Hard to say- the premium priced M12's Unaltered, have always been, IMO- those made before WW11-better wood available- and as a retired WRA machinist once told me- before WW11- especially in the Custom Shop- they held tighter tolerances- but with the WW11 and the FDR "Arsenal of Democracy"- two factors entered the picture- (1) increased production volums, more open tolerances on non-critical areas- (2) All military weapons are basically made to open tolerances- to allow for dirt, grit, blod, mud, crappy ammo- etc- as a sidebar- one downfall of some of the great Kraut semi and fully auto weapons of the early WW11 era- before Hitler Fubared it with the invasion of Russia in 1941-- their weapons were made and fitted with Kraut-Swiss watch like precision- and the cyclical rate of fire reflected it- later, they replaced some fo9rgings with stampins and opened machinisng tolerances, as did all the countris involved in that War-I have a used but clean M12- field grade 12 gauge 30" full made in 1937- and a "identical twin" which I would sell, but in our area and economy- it ain't movin' now a skeet or trap gun, maybe yes-if you find an old dog like me that things the Model 12 (before the Y series) was indeed "The Perfect Repeater"-
