Guide to Lever Action Rifles. Winchester

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Winchester(eng. Winchester rifle) - common name for rifles and shotguns produced in the USA in the second half of the 19th century. Winchesters with reloading using a lever-trigger guard (Henry guard) and with an under-barrel tubular magazine were one of the first widespread repeating shotguns and were extremely popular, although their prevalence in the United States of that time was somewhat exaggerated thanks to the literature and cinema of the 20th century.

The most famous Winchester models

Henry Rifle Model 1860 (English) Russian- the prototype of all subsequent Winchester rifles, the first rifle with a lever-brace and a tubular under-barrel magazine. It differed from subsequent models in a slightly different design of the magazine and reloading mechanism. Since 1864 it was produced by Winchester, but under the original name.
Winchester Model 1866 (English) Russian
Winchester Model 1873 is a lever-action rifle known as “The Gun that Won the West.”
The Winchester Model 1887 is a lever-action shotgun designed by John M. Browning.
The Winchester Model 1894 (known as the ".30-30") is one of the most famous and popular lever-action hunting rifles, produced until 2006.
Winchester Model 1895 - lever-action Model 1895 (M1895) with a mid-magazine, specially designed for Russian Empire chambered for 7.62×54R and equipped with a flat blade bayonet.
Winchester Model 1897 is a pump-action shotgun designed by John Browning.
The Winchester Model 1912 is a pump-action shotgun designed by Thomas Crosley Johnson.
Winchester 1300 is a pump action shotgun, a development of the 1200 model.

Story

A rifle with a tubular under-barrel magazine, a longitudinally sliding bolt and reloading from a lever located under the neck of the butt was developed and released in the late 1850s by the American inventor Henry based on the Volcanic pistol from Smith and Wesson. In 1857, after the bankruptcy of the enterprise, businessman Oliver Winchester bought all the company's assets, reorganizing it into the New Haven Arms Company. The company continued producing Volcanic shotguns and pistols under the leadership of Benjamin Tyler Henry (English) Russian. In addition, Henry continued experiments with a new type of cartridge and successfully redesigned the gun for .44 caliber. This is how the Henry Gun appeared in 1860. (English) Russian. At the end of the Civil War, Oliver Winchester, who headed the company, renamed it Winchester Repeating Arms Company, and from 1866 the modified gun began to be produced under the name Winchester. The rifle has undergone some changes in the magazine - now it began to be filled through the side window, and not from the muzzle, as in the original model. True, the magazine capacity decreased from 15 rounds to 12, but at the same time loading was sped up.

Usually the name “Winchester” refers to the most popular model of 1866. First advertisements stated that an experienced shooter could use up a rifle magazine in 15 seconds. This suggests that this rifle had a high rate of fire - about 60 rounds per minute. By the late 1860s, rimfire ammunition for rifles had largely fallen into disuse. With the advent of the central ignition cartridge, a new Winchester rifle was released - the legendary Model 1873. This model has an improved mechanism, and the brass lever is replaced by an iron one. A significant achievement was the new .44-40 (10.2 mm) cartridge, although it did not impress the US Army Ordnance Service, since it was a rather weak cartridge, and the army needed more powerful weapon. The civilian market, on the contrary, reacted very favorably to the new cartridge, and in 1878 Colt’s Manufacturing Company released a number of its “Peasemakers” and double-action army pistols chambered for the .44-1 inch cartridge. This weapon was named "Frontier Six Shooter". Winchester rifles were never adopted by the army, but were very popular among civilian population as a hunting and self-defense weapon and remained in mass production until 1919.

Operating principle

In culture

Winchester lever-action rifles appear in almost all Westerns set during the corresponding period. For example, the plot of Anthony Mann's film Winchester "73" (1950) revolves around an 1873 model rifle, which is played as a prize in a shooting competition.

Due to their widespread popularity, hard drives were used in films of other genres. In the science fiction film "Terminator 2", Arnold Schwarzenegger's character used a sawn-off shotgun Winchester model 1887, and in the film "Back to the Future 3" the Winchester rifle was used by Dr. Emmett Brown

Although the Lord said: “Thou shalt not kill,” people have killed at all times, and they were also proud of the effective murder weapons created in their country.

In Russia, these were a three-line rifle and a Kalashnikov assault rifle, but among the Americans, perhaps the most famous weapon was the Oliver Winchester carbine, the famous “yellow guy,” or “yellow guy.” Many (and quite rightly!) consider it “the weapon that conquered the Wild West.” Yes, and the Russian troops suffered from him, read to the end and you will find out under what circumstances the Russian army suffered from his murderous fire.

