Well, my great uncle passed back in August and had no children so after everything was legally taken care of we all agreed on what he would have wanted everyone to have....
Anyway I am the only one in the family that ever bird hunted or turkey hunted with him so my grandmother (his sister) offered me the last bird and only bird gun he had. He bought it last spring to replace a Remington 1100 he had worn out and got from a close friend of the family. It is a Winchester Model 12 12 gauge with a 30" full choke barrel. Needless to say when she bought out a Winchester box and not just a gun I was shocked! It is NIB, but shows its age. The gun still had the plastic around it, but had not been stored well so it is only about 90%. I am so excited. I bought some 2 3/4" turkey shells and a case of dove loads yesterday for it. I shot it yesterday evening with what I use as a test for every 12 gauge I touch 2 3/4" No. 1 Magnum buckshot. It put all 20 pellets in a pie plate at 50 long steps! This thing is choked tight!!!! It is due to they built Model 12's around the old paper hull shells and that makes the choke actually one size tighter than marked when shooting modern shells! I think with some copper plated #4's this thing ought to do well out to about 40 yards on turkeys! I am so excited to have something that is of this quality and a family heirloom. I know my uncle would have wanted it hunted with so that is exactly what I intend to do with it.
Thanks for letting me ramble,
Daman
Anyway I am the only one in the family that ever bird hunted or turkey hunted with him so my grandmother (his sister) offered me the last bird and only bird gun he had. He bought it last spring to replace a Remington 1100 he had worn out and got from a close friend of the family. It is a Winchester Model 12 12 gauge with a 30" full choke barrel. Needless to say when she bought out a Winchester box and not just a gun I was shocked! It is NIB, but shows its age. The gun still had the plastic around it, but had not been stored well so it is only about 90%. I am so excited. I bought some 2 3/4" turkey shells and a case of dove loads yesterday for it. I shot it yesterday evening with what I use as a test for every 12 gauge I touch 2 3/4" No. 1 Magnum buckshot. It put all 20 pellets in a pie plate at 50 long steps! This thing is choked tight!!!! It is due to they built Model 12's around the old paper hull shells and that makes the choke actually one size tighter than marked when shooting modern shells! I think with some copper plated #4's this thing ought to do well out to about 40 yards on turkeys! I am so excited to have something that is of this quality and a family heirloom. I know my uncle would have wanted it hunted with so that is exactly what I intend to do with it.
Thanks for letting me ramble,
Daman