Winchester Model 1200 Pumps?

[Big Paulie]

The Winchester Model 1200s were apparently made during a long stretch of time in the 1970s, and then again in the 1980s.  They seem to show up in used but very good condition, for what seem to be reasonable prices.  They have dual action bars and a rotary bolt head with a big extractor on it.  They were made in lots of different configuratioins, from bare-bones police riot guns, to sporting models with some very nice wood.

     Does anyone have any comments or experience with the RELIABILITY of these shotguns?  I guess the quesion is, do these guns have a reputation for cycling and feeding in a smooth reliable fashion, and NOT having parts break?   Or, are they just a piece of 1970s-80s Winchester junk that you are better off staying away from?

      It appears that this model has been replaced by the Winchester Model 1300 series, but I am not sure what differences there are between the two models.

      The reason I ask all of this is I recently saw for sale a Model 1200 pump, with beautiful custom made butt-stock and fore-stock, that is hand checkered burly walnut!  It appears to be in very good shape and not abused.   It belongs to someone I know, who is a wealthy thoractic surgeon and who spends tons of money on his toys, and is especially a nut about hand-made stocks.   He used this shotgun for quail hunting in the 1980s and early 90s.  (He is now into over-unders, and goes to Argentina twice a year to dove shoot, for "only" $7,500 a trip.)

     He is clearing this one out of his gunsafe for $300.  It is a beautiful piece.  However, I have learned, that if what you buy is a piece of mechanical junk, then it is never a bargain at any price.

   I would have a chance to test-fire a box or so at the skeet range, but this would only disclose or eliminate any current problems, and would not speak to the reputation of the model 1200 as a whole.    

Any information or replies would be appreciated.

Big Paulie

[Topper]

Model 12, 1200 or 1300 in my opinion you can’t go wrong.  I’ve owned or currently own various examples of each, and do most of my Deer and Turkey hunting with a semi-custom 1300.  For the longest time the Model 12 and 1200 were the standard choice of the Military and the majority of Police Departments in the US.  They can stand a good amount of abuse without fail.  I would buy the 1200 from the Doc in a second.

[dukkillr]

I love model 12's... infact if someone told me i could only have 1 gun to hunt with for the rest of my life it would be my favorite model 12... on the other hand i've only had bad experiences with 1200s.  They're cheaply made and imho, not worth messing with.  One in particular I shot absolutely would not eject shells.  The chamber was tight enough that even the minimal expansion of good shotgun shells (i tried everything from fiocci to Winchester AA) would cause them to hang-up.  If you're looking for cheap pump guns made by the big manufacturers, i don't think you can go wrong with the 870 (except that left handed shooters tend to get gas released from the action in their eye), the BPS(except some people don't like the top mounted safety), or even the somewhat funky looking Nova.  I'd avoid 1200s.

[smoji]

I have sold a number of 1200's over the years and I service a few each year.
I have replaced the occasional ejector but the most common failure is the extractor and that is not a common event. The 1200's in my part of the world tend to be horribly neglected and abused but continue to function reliably.

[mountainview]

One of my pards inherited one and lets me use it from time to time, Very nice action that is silky smooth, which may be in part due to my partner being fastidious about maintaining it and as a result it looks almost new and functions flawlessly. Unfortunately, he won't part with it.

Also had really good experience with my 1300.  If the good doc took care of his shotguns, a 1200 would be a nice addition and I believe (but not 100% sure) that barrels for the 1300 are backward compatible with the 1200.