Winchester 1200

[militant]

I just acquired a Winchester 1200 with a 28 inch barrel in 12 gauge. It shoots 2 3/4-3 1/2 inch shells. I can't seem to age it and I haven't fired it yet. Anyone have any experience with these?

[BillM]

The 1200 was chambered for 2 3/4" shells.
1200 Magnum and 1300 would take 3"

None of the above will take 3 1/2". Is yours actually MARKED 3 1/2?

I've had a couple of 1200's. EXTREMELY fast pump action
with the rotating bolt head lockup. Quite possibly the fastest pump
action ever made.

Maybe not as durable as a 870 Remington. I had no trouble with
them for general use, but the 1200 would not be my first choice
for a trap or 3-gun shotgun.

[jmr40]

It is quite possible 3" or even 3.5" shells may fit in the chamber. That does not make them safe to fire. I know this gun will not safely shoot 3.5" shells and I doubt it is safe with 3". I'm not as familiar with these models but BillM's advice seems about right to me.

The length of a shotshell is measured AFTER firing. A 2.75", 3" and 3.5" shell unfired is somewhat shorter. The chamber is cut about 1/2" longer than the unfired shell to make room for the crimp when fired. All of the longer shells fit in the chamber, but will cause dangerous pressures if fired in a gun not designed for them.

I did have a 1300 once, but no experience with the 1200. Decent enough gun and I think the 1300 is just a slightly updated version of the 1200.

[militant]

I stand corrected. It is marked 3 inch magnum.

[10-96]

I've had a number of 1200's and 1300's over the years- still have a couple. True, they are not in the same league as Wingmasters, and may not hold up as well as 870's... but on the other hand- I've never worn out a Winchester OR a Remington to the point of failure. They're good shotguns- especially good for the price range they sold in IMHO.

[Lucas McCain]

jmr40, I have owned a model 1200 for over 40 years now. I bought it brand new and I have shot quite a few 3 inch shells through it hunting ducks, geese, turkeys and pheasants. That gun is more than capable of shooting 3'" MAGNUM loads. Back in the days when we could use lead shot, I hand loaded some very stout #2 shot loads for geese. The turkey loads are very stout, 2-1/4 oz. of lead. The gun handled them fine. Yes, today the gun is slightly loose in the action, but that is due to wear and the high number of shells that it has consumed. It used to be a full choke, but when steel was mandatory I had it opened up to imp. cyl. This fall it will be used again in the waterfowl blinds and pheasants hunts.
I disagree with your statement that the shot shell is measured AFTER being fired. The shell designation is measured BEFORE it is fired and after it is fired it gets longer because the crimp unfolds. The 2-3/4 chamber is a little over 3 inches long. The reason is because we don't want to cause any constriction of the wad and shot column, which would cause high pressure spikes as it leaves the shotshell case. The nominal bore diameter is related to the I.D. of the shotshell, not the O.D.
A 3 inch shell will go in the chamber, but you are at risk, and possible damage to the gun can occur. Some shotguns are back bored, meaning that the choke is located just in front of the chamber. Using the incorrect length shotshell in that gun can very likely cause catastrophic problems.

[Dreaming100Straight]

Lucas,

I just measured three 2-3/4" shells. A Rio, a AA Tracker, and a Gun Club. EAch one measured 2-1/4". Then I measured the hull of a fired Gun Club. It measured just under 2-3/4" with the crimp opened up.

I don't shoot or have any 3", but if it is just 1/4" longer than a 2-3/4", I expect it to be 2-1/2" in length unfired. You can easily check if my assumption is correct. 2-1/2" long shells easily should fit into a 2-3/4" chamber, but there is risk if the crimp extends into the forcing cone when that shell opens up to 3" upon firing.

Hope I haven't confused things, as I can't locate my Lyman's to check this out. This drawing from Browning may help to visualize how the crimp needs to have room to unfold inside the chamber without intruding into the forcing cone.

[Virginian]

The chamber length designation refers to the fired length of the shotshell. There is no question of that. The allowable chamber pressure for the 3-1/2" 12 gauge is significantly higher than the 2-3/4" and 3" loads so you cannot safely modify guns to take the longer shells unless you know what you are doing. Check SAAMI specs if you doubt it.
The 1200/1400 were Winchester's first attempt at reduced cost repeater shotguns, and they got such a bad reputation they helped lead to Winchester's demise, along with the disdain for the revised Model 70. If you have one and you like it, more power to you, and I hope it serves you well forever, but if the plastic feed throat or other inexpensive internal part breaks do not be surprised. The 1200 didn't last long, then came the 1300, then the Speed Pump, and now I think it has morphed into the Turkish made SXP (?). Every step did get a little better, and with FN now overseeing things maybe now they have something they can stick with.
Backboring, or overboring, refers to a bore which is larger than the nominal size (.729 for 12 gauge in the US). The choke is still at the front end of the barrel. Where are you getting all this MISinformation? Wikipedia has better info. BTW, my 1963 shotgun has over 115,000 rounds thru it, a lot of them maximum load handloaded waterfowl loads cooked up with Blue Dot and Ballistic Products components and it isn't a bit loose from "normal" wear.

[lockedcj7]

I have one even cheaper. It's a winchester ranger 120 in 20 ga. with a fixed choke. There isn't anything elegant about it except the way it works. I recently broke a gas ring on my 11-87 five minutes before leaving for a dove hunt. I grabbed the 120 and proceeded to hit 12 out of 20.

[kostner]

Have two Winchester 1200/1300's and never had a problem with either. Bought one from a police boat that has small pitting caused buy salt water but for $100 it was a great deal. One lives upstairs and the other downstairs. Nice guns would not trade for a 870.

[44 AMP]

I would trade a 1200 for an 870 in a heartbeat. But then, I would also trade and 870 for a Model 12 even faster.

The Army used the 1200 as its riot gun in the 70s (the Marines used the 870). I worked on three of them, all for trigger guard issues.

I would say the biggest flaw in the 1200 is the trigger guard casting. There is a little, thin piece of the casting that the safety spring bears against. When this breaks, there is little or no tension on the safety button, and it can slide on or off at a whim. It can even fall out of the gun.

other than that, I don't see much wrong with them.

[jcn]

I picked up a 1200 Defender (retired D.O.C) on the cheap a few weeks ago. Looks like hell but it's mechanically sound and works like a dream. I'd stake my life on it!