Where did it begin?
However, one should not think that the hard drive came into existence just like that. No, this weapon had many predecessors and was improved rather slowly. First, the Hunt Repeater gun (1849) appeared; this model had two levers under the barrel: one for feeding cartridges, and the other for capsules, which was, of course, very inconvenient. But then there was an engineer, Lewis Jennings, who liked something about the Repeater gun, and he made his own from it - with a magazine under the barrel and a bolt controlled by a lever. Create prototype for the Robbins and Lawrence company they assigned another engineer, Benjamin Tyler Henry, and it was he who finalized the rifle.
As for Mr. Oliver Winchester himself, at first he was generally engaged in the production of... men's shirts at his own factory in New Haven.

In 1850, Winchester decided to invest in the newly founded Volcanic Rapping Ams company, which produced self-loading rifles of the same name. Unfortunately, they had a drawback - a completely extravagant cartridge, which was a bullet with a powder charge. At the same time, he did not have enough strength; it was inconvenient to reload with the help of a bracket.

"Henry repeating rifle, model 1860"

By 1856, Winchester became the largest of the firm's co-owners, after which the company was renamed New Haven Ams, after the city of New Haven, Connecticut, where it was located, and then hired engineer Benjamin Henry, who became chief designer and director. new enterprise. At first they continued to produce the unsuccessful Volcanics, but in 1860 Henry finally abandoned the old cartridge and made the gun chambered for a cartridge with a metal sleeve and a magazine under the barrel that could hold as many as 15 rounds. These are the guns that have now begun to be produced. Loading them, however, was inconvenient, and the magazine was difficult, since it had to be filled with cartridges from the muzzle. However, the loaded weapon developed an amazing rate of fire - 25 rounds per minute! It was very expensive - 50 dollars (the size of a three-month salary for a soldier in the northern army), but as soon as the war between the North and South began, people, despite the price, began to buy it, and then they went on to massive purchases of “Henry rifle, model I860” and the Northern States government.
"The Royal Innovation" by Nelson King
While the Civil War was going on, Winchester produced Henry's rifles without any changes, and Henry himself apparently believed that he had achieved perfection. However, then the development of the arms market required eliminating main drawback rifles, which consisted in the difficulty of loading. This was eliminated by Nelson King, who proposed to install a window on the right side of the bolt box with a spring-loaded lid, through which the magazine could be filled from the breech, and not from the muzzle. The cartridges were pushed into the magazine, bullets forward, while the coil spring in it was compressed. In 1866, Winchester, appreciating King's development, purchased from him a patent for this improvement, called the “Royal Innovation.” At the same time, Oliver renamed the company itself, which became known as Winchester Repitingams.

Apparently, not forgiving Winchester for improving his gun, Henry left the company that same year, and new model now became known as "Winchester, model 1866", without any mention of the name Henry.

"Yellow Guy" begins...
Because the Winchester had a brass receiver, it was nicknamed the “yellow guy,” or “yellow guy.” The magazine held from 13 to 15 rounds, depending on the length of the barrel and magazine. The new gun turned out to be very convenient for anyone who had to shoot from a horse, which is why many considered the Winchester the best cavalry carbine of its time. True, due to the not very strong cartridge, the gun’s firing range was short, but it had very accurate combat at short distances, and its 11.18 mm lead bullet had sufficient destructive power. A luxury hard drive model 1866 was also produced, decorated with engraving and the owner’s monogram.

And he wins!
In 1873, the hard drive was improved again. A 15-round model with a bayonet began to be produced for the army, and two models - 11 and 13 rounds - were offered as a carbine and sporting weapon. The caliber of the Winchester was unified with the caliber of the Colt Peacemaker revolver (also known as the Colt Peacemaker), which made it easier to supply it with ammunition. The range reached up to a thousand steps. Later, the number of produced hard drive samples of different calibers and under different cartridges reached 12, which is why this rifle became widespread outside the United States.
However, the army did not like the new weapon, because they were afraid of an increase in ammunition consumption. The cavalry was armed with single-shot Sharp and Springfield carbines, and it was for this reason that in 1876, near the Little Bighorn River, Montana, General Custer's detachment was defeated by the Indians. After all, as excavations at the battle site showed, those who had Henry and Winchester rifles, and the American aborigines simply suppressed the resistance of Custer’s soldiers with their fire!
And finally, thanks to the Winchesters that were armed with the Turkish cavalry during Russian-Turkish War 1877-1878, the Turks managed to repel the superior forces of the Russian army, which stormed Plevna on July 30, 1877. Then the Turkish horsemen gave the Winchesters to the infantrymen, and they had 600 rounds of ammunition each. As a result, despite all their courage, our soldiers were unable to resist the wall of fire opened on our troops by the Turkish army. On this day, as well as during the assault on September 11, the total Russian losses amounted to 30 thousand people, almost exclusively thanks to the Winchesters.
Competitors
and followers
Winchesters sold so well that rifles with a lever-controlled bolt and an under-barrel magazine began to appear literally one after another. Some were better in some ways, others were just more original; there was enough space on the market for everyone. The Marlin, for example, ejected the spent cartridge case to the right and was therefore considered more convenient than the hard drive, which had serious competition. Borges' carbine differed only in the shape of the lever, but Bollard's bolt moved using gears and racks, which ensured greater smooth operation of the mechanism. Even the Colt company was seduced by the under-barrel magazine - its guns used a sliding forend, which is why their rate of fire surpassed lever systems. As for the Winchester company, it continued to improve its legendary rifle and released models 1886, 1894 and 1895. The latter was designed for a powerful rifle cartridge and no longer had an under-barrel, but a middle magazine, like our “three-line” one. Interestingly, during the First World War latest model hard drive in large quantities supplied to Russia, where it, however, was not successful. Lying down is not very convenient to operate the lever, and in addition, before reloading, the hard drive had to cock the hammer, which caused the rate of fire to decrease.
Be that as it may, hard drives with an under-barrel magazine are being produced even now, which is the best evidence of their perfection. And although the name of the real creator of this weapon - Benjamin Tyler Henry - has now been forgotten by many, it cannot be said that Oliver Winchester has nothing to do with the rifle. After all, he also put a lot of effort into improving the carbine, if only by buying the necessary patents and attracting talented specialists to the work.

