Winchester 1912 takes some long tails
 

Not a double gun but definitely vintage .......

Change of pace yesterday. I did a combo grouse and pheasant hunt in edge cover between reverting strip mine fields and the woods. The Winchester 1912 is a 1922 gun, Nickel steel and solid rib, 16 bore, choked Modified. As many know the Winny Model 12 is my all time favorite repeater, here restocked with a straight grip and early Trap style small/round forend, also reblued. All high quality work by an unknown craftsman.

Our PA State limit is two birds. Flushed several more cock birds and hens while coming out. :)

Double or triple click to expand pics .....
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Nice work Frank. It was 81 here yesterday :cuss:

Cool Frank !

I was out monday wednesday and thursday morning this week and I saw bucks each morning , but I've yet to ML in the evenings its 65 or better each evening .

Very nice looking model 12

Frank nice Winchester. About 25 or so years ago I had a nickel steel 16 gauge that had been restored and re-stocked with a straight grip stock. The work was done by a fellow whose name was John Kay, in the mid-west I believe. His company was called Winchester Restorations. I don't have the model 1912 any longer but I should have held onto to it. It was very lightweight and the restoration was very nicely done. Your gun reminds me of my old gun.

Love my Parkers but still have 3 model 12's, two 16, one IC and a Mod and a 20 ga. backed up by a 1936 Mod. 42. Grew up shooting a M 12 with a 20 inch barrel that had been used in a bank robbery, then the gun was sent to Winchester and had a 32 in full choke barrel which came with a factory letter stating to not shoot over #6 shot in it but it was a heck of a duck gun and the 20 inch was killer on rabbits.

Anyone infamous use that gun in the bank robbery? :eek:

A friend of mine has a gun safe which used to be a bank safe. There are pry marks around the door which were put there by John Dillinger. He has the front page from the local newspaper describing the failed robbery attempt

Wonderful to have chances at grouse AND longtails. Are the pheasants released by the State or naturally reproducing birds? They are beautiful! I love your gun.

Garry, pheasants are "stocked" by our PA game folks and these were undoubtedly put out at some point. Almost all stocked birds are taken by hunters but some do winter over as I've seen for years while riding quads in the summer and fall. This is a fairly remote area and there's a large and very thick and gnarly swampy area nearby this hunt location, that would give excellent cover from avian and other predators. It's possible these two cock birds and others we flushed came from there and were out foraging. Their long tails do suggest birds that have been out in the wild for a while.

Yes I do like Model 12 solid rib smallbores. It was a good day when i found this one.