M1912 vs. Model 1200 : barrel interchangeability?

[Cap'n Redneck]

I have a Winchester Model 12 Take-down, cal. 12/76, made in the late 1940s / early 1950s.
It has a 30" barrel with a full choke, but I hesitate at taking the hacksaw to it...

So, does anybody know if a barrel from a Winchester Model 1200, cal. 12/70, will fit my Model 12 without extensive gunsmithing?


Well, I guess I've found the answer to my own question in another thread....:

"...sadly, the chamber bushing on a Model 12 is machined to work with one barrel, and one barrel only.  To "install" a new barrel requires seating new bushings (one in the barrel and one in the receiver), back boring the bushings to chamber dimensions with the "new" barrel attached, then reaming the cartridge seat with the barrel in place.  The barrels on Model 12 Winchesters are eccentric relative to the receiver, and require hand fitting of the bushing to the barrel and receiver.  The reamers (there are three of them) required for the job cost more than most of us have paid for our Model 12s, and, therefore, "switching" barrels is not a practical option.
Additionally, the friction ring in the receiver would have to be adjusted for each barrel.
It would take several hundred dollar bills to re-barrel a Model 12. 
And, it is not a home-shop job by any means."


So I seems my Model 12 will remain at it's factory barrel length.

[August]

I'm glad you found that.  Barrels on M12s are NOT interchangeable.  I've competed against guys who used 32" barrel M12s and they got through windows and doors without problem.  The heavier that gun is OUT FRONT, the better it is for Wild Bunch.  I use a 28" M12 and have NEVER felt the need for it to be any shorter.

[Baltimore Ed]

The last gunshow that I was at had several M12s for 300-400. Find a reblue or one that has already been cut. I paid 301.00 for my 1940ish reblue but that was a few years ago. I had researched a second bbl for a takedown 12 some years ago. My 97 is mismatched but you can't do that with a 12.