Winchester Model 12 navy, need help with ID, value.

[scosgt]

I saw that same US marking on a M12 that was returned from South America on some importation (it was in horrible condition). It also had a big sunburst thing next to the US. I have no idea what that was all about.

I don't think the US on there is stamped. It is done with an engraving type of machine, called a pantograph or something like that.

You can not stamp hardened steel - at least not properly, as the fakers usually find out. So that gun was possibly arsenal or depot marked after military acceptance.

Information

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[Viper225]

Looks like so far we have 6 WWII Pre Pearl Harbor Military Model 12's located to date. Everything still indicates that these were an early small contract purchase to arm the 30 Training Bases under construction in 1940 & 1941.

Viper225 Full Choke 28" Trainer SER 92635X
Texwing Full Choke 28" Trainer SER 92642X
John Ed 20" Riot SER 92687X
Classicrs 20" Riot SER 926XXX (Still need information on gun & owner)
Jackmorse 28" Full Choke Trainer SER 92715X (Still need info on this gun & owner)
LongColt44 28" Full Choke Trainer SER 9291XX (Still need info on this gun & owner)

My e-mail for direct contact: roachw@wildblue.net

Something that I have been thinking about for a long time.
How were WWI Military Model 12's Marked?

The question might be asked why these early WWII Pre Pearl Harbor guns are marked differently than Post Pearl Harbor Model 12's? It is very likely the person writing the small contract for the Pre Pearl Harbor Model 12's to arm 30 training bases under construction was not the same person writing the At War Large Military Weapons Contracts.

The early guns may be marked like WWI guns??? Either copying earlier contract specifications or using an example of a WWI Model 12 as an example for the Pre Pearl Harbor Model 12 contract specifications. Another possibility is the person writing the pre Pearl Harbor contract might have speced them out as he/she thought they needed to be marked.
Unless we see some pictures of a WWI Model 12, we may never know.

I think we may have stumbled into the most rare, and collectable WWII Model 12's in existance. The internet has put thousands of us in contact with each other. Back 20 years ago we would have never put these 6 rare shotguns together as a collectable group. We would have just had a ????? ( Someone must have attempted to counterfit a Military Model 12 that did not know how one was marked response) I got that answer early on before the others started popping up.

And the search for more Guns and information continues.