Winchester shotguns, which served sheriffs and movie stars well, are gradually fading into history and ceasing to exist.

The city of New Haven closed the American arms factory producing this type of weapon. Along with its existence, the 140-year history of the production of famous guns also ended. During the Second World War, 19 thousand people worked at this enterprise, but in last years Less than 200 people worked there. Outdated models, including the famous Winchester 1894, will be disposed of. Now the only rifles bearing the Winchester mark will be modern, improved models produced in Belgium, Japan and Portugal.
The plant is being sold, most likely to Smith & Wesson. And before it was owned by Winchester, Volcanic, and the same Smith... The current owner (or already former) is FN, i.e. Belgians. The production of such Winchester models as 1300, 70 and 94 is being discontinued. Although it is possible, they will remain in production, only with new owners under different designations. So, I think there will be another 1300th... But for now the plant seems to have been closed.....

In conclusion, a video of the hard drive in action.

Although the Lord said: “Thou shalt not kill,” people have killed at all times, and they were also proud of the effective murder weapons created in their country. In Russia, these were a three-line rifle and a Kalashnikov assault rifle, but among the Americans, perhaps the most famous weapon was the Oliver Winchester carbine, the famous “yellow guy,” or “yellow guy.” Many (and quite rightly!) consider it “the weapon that conquered the Wild West.” Yes, and the Russian troops suffered from him, read to the end and you will find out under what circumstances the Russian army suffered from his murderous fire. Where did it begin? However, don’t think that the hard drive is straight...

Review

Winchester - meaning the famous gun that “conquered the Wild West” - is too well-known and popular not to be written about in detail. Including on the pages of VO, where, in particular, my materials about the battles of Americans with Indians at Rosebud and Little Big Horn were published. It told not only about these battles themselves, but also about weapons. However, the design of the hard drive and the circumstances surrounding it are so interesting that... one inevitably has to return to them. Moreover, the author at one time had the opportunity not only to “hold” a hard drive from 1895, but also to shoot from it, and subsequently hold in his hands a sample of a hard drive that was absolutely exceptional in its originality.

Winchester Model 1866 (4th model, caliber 44-40).

And it so happened that when I was still a boy, I saw a “gun” on the wall of my grandfather’s room. The family chronicle told me that it was with this gun that my uncle, who later died in the war, almost shot my expectant mother, firing at her with his grandfather's wolf's grapeshot almost point-blank. One buckshot remained in her hand for the rest of her life! Well, then I myself saw how my grandfather chopped a lead rod into pieces square section and filled the resulting “cubes” with cartridges, which... the raven was shooting in the garden!

Pistol "Volcanic".

Bang! And only feathers flew from the flying crow! Then he began to teach me how to shoot, and the complexity of the gun seemed amazing to me: first pull the trigger, then fold back the lower lever, so much so that even the trigger fell out of the gun, then insert the cartridge, lift the lever up and only then shoot! The guns of the fathers of the neighbor boys with the barrels that broke seemed somehow unreal to me. Moreover, studying in a special school with English language from the second grade, I very quickly read the stamp on it: “Winchester 1895.” American Army».

Diagram of the Winchester mechanism of 1873.

