Winchester Model 1912

The Winchester Model 1912 (often called the Model 12) is a hammerless pump-action shotgun with an external tube magazine. Dubbed the "Perfect Repeater" at its inception, this shotgun served as the successor to the earlier Winchester Model 1897 and saw sevice in both World Wars. Nearly two million M1912 shotguns were produced between 1912 and 1963, and were produced in a variety of grades and barrel lengths. Although the gun was originally chambered for 20 gauge only, the success of the M1912 led to the release of 12 and 16 gauge versions in 1914, and a 28 gauge model was introduced in 1934. The Riot gun model, which had a shortened barrel, was used by the US police, Navy and Air Force for many years.

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Winchester M1912 in 12 gauge

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Winchester M1912 Riot Gun

The M1912 was designed by Winchester engineer Thomas Crosley Johnson, and was based in part on the M1897 design by John Browning. The Model 12 was the first truly successful hammerless pump-action ever produced. Its tubular magazine was loaded through the bottom of the gun, with empty shells ejected to the right. With forged and machined steel parts, the ultimate reason for discontinuation in 1963 was that it was too expensive to produce at a competitive price. The primary competition at this time came from the much less expensive Remington 870, which had been introduced in 1950. The majority of "modern" Model 12 shotguns manufactured after the 1930s were chambered for 2¾-inch shotgun shells only.

Special commemorative examples were nonetheless produced by Winchester through specialized gun collector purchase programs, but this stopped in 2006, when the Winchester company announced a complete closing of its factory facility, thus ending the gun's long and illustrious career at the age of 95 years.

Military Use

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Winchester M1912 "Trench Gun" with heat shield and bayonet lug.

The United States armed forces used various versions of the M1912 in both World Wars, and also the Korean and Vietnam wars, until inventory was exhausted after production of the gun ceased in 1963. The US army purchased 20,000 of these guns during World War I, but applied a perforated steel heat shield and a M1917 bayonet adapter to create the M1912 "trench gun."

The US army purchased another 80,000 trench guns during World War II, more than triple the number ordered the first time around. The Marine Corps used the trench gun in taking Japanese-occupied islands in the Pacific, with great success.

During the Korean War, the Marine Corps used the M1912 extensively. Likewise, the Marines Corps and Army used the Model 12 during the Vietnam War in 1965 and 1966, until all the M1912 shotguns in their inventory were consumed and production ceased. The Ithaca 37 soon filled the void left by the discontinued Model 12, especially among US Navy SEALS. The Ithaca 37 was, ironically, designed to compete with the Model 12 in wartime cambat during the Second World War.

Unlike modern pump-action shotguns, the M1912 had no trigger disconnector. Like the earlier Model 1897, it fired each time the action closed with the trigger depressed. That and its six-shot capacity made it extremely effective in close-combat. As fast as one could pump the action, another shot would be fired.

The Winchester Model 1912 shotgun can be seen in the following films used by the following actors: