Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Winchester Model 12 Repair

I have a very old Win M12 16ga. It was made in the 1920's
and still functions okay IF I use it as a single shot. The problem is with the shell feed. The shotgun
will NOT load any shells into the magazine tube.

I'm good with tools and would prefer to fix it myself.
Hate to hand it throw the repair window at Gander Mountain
and the local Basspro does not do any repair work.

So far my questions are --
1] How mechanically complicated is the Model 12 ?
2] Any tricky points to look out for ?

I certainly would appreciate any suggestions or help.
Thank You

Get a screwdriver that fits the two screws on the end of the magazine. Remove them. Push the twist lever (pin) through, then depress the latch spring in it to pull it the rest of the way out. Be very careful at this point. The latch spring is loose and you can lose it. The magazine cap will pop out under spring pressure when the pin is out.

Remove the spring/ Tilt the gun muzzle down and the follower should slide out with the plug if there is one.

The follower may be stuck preventing loading of the magazine. There could be a stick (dowel) in the magazine for a plug and it is jammed down against the follower by the spring.

If it is not a stuck follower or a stick you should now be able to see what is wrong.

The only other possibility is the shell stop. It could have dirt behind it or it could be worn and jammed. If you need to replace the stop they are available on Gun Broker or at Gun Parts Corp.

DO NOT BUGGER UP THE SCREWS IN THE CAP! I hate that!

MILES58 - Last night I worked on my old Win M12.
First I got the correct screwdriver for the job.
Took the magazine tube apart without difficulty.
It did have a dowel for a plug. Everything looked
okay and I put it back together. As it turns out,
that was not the problem.

So ... it must be the shell stop.
Looking into the bottom of the receiver I can see
the shell stop. It is marked '16' and it is clearly
jammed. It maybe also worn or broken.
The shell stop is the problem.

Next question --
How do I remove the shell stop ?

Thanks for your help.

I'll be go to hell! Someone followed directions!

Get a 5/8ths inch dowell and tap it.

You may have to reassemble the Magazine cap and spring. Do not put the dowell back in. Use the pin to rotate the magazine 90 degrees and it will then lift up about two inches and then you can rotate the barrel 90 degrees and lift the barrel off the receiver.

Set the magazine cap on the edge of the workbench for support and tap gently with a short piece of dowell. The follower is cocked in the tube. Once you move it a little it will be free. Chances are good the magazine follower (the stuck part) is also rusted in place. It probable got stuck because someone used a piece of dowell for a plug. You need a cap at the top end to keep it from sliding down into the follower.

The shell stop is a little lever inside the receiver that has a round knob on the backside and it toggles up and down a little as the action works back and forth. It stops the shells from coming out of the magazine when the action is shut.

If it is rusted clean the follower up with WD-40 and steel wool. Wrap a 16 gauge brush in fine steel wool, chuck it in a drill and use WD-40 to clean up the inside of the tube.

Miles58 - Got time to work on my Win M12 again this weekend.
Second time I have taken it apart and put it back together.
Each time the old shotgun seems to function better than before
but it is still not perfect. Next time I plan to pull the
trigger group out and get a good look at the shell stop.

Any suggestions/comments for removing the trigger group ?

Thanks

Sometimes the shell stop can get bent inwards (toward the center of the receiver) and cause problems. You can remove it by taking out the screw just behind the trigger guard, take the trigger/hammer assembly out, and then the shell stop will practically fall out on its own. Try bending the forward end of it outwards a little (don't overdo this, try just a little at a time) and try things out. This may work and save you having to get a new shell stop.

Like bob a said remove the screw at the back of the trigger guard (right size screw driver again please). lift the back of the trigger group and slide forward and down in front then you can lift it out. Once you have the trigger group out just look the whole receiver and trigger group over good. if there's gunk and dirt in it lift the shell stop out and set it aside. Take a can of WD-40 and flush that thing to within an inch of it's life. Lift out the bolt and flush it and the recess above the bolt toothbrush the track the slide rides in if there's dirt in there. Make sure the little recess for the axel for the shell stop (a round hole about 1/16th deep) is clean. Flush the trigger group with WD-40 very liberally and blow it out with an air hose.

When you're done cleaning lube with Eezox. This steel is more corrosion resistant than a lot, but wipe the outside down well with Eezox and then go shoot birds.

Dave

This weekend I removed the trigger group. The shell stop
dropped free and looks okay to me. Cleaned it all up.
Each time I take this shotgun apart and put it back together,
... it works a little better.

Thanks to all for the help.