early 3 inch magnums

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Mills Morrison

I recently bought a model 12 heavy duck and they can be had around 500 or 600 on Gunbroker if you look

Don't have a Model 12 but I picked up what I think is a decent circa 68 A-5 12 MAG last year before Christmas . Came with a 28" vent rib modified barrel and I later got a Belgium 3" Buck Special barrel from a dealer in Texas of all places . Still wanna find a Belgium vent rib 30 or 32 inch full choke barrel .

[Researcher]

The Western Cartridge Co. Super-X, Peters Cartridge Co. High Velocity, etc. 12-gauge 3-inch progressive burning powder, high velocity, shells with a load of 1 3/8 ounce of shot hit the market in the 1924/5 range for guns like the A.H. Fox Gun Co.'s HE-Grade Super-Fox and the L.C. Smith Long Range. The 12-gauge 3-inch MAGNUM with the 1 5/8 ounce payload was introduced by Winchester/Western along with their Model 12 Heavy Duck in 1935. The 1 7/8 ounce 12-gauge 3-inch Magnum came along in 1954.

[Kevin McCormack]

Originally Posted by CraigThompson

Don't have a Model 12 but I picked up what I think is a decent circa 68 A-5 12 MAG last year before Christmas . Came with a 28" vent rib modified barrel and I later got a Belgium 3" Buck Special barrel from a dealer in Texas of all places . Still wanna find a Belgium vent rib 30 or 32 inch full choke barrel .

I have pointed this out before but it bears reiteration: if that 28" MOD Vent Bbl. is in fact a factory original 3" chambered bbl. and is original to the gun, it is a very rare find!

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Kevin McCormack

I have pointed this out before but it bears reiteration: if that 28" MOD Vent Bbl. is in fact a factory original 3" chambered bbl. and is original to the gun, it is a very rare find!

A fact of which I’m well aware but thanks just the same .

[Researcher]

From the recent Ward's Auction -- offering from the Winchester side of the aisle (1933-41) -- LEADER Super-Speed 12-gauge 3-inch.jpg

[Researcher]

I also found this in a circa 1937-8 Winchester shot shells folder --

3-inch 12-gauge and Model 12 Heavy Duck 1938 folder.jpeg

which doesn't call either load MAGNUM.

Western Cartridge Co., which owned Winchester, did call the heavier load MAGNUM in all their listing I've looked at from this December 24, 1936 --

Super-X December 24, 1936, cropped.jpg

to 1953. Beginning with 1954 price lists, both Winchester and Western began calling all the 12-gauge 3-inch loads MAGNUM?!?

I don't have much Peters Cartridge Co. paper, but this March 13, 1947, Peters catalog list the 1 5/8 ounce load as MAGNUM --

Peters De Luxe Target March 13, 1947.jpeg

Hopefully this will conclude my sermon on 12-gauge 3-inch progressive burning powder load inconsequential trivia!

[Bill Murphy]

Oddly, the Peters Deluxe 3" shells sell for little money at Ward's Auction. Beware the shipping cost however.