I've been around a lot of model 12s and never experienced (or seen) the chamber issues mentioned. Maybe someone was trying to polish a rusty chamber on a duck gun?
Last night I bought a case of Kent Bismuth for $1.25 per round, though it went up a couple of bucks per box after my purchase. This morning I called my dad and cut a deal for a clean 2 3/4" transition era Model 12 with a 30" Full choke as a duck gun.
M12s had really good chokes and in my experience pattern really well so I'm not touching the choke. I plan to use the gun, so pragmatically I'm going to see if my dad will put a pad on it. Additionally, he has a wood finish he's developed over the years that is really weather resistant so I may have him do that also in that the original finish isn't going to stand up to much duck hunting. With that said, he's super detailed and has 50 years or so of stock building experience so the gun will not be "bubba'd" but be a more usable version of the original while maintaining its original form and function, which to me is OK on these old guns.
Regarding the cost of bismuth, at under $1.50 per round, it's a no-brainer to me. It should require fewer shots per bird; it's easier on teeth; and it should result in less wounded birds. For me, that more than offsets the additional cost. Take my comments regarding bismuth with a grain of salt because I've never used it and have not shot a lot of waterfowl, but that is my logic regarding using a M12, which I've used a lot on upland birds.
Last edited by DesertMuleDeer; 12/23/20.
