I had two 16 gauges and one 20 gauge Model 12 and while slicker than butter on a hot July day the 16 gauges gave me some trouble. They seemed to dislike the newer 16 gauge shells and jammed in the port on occasion. I don't know if the port was originally cut with the older shells and those shells were shorter in overall length, but the 20 gauge was flawless.
I liked to freak younger shooters out at the gun club by bringing it in a take down case. They never saw a takedown pump before and always gathered around while I pulled her out and put her together saying I must be some sort of covert government assassin. They always wanted me to 'slam' fire her but I would always say that doing that was just way too hard on the gun. Another guy with a Model 12 would 'slam' fire his keeping up with or just plain beating a bunch of Jam-O-Matics.
I never could get use to where they put that safety so I sold them.
The late Herb Parsons, like the late Jimmy Robinson, was both a gambler and a raccoon tuner of note- He'd take his M0del 12, remove his Stetson, and bet anyone in the audience $50 he could load it with a trap load and shoot into his hat, without any damage- some sucker took him up on that- so, with the safety on, he's rack a Federal Champion taken from another sucker (s0 no one could accuse him of using a rigged WRA shell- then take down the gun, place the receiver with the protruding hull into his Stetson- pull the trigger- poof- and a 1& 1/8 ounce of of no. 7.5 lead shot rolled around inside the hat,no damage- except to the poor fool's wallet-- One born every minute--