Well, only later I found out that my grandfather was given it in 1918, when he was in charge of grain procurements, commanded food detachments and... they shot at him, and he himself shot. But after the Civil War, he was offered to hand over the military hard drive, and he sent it for repairs. At the gunsmith's shop they replaced his rifled barrel with a smoother one. large caliber, removed the bracket for the clip, which was on the receiver, pulled out the spring and feeder from the magazine, and at the same time changed the forend. At that time in Soviet Russia there were many such converted guns, because we were also supplied with a lot of Winchesters, and for some reason many of them ended up in the rear, and not at the front. They often used them to make sawn-off shotguns (“cuts”) for fists here in Penza local history museum there is one like that. Well, in 1965, the GDR film “Sons of Ursa Major", based on the novel by Liselotte Welsskopf Heinrich, well, I became ill with the Winchester for the rest of my life, although later I had to part with my grandfather’s gun.

Lever-brace and receiver of a Winchester model 1895.

Well, these are, so to speak, “the author’s personal impressions,” but this is what “dry science” tells us about where “it all started.” And it so happened that on February 14, 1854, a certain American named Benjamin Henry received a patent for... a pistol in which bullets (and they are shots, that is, caseless ammunition!) were in a tubular magazine under the barrel, and were fed into the barrel using a special lever, structurally combined with the trigger guard.

Russian soldiers with hard drives in their hands...

It should be noted that the “first highlight” of the design - 10-mm lead bullets filled with a charge of... mercury fulminate was more original than this lever. True, there was nothing else inside the bullet except fulminate of mercury! When the trigger hit the firing pin, it punctured the explosive composition inside the bullet through a hole in the bolt, it flared up, and this, in general, was enough to throw it out of the barrel. This design simplified the design of the pistol (no ejector needed!), but it is known that the simpler, the better. The pistol was called "Volcanic".

Royal Canadian Mounted Police and also with Winchesters.

But... despite all these advantages, the new weapon was not successful on the market. The fact is that the speed of the bullet was low and, accordingly, the destructive power was also low. It also turned out that holding the gun in the right hand and operating the lever with the left was inconvenient. You could, of course, hold the pistol by the barrel and reload it with your right hand. The company tried to bet on the Volcanic repeating rifle, with a magazine of incredible length, but it was not a commercial success either. As a result, the manufacturing company, by the way, also called Volcanic, went bankrupt!

Advertising for hard drives.

Here we will go back a little and remember how weapons were loaded in general at that time. However, shorter and better A.A. You can hardly tell Pushkin about this, but in his novel “Eugene Onegin” he described this process as follows:
Now the pistols are flashing,
The hammer rattles on the ramrod.
Bullets go into the faceted barrel,
And the trigger clicked for the first time.
Here is gunpowder in a grayish stream
It's spilling onto the shelves. jagged,
Securely screwed flint
Cocked...

The invention of cartridges, which together contained a bullet, gunpowder, and a primer, helped solve the problem of accelerated loading. However, even earlier, inventive human thought created a caseless shot - that is, a bullet without a case, which had a propellant charge inside! It must be said that at that time there were many attempts to create rapid-firing multi-charge weapons. But pepper revolvers and multi-shot pistols, as a rule, all had several barrels that fired alternately!

Another advertisement.

That is, a magazine for many cartridges could solve the problem, and Benjamin Henry became concerned with its creation, and already in 1860 he received a new patent, now for a cartridge rifle with a 15-round magazine under the barrel. He replaced low-power bullets with a charge inside with .44 caliber rimfire cartridges, and again, it’s clear why it was with rimfire. After all, the bullet head of one cartridge was directly opposite the bottom of the other. And if there was a capsule there, then when the butt hit the ground, an accidental shot could occur.

Master gunsmith Erskine S. Allin's action, mounted on a Model 1861. Springfield rifle.

In the years Civil War in the USA 1861 – 1865 This Henry rifle was used extensively. The ad claimed that "You can load it on Sunday and shoot all week without reloading!" But it was still very inconvenient to load it - it could only be done while standing, and besides, through the slot running along the entire magazine from the bottom (the lever of the pusher sleeve moved along it), dirt and dust got there. And the lever itself could rest against the hand when moving, which could cause a delay when firing, and the loading process was very long. To do this, the lever at the base of the spring had to be moved all the way towards the muzzle of the barrel, fixed, and then the lower part of the magazine should be disconnected from the upper, the upper part should be moved to the side so that it does not interfere, and cartridges should be inserted into it. By looking at the lever sticking out of the slot in the magazine, one could determine whether the rifle was loaded or not. That is, it was clearly not The best decision, although with a fully loaded magazine its rate of fire reached 30 rounds per minute. Something different was needed, and that’s how the famous “Winchester” of 1866 appeared.

The same age as the “yellow guy”: a single-shot carbine mod. 1866 “Springfield” with a folding bolt.

The main highlight was the spring-loaded magazine door located on the right side of the receiver. Now it has become possible to load the magazine “from the rear end,” that is, while holding the rifle in the left hand and not necessarily standing, but also lying down (very comfortable!) and sitting in the saddle.

