Winchester 1200 – A Hidden History

Winchester has a protracted historical past of service shotguns inside america army. They produced the primary repeating motion adopted by the army within the type of the Mannequin 1897. They adopted that up with the Mannequin 12, and for lots of parents, that gave the impression to be the tip of Winchester in army service. Ithaca, Remington, and ultimately Benelli and Mossberg took over. Nonetheless, for a brief interval, the Winchester Mannequin 1200 served because the final trench gun in U.S. service.

Winchester watched as Remington revolutionized the shotgun trade with the 870. The 870 was designed for ease of mass manufacture. It might be produced and offered at a decrease price than the Mannequin 12. The gun had two motion bars and have become an instantaneous favourite. The Mannequin 1200 was their reply to a extra reasonably priced, mass-produced pump-action shotgun.

The Mannequin 1200 stored a few of that Winchester pizazz. It built-in a rotating bolt for extra dependable extraction and ejection. It was the second shotgun to ever do that, being overwhelmed by the often-forgotten AR-17 from Armalite. The rotating bolt has been well-liked amongst premium-grade shotguns.

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The Navy’s Adoption of the Mannequin 1200

In 1968 and 1969, the army bought a small variety of Mannequin 1200s. This was proper in the midst of Vietnam, however I can not discover any photos or firsthand accounts of the 1200 getting used there. It’s fully potential some made it over there. The closest supply I discovered stating the 1200 made it to Vietnam was the e book US Fight Shotguns by Leroy Thompson.

It doesn’t elaborate, however merely says the gun was utilized in Vietnam. The identical e book states that the aluminum receiver and lighter weight made it extra interesting for jungle warfare. The Trench Gun mannequin used a warmth defend that built-in a bayonet lug to mount the traditional M1917 bayonet. This is able to be the final gun produced and purchased by the U.S. Navy to make use of that bayonet.

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The gun featured a parkerized end and a four-round journal tube. Winchester provided high-capacity choices, however the bayonet mount and warmth defend prevented the usage of an extended tube on the army variant. The sight was a normal bead, and like most shotguns of the period, wooden furnishings was normal.

There’s a well-known photograph of a younger Military Ranger coaching with the 1200 in 1982 that exhibits a top-folding inventory on the gun. One other photograph shared on a discussion board exhibits a Nationwide Guard soldier fielding a top-folding inventory Mannequin 1200, however the soldier added the inventory as a personal buy.

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The Mannequin 1200 and Historical past

Formally, the Mossberg 590, aka the M500, turned the shotgun of selection within the late Seventies, however army shotguns have a tendency to stay round for some purpose. The Mannequin 1200 remained in service and, based on Rock Island Auctions, noticed motion in Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf, and Somalia all through the 80s and 90s.

You’d suppose that by the World Struggle on Terror, they’d be gone, however they popped up in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nationwide Guard forces would nonetheless wield the gun. The Mannequin 1200 wasn’t magically old-fashioned; it wasn’t a lot completely different than the Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 by way of usefulness and shotgun expertise.

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By now, it looks as if they’ve disappeared, however I wouldn’t be shocked if they’re nonetheless kicking round in a reserve unit or NG armory. They’re scarce on the civilian market resulting from the truth that the Military destroyed most of them. They fetch a excessive worth, and I’d argue that they’re seemingly rarer than an M1897 trench gun.

It’s an actual disgrace the CMP doesn’t get into shotguns and shotgun capturing sports activities. The Mannequin 1200 has a legacy of being the final trench gun produced and adopted for army service. It’s undoubtedly a captivating historical past of a shotgun that’s lengthy out of manufacturing, however nonetheless an incredible software.

I’ve three Winchester 1200s, and if solely somebody would create a replica bayonet lug and warmth defend…

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