Winchester Model 12 Skeet
Winchester Repeating Arms Company · Shotgun · Discontinued · 1937
Also known as: Winchester Model 1912 Skeet, Model 12 Skeet Grade
Overview
The Winchester Model 12 Skeet is a slide-action (pump) shotgun, a competition-grade variant of the classic hammerless Model 12 designed by T.C. Johnson. Chambered in 12 gauge with a 2.75-inch chamber, it features a 26-inch smoothbore barrel with a ventilated rib, a skeet choke, and a fitted pistol-grip walnut stock, making it a favored gun on American skeet fields from the late 1930s through the early 1960s.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3543 g (125.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1168 mm (45.98") |
| Barrel Length | 660 mm (25.98") |
| Action Type | Pump Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Tubular |
| Muzzle Velocity | 400 m/s (1312 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2560 J (1888 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 40 m (44 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 12 Gauge · primary — also known as 12GA, 12 Bore
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Tubular Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Cross Bolt Safety
- Features: Ventilated Rib, Skeet Choke, Pistol Grip Stock, Bottom Ejection, Hammerless Takedown, 2.75 Inch Chamber
Base model
Service history
Operators
- American Skeet and Clay Target Shooters
Production
Production years: 1937-1963
Part of the roughly two million total Winchester Model 12 shotguns produced across all grades from 1912 to 1963.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Thomas Crossley Johnson
Discontinued: 1963
Notes
The Skeet grade was offered with solid or ventilated ribs; the milled 'duckbill' ventilated rib was especially popular. Model 12 production spanned 1912 to 1963 (with limited later runs), with roughly two million made across all grades.
Background
The Model 12 earned the nickname 'The Perfect Repeater' for its smooth, reliable slide action, and its Skeet grade became a mainstay of competitive clay-target shooting in mid-20th-century America.