Snyder rifle bolt action. Open.

It should be noted that Winchester’s successful system (well, he bought Henry’s patent and produced the “yellow guy”, that is, the “66” carbine) immediately gave rise to just a lot of imitations, and now is the time to talk a little about them more details.

Snyder rifle bolt action. Closed

Let's start with Winchester's almost identical copy and main competitor, John M. Marlin, who started out making revolvers and derringers in 1870 and eventually perfected the Winchester. The main disadvantage of the latter was the bolt, which closed the bolt box from above and slid inside it along the grooves. The spent cartridge was thrown upward and sometimes hit the shooter in the face.

Carbine "Marlin". Model 1894 chambered for Remington .44 Magnum 1894 .

Marlin came up with a U-shaped bolt and a receiver closed at the top. When reloading, it also moved back, but a window opened on the right, through which the cartridge case was also removed to the right. Thanks to this, it was possible to install a Marlin carbine above the receiver optical sight. Initially, carbines were produced in calibers .32 and .45 (7.7 and 11.43 mm), but then others appeared.

Carbine "Marlin" chambered for .30-30 Winchester.

Then A. Borgess from Oswego released his version of such a rifle. It has a noticeable fancy lever, but the mechanism itself is similar to a Winchester. In 1878, his rifle was tested, but found to be fragile. Schneider's company also did not remain aloof from participating in the development of this system and also proposed a bolt controlled by an under-barrel lever. But when it was pulled forward, the bolt did not move back, but... fell down in the grooves of the receiver.

The bolt of the Marlin rifle.

At the same time, a cartridge was fed onto it, the bolt rose, and a special lever (also known as an extractor) pushed it into the barrel. The rifle's rate of fire was at the level of the Winchester and Marlin and was distinguished by a very short bolt. Such a system was described in English book designer W. W. Greener’s “The Gun and Its Development,” published at the end of the 19th century and republished at the beginning of the 20th. Then the famous weapons historian V.E. borrowed information from it. Markevich, already our author, and... that's it!

Shneider system shutter.

At the same time, K.H. Ballard, of Worcester, Kentucky, also decided to have his say in the development of lever action rifles. He made an excellent... single-shot rifle, which is still sold today, and then he came up with a multi-shot bolt with an under-barrel magazine. Moreover, he acted, unlike everyone else, according to the principle “to do simple is very difficult, and to do difficult is very simple.” Its bolt was also controlled by a bracket-lever, but it “drove” inside the receiver due to the fact that the gear thread on it rolled along two gears! The benefit of this was that the bolt moved extremely smoothly, but the bolt itself and the receiver turned out to be very long, and therefore heavy. Ballard rifles were produced in the following calibers: .32, .38, .44 (7.7, 9 and 11 mm), and then .45 and .50. Moreover, if the 50-caliber Winchester cartridge held 90 grains. gunpowder, then Ballard has 115! That is, his rifles were more powerful! There were rifles with an under-barrel magazine for 5 and 11 rounds and, although they were in demand, they still could not compete on equal terms with hard drives.

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The Winchester rifle is one of the most popular and well-known types in popular culture. firearms for hunting and self-defense. The rifle owes its popularization not only to its fighting qualities, but also to Westerns, where this particular weapon occupied a central place. It's not just old films that turn to this type of rifle. For example, in the hands of the heroes of modern films “Russian Gambit” and “Terminator 2” you can also see a Winchester. Even a disk drive for transferring files from a computer is named after the rifle!

History of creation

Of course, on this moment Modernized Winchester models are produced, but many design elements of the first rifles of this type and the traditions of the manufacturers are taken as a basis. And the design of the weapon is really original and interesting, That's why it has been produced for a century and a half. Watch the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxdLI-82Wjs

The predecessor of the Winchester was the Volcanic, a pistol manufactured by Smith and Wesson. Designer Benjamin Henry took it as a basis new rifle, which was equipped new system bolt and reloading, a tubular mechanism under the barrel and a lever-brace.

The company went bankrupt in the late 1850s. He was bought by Oliver Winchester, who gave Henry the opportunity to produce new weapons on a larger scale. At that time it was still called Volcanic. The inscription “Winchester” appeared only in 1866. See photo.

“Volcanic”

The new name also led to changes in the design of the gun. Thus, the cartridge supply system has changed. Now they had to be loaded not through the barrel, but through the side window of the magazine, which was reduced to 12 rounds (in the Volcanic there are 15 bullets). This made it possible to speed up the recharging process. Henry kept the 44-caliber cartridges from the previous model.

First models of this weapon were very popular thanks to the high rate of fire. Winchester could fire 1 round per second, which was a real breakthrough for that time. But the cartridges of that time had a ring ignition system, which was already being replaced by a central one. It is also worth reading material about, which is considered one of the most popular rifles.

