I have always heard of the classic Winchester model 12 shotgun, but I haven't heard very much about the model 1200.<BR>My father gave me his mod. 1200 when he got a new 11-87, and I don't really know how it stacks up to the mod 12. In a recent mag article about pumpguns, they talked about the 12 and the 1300, but skipped over the 1200. Were these transition guns between models? Are the hand fitted like the 12's? If anybody has a serial # index, it would be helpful also to know how old my gun is. The serial # is L795XXX. I really like the gun and won't part with it, I was just curious as to how they stacked up against the others.<BR>Any information would be greatly appreciated...

As I understand it the 1200s are more like the 1300s than the 12s. If it fits you and you hit with it then its a keeper.

cs, I have a mod 1200 that I bought in 1978. It has a vent rib and of course Winchoke. I saved my money mowing the lawn of a local nursing home during the summer of '78 and bought my first bird dog and that shotgun. I was 14. I have used it exclusively since then. I have no complaints. One caution, be certain you use only top quality gun oil when lubing the slide. I used someone else's oil (not sure what brand or type) once and the slide became very stiff in the cold (< 30 degrees). Until that time I never had a problem in cold weather. Have been very selective since. I have also wondered what changes were made between the mod 12 & 1200. Oh well, in my opinion its a keeper. Good shooting. Mark.

I got a 1200 in 1968. I still have it although I don't shoot it anymore. It has never missed a lick. I bought a laminated 1300 turkey gun when they came out and have used it ever since for turkeys and deer. I believe all the 1200's were 2 3/4" and became 1300's when they designed them for 3" shells. Both are full of stamped parts(a sign of the times) and are NOT hand fitted. But they work and thats what matters. My personal opinion is the 1300's are better looking guns than the 1200's.<BR>My mdl. 12's are all steel machined and hand fitted parts and are 10 times the gun that the 1200's & 1300's are. However to make the mdl. 12's now would be cost prohibited due to the hand work involved. That fact alone killed off a lot of the old great designs.