How do I find the manufactured date for a Winchester Model 12

F

fussduck

Inactive
I have the 16ga Winchester Model 12 that my father had. The earliest I can remember is about 1935 and he had it then. When he was a young man, he did a lot of bird hunting but by 1935, he was 51 and I do not remember him doing any hunting with the Winchester Model 12 so I suspect that most of its usage has been my hunting doves, ducks, quail, and geese. Probably my hunting days are over and I want to know more about the gun. On the bottom of the receiver is a number which I suspect is the Serial No. which is 649923. And I certainly agree with all the comments about it being a fine gun.
 
A Win Mod 12, w/SN 649923 was made in 1931.

"The Winchester Model 1912 (also commonly known as the Model 12, or M12) is a hammerless slide-action, i.e., pump-action, shotgun with an external tube magazine. Popularly-named the Perfect Repeater at its introduction, it largely set the standard for pump action shotguns over its 51 year high-rate production life. From 1912 until first discontinued by Winchester in 1963, nearly two million Model 12 shotguns were produced in various grades and barrel lengths. Initially chambered for 20 gauge only, the 12 and 16 gauge versions came out in 1914, and the 28 gauge version came out in 1934. A .410 version was never produced; instead, a scaled-down version of the Model 12 known as the Model 42, directly derived from scaled drawings of the Model 12, was produced for .410."

There's more history here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Model_1912

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