The weight of the gun was more than 4 kilograms, and its length was 1252 mm. The weapon was quite massive by modern standards.

Rifle models

Due to changes in ammunition, Winchester modernized his gun. This is how the Model 1873 was born, which has become a true symbol of American westerns.

The dimensions of the previous model were completely preserved, and the magazine could hold from 12 to 17 rounds. This weapon was popular among civilians, although it was originally released for the needs of the army. But it was not adopted for service due to the lightweight 10.2 mm cartridge, which could not provide sufficient power to the rifle.

“The gun that conquered the West” was the name of the very popular Winchester 1873 rifle. It fed cartridges through a window in the receiver.

The box itself, which was previously made of brass, has now become metal, which has increased the reliability of the gun. In 1919, production of the Winchester 1873 was discontinued. See also review of the American sniper rifle.

One more is enough a popular model of those times was the Winchester 1887, which was produced until 1920. Its developer was the famous designer John Browning.

He retained the lever mechanism of the device, making it even faster and more reliable. The length of the weapon was 997 mm, and it weighed 3.6 kg.

The magazine could hold 5–8 charges. Winchester 1887 was inferior in popularity to its predecessor, but the demand for it was quite good, so it was produced for more than 30 years. Also considered long-lived in terms of production sniper rifle Mosin, about her.

Winchester 1894 - real symbol for hunters of several generations at once. This model of gun was produced for more than a century, because it enjoyed great success among hunting enthusiasts. Its designer was also Browning. You will learn a lot of interesting things about hunting with pneumatics.

The gun retained the lever cocking mechanism, despite the abundance of pump-action weapons at that time. The lever became a kind of symbol of the Winchester company. The tubular magazine could hold 5 - 6 rounds.

The weapon weighed just over 3 kilograms and was 960 mm long. The gun was so popular that during its release, sales amounted to more than 7 million. This absolute record among all types of firearms in the United States. Watch the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow-qddXm-HI

It is noteworthy that millions of Winchesters of this model were given to the presidents of the country. New to this gun is the use of smokeless 30-30 cartridges.

In addition to them, other ammunition could be used. Winchester 1894 was distinguished by its unpretentiousness and durability. Based on these criteria, it is worth mentioning the Remington rifle, about it.

It was made from reliable materials that ensured long service life of the gun, and proper care he can be considered indestructible. Mass production of this model ceased only about 10 years ago.

Browning produced not only lever-action shotguns, but also pump-action shotguns. A striking illustration of this is the Winchester 1897. This weapon was reloaded in the traditional way for a pump-action mechanism: by moving the forend.

But this model had other differences from its predecessors. It featured a trigger mechanism with an open trigger, which is another Browning innovation. Thanks to such a system it was possible long time walk through the forest in search of game, holding cartridges cocked.

This made it possible to shoot instantly. 12 gauge allowed shooting game different sizes, and the magazine held 5 rounds. The dimensions of the gun were quite large: 997 mm in length, and weight - 3.6 kg.

The target firing range of the Winchester 1897 was about 40 m. This weapon was discontinued in the late 1950s, having sold over a million units. In historical terms, the English one is in no way inferior to Winchester.

The Winchester 1912 is the next model in this famous series of shotguns. It was designed by Thomas Johnson. He significantly changed many details of the 1897 model, and the Winchester rifle was redesigned. For example, the receiver was no longer open, and the open trigger also disappeared.

The very principle of locking ammunition in weapons has been changed. The magazine no longer used latches; cartridges entered it freely and were not retained. This was somewhat inconvenient, since when filling the magazine with the next ammunition, you had to make sure that the previous one did not fall out. It was possible to use cartridges of different calibers: from 12 to 28 s various types sleeves Watch the video:

The store held 5 ammunition. There were two ways to reload the gun. His trump card was also his extraordinary strength. All parts were made from hardened steel, therefore, the Winchester 1912 cannot be denied reliability.

Another popular gun from a well-known manufacturer has become more than modern weapons, produced in the period from the 80s of the last century until recently - Winchester 1300.

This smoothbore rifle has become popular among hunters and sportsmen. Security services do not ignore it either. Cartridge caliber - 12/76 mm. The magazine can hold 4, 5 or 7 units of ammunition.

Reloading occurs according to the standard system for shotguns. Because slow speed reloading is considered a disadvantage of this type of weapon, the designers of the Winchester 1300 tried to correct this by introducing SpeedPump technology. Watch the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ul2uageFVQ

It allows you to unlock the bolt immediately after firing, which saves reloading time. There are several different Winchester 1300 rifles that vary in size. The length can be from 457 to 711 mm, and the weight is 3 – 3.2 kg.

