I have owned two 12/ 20‘s over the past 15 years. They are an under appreciated jewel of twentieth century British gun trade.

The 12/20s by Grant were all made after the merger between Grant and Lancaster in the early 30s. They were built between the wars to best gun standards and I had have had no problems with either of my two. I moved my first one along because it was only 6 lbs and did not fit me well. Went on the hunt for another and found one at 6’6” that fit me. It is now my current wild quail gun in which I shoot 7/8th oz loads.

They typically weigh 6 to 6 1/2 lbs so you don’t want to shoot heavy 12 gauge loads. They are an incredibly strong action and by my limited experience, are very reliable. The Baker single trigger was well regarded in the early twentieth century. Both of mine however were double trigger guns.

Toby Barclay is an admirer of this action and posted this when he was marketing one he had restored to new condition ( not one of mine):

“This gun is a fine example of the so-called ‘12/20’ mechanism designed and patented in 1906 by that prolific inventor, William Baker. This mechanism was used by a wide swathe of the British gun trade in their better quality sidelocks and it was a very successful design. The ‘12/20’ name comes from the writings of Sir Gerald Burrand who wrote extensively about the gunmakers and their designs and the name was adopted by several London gunmakers to describe the model, notably Churchill and Lancaster. It derives from the inherent strength of the back-action layout of the lock parts which meant that a gun could be made very strong for its weight and so could be built lighter, hence the idea of a 12b with the weight of a 20b. The mechanism also provides an assisted opening facility if the gun is wholly or partly unfired and is only cocked when the barrels are closed, meaning the mainsprings are at rest when the gun is broken or in parts.”