Spotted a 12 gauge bolt action shotgun for sale today.Anyone know about these? Value? MB

I've seen 20 ga before, but never a 12. The owner said he paid $100 in 1994 or so.

Obviously I can't speak to something I haven't laid eyes on, but once I spied one of those contraptions that had the front lugs ground off (I guess to create clearance for the 12 gauge shell to enter the chamber, by removing the lug seats too), lockup for the shotgun relied entirely on the bolt safety lug....

Not saying they were all done like that, but I would look carefully at how they shoehorned a 12 gauge shell into a M98 action before going any further in a deal.

I've read that it was a common practice long ago when there were gazillions of cheap Mausers, many probably crude war-time production models or with bad bores. Cheap Marlin, Mossberg, and JC Higgins models probably made them less attactive.

I shot my very first ringneck with a 16ga Higgins. That one had a tubular magazine like a pumpgun, not the cheesy boxes of later models. My uncle could flip that bolt pretty fast, fast enough to get a couple birds from a flush.

The 16 Ga. versions retain some of the front lugs, the 12's rely on the "safety" lug. Most commercial bolt action 12's do. I re-barreled a 16 for a customer, he lives in one of those states where its shotgun only and shoots slugs. The heavy barrel takes recoil nicely!

Took a quick look on GB. The Higgins guns are listed at about $250, too rich for mere nostalgia, and I lack both a truck or a barn, so that "use" is out.

Thanks guys, I went back to look again. The action is very smooth operating, frt lugs both there but the lug seats are milled out,safety lug in rear ring is the lockup.might be enough but not for me. Appreciate the advice. MB

Pretty sure the econo-guns I mentioned lock only on the root of the bolt handle, and those probably aren't forged in one piece either.

How much was this relic you uncovered?

Pappy, they wanted $299 for it.you need a phone number for a contact? MB

I have owned several of the Mauser 16ga Geha shotguns. If I remember right, the bolt face with extractor was removable, but I can't remember how it was attached.
The follower and the spring were also modified somewhat, and the magazine would only hold two rounds.
I did shoot one of them---remotely at first, and it shot and felt good. (in other words it didn't scare me)
As far as any of the many bolt action Mossberg/Stevens/ etc. there are still quite a few of them around. Some were tube fed and some had magazines. They are well built and back in the 80's I would drill and tap them if needed to make coyote and fox guns for the local varmint callers.

I just remembered there is a 16ga Mossberg mod. 190 clip feed shotgun with a poly choke for sale for $100.00. in Northern Montana. I was eyeballing the mate to it in 410, but I see it is gone.

PM me if you want to know more about it.

How are you doing Bart?

Ken

Hanging in there Ken. I managed to get 6 projects done, but added 158 projects to the list. My list is now at 14,276!!! I should be knocking them out in no time!

Y’all talking about those post WWI "Geha" shotguns ????? Cousin brought one back from Europe at the end of WWII. A 16 ga. it was. Gave it to my grandpaw. It burned up in my uncle’s old 71 Dodge pickup in like 1984. I remember it as a kickin’ sumbiotch!

The GEHA guns and others with other trade names were made right after WWI when there were tons (literally) of M98 Mausers in Germany and it was illegal under the Versailles Treaty for most German citizens to possess military rifles. So their dying gun industry started making everything useful that they could make from Mausers and Mauser parts. GEHA-type shotguns were one such item, and were made in all the common guages.

There has been DECADES of discussion on whether they should be fired (starting when they first came on the market in all the big catalog/"wish books," the "online marketplace" of the 20th century--those and "Shotgun News"--remember that?"). I won't rehash all that, google "Geha shotguns" if you wish to.

But I would point out several things. 1) 1920s shotguns in Europe and even in the US often had shorter chambers than we presently use, and using the slightly longer modern shells in them does raise pressures some. 2) Shotguns with rifle stocks ARE kickin' SOBs. 3) The smaller the guage a GEHA-type shotgun is, the more likely it is to have some safety margin because less of the locking area had to be milled away to fit the smaller guage shells into the action. So if you have a .410 (never saw one), a 28 (ditto), or a 24 (seen only one and findin' shells is a serious task), you are runnin' with a better safety margin, at least. Just sayin'.

Controversy aside, LOTS of people used GEHAs their whole lives and lived to tell the tale. Sometimes the gun for you is the one you can afford.

Local friend has a 16. Says they were produced during an interval when the Germans were not supposed to be building rifles. Just a repurpose of the actions. No markings, however, on this one to indicate gauge.

I saw a number of old surplus 16 ga Mausers for cheap at gun shows 10 years ago.

Anything authentic and German would not be cheap if they had not made a lot of them.

I recall seeing them at gun shows years ago. Started to get mildly interested until a friend who's a lot more savvy on stuff like that than I am told me about how they were just repurposing stuff back then and it was all done cheaply just to be able to sell them. Not a death trap but not much of a high end gun, either. I would have consulted him before buying one anyway but he was right there next to me at that dealers table.

I can't imagine that they kicked at all.