In some countries, the gun is still in service in some units armed forces, therefore, this weapon cannot be considered completely discontinued. Nowadays more are used modern views weapons, for example.

Conclusion

The main types of Winchester guns are discussed. Their characteristics indicate that such weapons were as convenient as possible for hunters and athletes.

The rifles are easy to maintain and very reliable. Perhaps due to their light firepower, they were unable to show themselves on army weapons, but millions of Americans associate Winchester with truly high-quality and reliable weapons, with which you can hunt, and practice shooting sports, and defend yourself in the event of an attack. It is also worth looking at the material about Colt.

This is a very famous and popular gun in America, which for a long time was the leader in popularity among pump-action shotguns, almost unknown to a wide range of Russian hunters for the reason that at one time very few of these shotguns were imported into our country, and when the “Iron Curtain” fell, this model was discontinued. Currently, Winchester M12 is no longer produced by Winchester, but a small amount of produced by the American company Browning Arms (they mainly produce guns in calibers smaller than 12).

Model history

The great J.M. Browning released his first repeating pump-action shotgun under the Winchester brand in 1893. However, this model turned out to be very unsuccessful and did not become widespread. Browning significantly refined it, and in 1897 what later became famous Model 97. This model played a huge role in the history of weapons, including directly for the United States, since it was practically the only gun that marked a new era in the development of smooth-bore hunting weapons - the emergence and widespread use of multi-charge systems.

Indeed, a fundamentally new product appeared on the market, which captured the minds and hearts of the population of the United States and determined preferences in weapons, becoming for many years, until now, the favorite type of weapon of Americans. Multi-charge systems on the other side of the ocean greatly displaced double-barreled guns, and self-loading guns that appeared a little later only strengthened their dominant position, which continues to remain national peculiarity North Americans to this day. The previous version of the repeating shotgun - Winchester 1887, which had a reloading mechanism with a Henry bracket, was produced only in 10 gauge in small batches, and significant influence, despite the modernization of 1901, did not influence the development of repeating shotguns, remaining a weapon rarity without imitations. This is a bit odd considering the enormous popularity of lever action rifles in the US.

Model 97 was produced until the mid-50s; in total, about a million guns of this model were produced. Design features: the gun had an open trigger, which eliminated the need for additional fuses. Locking was carried out by a swinging cylinder, blocking the rear movement of the bolt. To reload the forend, you must first move it forward a little, and then move it back and forth. Ejection of the cartridge case to the side. The trigger did not have a disconnector, so shooting was allowed while the trigger was pressed and the forend was moving. The original version of the gun had an integral barrel. Later, a modification with a detachable barrel appeared, which gradually replaced the non-removable one. The barrel was connected to the box with a sector thread and was separated along with the magazine (which, it should be noted, is much more convenient for transportation than the modern version with the removal of only the barrel). Sights included only a front sight; there was no aiming bar.

The bulk of Model 97 samples arrived in Russia before the revolution. This gun was popular because the workmanship was high, the performance was good, and the gun's action was excellent. Winchester 97 was offered for sale, for example, through Bitkov’s catalog, the price of the modification with a fixed barrel was 54 rubles, with a detachable barrel - 58 rubles.

As you can see, the price of the gun was very attractive, considering that the only competitor among the multi-loaders, in fact, was the Browning A-5 semi-automatic, which cost 80 rubles according to the same catalogue.

It was the Winchester pump-action shotgun that was used by the famous Russian naturalist writer N.A. Zvorykin for his wolf hunts. “I had an excellent Winchester magazine in my hands, and I hoped that with five shots, if I didn’t kill the animal, I would make it easier to get it. And I decided to fire the first shot when the she-wolf stepped on the road, and then immediately open further fire. After that the first shot, the animal started swinging, and I fired shot after shot at very small intervals. After the third or fourth shot, the she-wolf began to jog. characteristic feature serious injury. The beast moved from a jog to a walk; Before I had time to reload the gun, the beast collapsed. I ran to the wolf. The distance of the first shot turned out to be 95 steps, and the subsequent ones were at distances above the limit for a sure shot."

The M97 was produced in 12 and 16 gauges. The hunting modification had a barrel length of 711 or 760 mm, weight for 12 gauge was 3.53 kg, for 16 gauge - 3.41 kg (with a 760 mm barrel). 16-gauge shotguns were produced only with a 65 mm chamber.

For firing buckshot and bullets, a model was produced with a cylindrical barrel 510 mm long, its weight was 3.40 kg. Magazine capacity for all modifications is 5 rounds.

