Model 12s with a vented rib. The rib in the top pic was identified as a Simmons with ivory bead and is similar to the one on my Model 12 Special Field Grade. This gun has a Pachmayr pad installed and a white spacer on the pistol grip.

c5xRFNP.jpg


This Model 12 was identified as a 20 ga. Model 12 Skeet with a Winchester rib. The wood and bluing on my Model 12 Special Field Grade is similar to this gun. Mine does have a Pachmayr recoil pad installed but has the same steel pistol grip cap without the spacer in the above photo.

7gg4d7t.jpg
 
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