Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Model 12 question for Mule Deer

Hey John,

I recently finished reading your excellent book on shotguns. I noticed you have a Model 12 16 gauge with a full choked barrel. I have a similar one I laid claim to after my father passed away.

I'm seriously thinking about having Briley lengthen the forcing cone and install choke tubes.

Would this gun benefit from having the forcing cone lengthened?

Thanks,

Reed LeCheminant

Actually my Model 12 16-gauge had a modified choke.

Probably a 12 would benefit from lengthening the forcing cone. Like most shotguns of their era, the original Model 12's had a pretty short forcing cone, which tends to increase felt recoil and damage lead shot enough to affect patterning.

John have you ever had a M12 in a 20? My uncle used one a lot as well a M42. Lots of fun in the rooster fields growing up with those BB guns.

Dober

Thanks, John.

I have some Model 12 field models in 12 gauge, 20 gauge, and a Model 42 .410 that were handed down from my Grandfather.

As a kid, I re-blued the 12 gauge and refinished the stock then installed a recoil pad.

I wish I had never done any of that now. If I had it to do over, they would be in untouched condition.

My .02 cents would be to save them as is, then buy something to hunt with.

Back down the line, I have had a couple of 12s in 20 and one in 28 gauge. I sold it about six or seven years ago for the paltry sum of $3200.00.

Please! If you must have a Model 12 with a lengthened forcing cone and choke tubes, give serious consideration to building it up from availaible parts.

You can literally buy everything to build a Model 12 and do it at reasonable prices. I've built two. At the least, build a front end from one with one of those damnable potatoes on the end of the barrel and fit it to your receiver. I have go-nogo gauges in 16 you can borrow if you don't mangle a perfectly good Model 12

I bought a 30" full choke and had Simmons cut it to 26", vent rib added and a set of thin wall screw in chokes installed. Did that 23 years or so ago and never regretted it. My best swinging shotgun still.

I would pattern the M-12 with you selected loads before sending it out to have the forcing come lengthened and re-pattern the shotgun upon its return from the gunsmith for any improvement.

For the classic shotguns I favor re-choking to "improved Clynder"
rather than installing thi wall choke tubes, but that's just me.

The IC choke can cover skeet, sporting clays, and bird shooting.

Doc

Shot my first 25 straight with my dad's model 12, a 12 ga plain barrel full choke gun. I hate pump guns but that is one well-made machine.

Yeah, my "modified" choke (so marked at the factory) actually measured .010" of constriction, kind of a tight IC. It worked great for any kind of bird shooting to 40+ yards.

I fail to see how lenthening the forcing cone on a well-used and common variation of the Model 12 would hunt value or anything else. It also generally helps shootability and patterns.

Mark,

I've never had a 20-gauge M12, but Phil Shoemaker has a really nifty one, made in the first few years of production, that he had restocked and engraved. It was pretty much beat to snot when he bought it. He used it a lot. I've got a few photos of it from when Eileen and I went up to Alaska and opened ptarmigan season with them five years ago.

Mule Deer, Off topic, but how do those ptarmigan taste? I was in those a bunch out here on a mountain goat hunt and may have to tromp up the hill one day to shoot one if they taste worth a darn. Just curious.

The joke up here is that you get a pot of water boiling and drop in the ptarmigan and a fist-sized rock. Boil it until the rock gets soft, then grow away the ptarmigan and eat the rock.

Personally I like to split the breaststroke, bread then and fry them in a pan with a little garlic powder. Tasty chicken stripes.

30338,

We thought they tasted great, but like Eileen and I do, Phil and family take the guts out and let the birds age for at least a day or two before cooking 'em up.

Admittedly, it was early in the season when most of the birds we killed were younger, but I've hunted ptarmigan across Canada, often much later in the year, and always liked those a lot too.

I cringe when anybody talks about "improving" their Model 12.

Dang! I forgot. Every firearm Winchester ever produced before 1964 was perfect right out of the factory, epecially Model 70's and Model 12's.

Seen a lot of bubba'd 12's.

Sounds like I need to take a long stroll above timberline this year to check out one of those birds for the pot. In Sept here they are a nice blend of white and brown. Be fun to try.

As far as improving a Model 12, I much prefer looking down over a vent rib and I like a really open choke. Weren't a lot of factory rigs with vent ribs. Since mine won't ever be sold, not real concerned with resale just want it to point right for me.

I used to have so many M-12 16 and 20 ga shotguns in camp that I bought a forcing cone reamer and choke reamer from Brownells and the found the job easy and certainly worth while.
Here is my nicest 20 ga that also has Briley steel shot tubes and in my opinion it can stand in any company