Schematic diagram of the functioning of the gun mechanism

During the First World War, the M97 Winchester was officially adopted under the name "Trench Gun Model 1917". The military modification differed from the basic model in having a 510 mm cylindrical drill barrel, a ventilated burn guard installed on the barrel and a bayonet mount. The gun still held 5+1 rounds. A total of 19,196 guns of military modifications were supplied during the First World War. It is believed that two-thirds of these were Model 97. The standard military shotgun cartridge became the 00 buckshot cartridge (according to the American classification), i.e. three in a row, a total of 9 buckshots with a diameter of 8.38 mm.

Winchester M12

Further development of pump-action shotguns was embodied by J. Browning in the Model 12, which appeared in 1912. Starting from the previous M97, the designer significantly redesigned the entire design of the gun, changed the locking principle, the receiver now became closed - the open trigger disappeared. Only a few elements remained from the previous gun.

The gun was produced in 12, 16 and 20 gauges. For 12 gauge the weight was 3.3-3.4 kg, for 16 gauge - 2.8-2.9 kg, for 20 gauge 2.6-2.7 kg. Before the advent of this model, the 20-caliber repeating shotgun did not exist at all. Magazine capacity is 5 rounds. After World War II, modifications for 28 and 410 calibers appeared.

This model was produced until 1963, when it was replaced by a more modern and technologically advanced (and therefore cheaper) Winchester 1200 model, which already had a fundamentally different design using light alloys. During the entire production period, the M12, and about two million of them were produced, remained very popular, but its high price did not allow this gun to remain on the market after the appearance of its main competitor in 1950, the Remington 870, which very soon supplanted the M12.

The Model 12's baptism of fire dates back to the First World War, when, along with the M97, it helped fulfill an army order for 20,000 “trench rifles.” During World War II, the M12 again entered service. It is believed that 80,000 guns were supplied under the government order and another 6,000 over it. The M12 combat shotgun was a favorite during the Vietnam War, where it enjoyed great popularity. These guns have proven themselves worthy, along with the Remington 870, Ithaca 37 and Winchester 1200. The military model had only 12 gauge. 510 mm barrel, 5-round magazine. There was a factory installed cooler shroud.

As an example, this article will consider the M12 Winchester, owned by one of the authors of this article, the actual owner of which is his wife Olga Hunter.

The serial number of the gun is a little over 900,000, which corresponds to 1940-1941. The sample is in good working condition - the bluing is a little worn, the barrel is practically free of cavities, the wood has its original varnish, there are stock extensions, two sizes, apparently original branded ones, the same wood, varnish, condition, holes for fasteners. The mechanism is generally in its original form, since the previous owners used the gun very little.

Weight with empty magazine: 2.8 kg. There are no swivels as standard (one rear one was installed independently). The total length of the gun is 1190 mm. The butt at the extreme points is 330 mm. Box 172 mm long. Magazine tube, including end cap - 41 cm. Tube diameter - 21 mm. The feeder is steel (also hardened). The thickness of the magazine walls is 1mm. To prevent free rotation of the forend along the magazine tube (there is only one thrust), the magazine tube has three guides pressed out from the inside (like three seams), approx. 0.7 mm and 0.8 mm wide, three grooves were respectively selected in the inner tube of the forend, so that the forend does not move around its axis when moving back and forth, even if the rod is removed. At the same time, the magazine tube can rotate inside the forend when disassembling the gun. In the grip on the barrel, the magazine is fixed through a ribbon spring. The forward movement of the forend is further limited by a ledge on the magazine.

With an empty magazine, the gun is balanced at a distance of 715 mm from the muzzle, i.e. almost under the cutter tooth. And with 6 rounds in the magazine - 700 mm from the muzzle, at the level of the number printed on the receiver! Those. The balance shift with an empty and full magazine is only 15 mm, and the balancing point does not extend beyond the receiver. The shooter hardly notices any difference in balance as the cartridges in the magazine are consumed. This balance is excellent for repeating rifles. The weight distribution of the gun is very good. The same balance and posadism are found in only one pump, the designer of which is also J. Browning - Ithaca 37/87.

The standard capacity of the under-barrel magazine is 5 pieces, but if the loaded cartridges are no longer than 61 mm (which is the usual equipment when using a paper cup), then 6 pieces are placed in the magazine. The length of cartridges with a plastic hub is 61-62 mm. With cartridges measuring exactly 61 mm, 6 pieces fit into the magazine end-to-end, there is no free play of the spring at all, but the mechanics work. The actual barrel length is 710 mm (including the breech clutch). The thickness of the barrel walls in the breech, not counting the thickness of the threads, is 4.2 mm, along the threads 5.1 mm. To this we need to add another 2.5 mm wall of the receiver, the barrel fits there through a thread to a length of 14 mm and + 5 mm of the breech coupling in the box, in total at 19 mm the length of the initial section of the breech the wall is 7 mm thick, and this is exactly the place , where the initial pressure surge occurs. The internal diameter of the chamber is 17.8 mm, the depth is 65 mm, the internal diameter of the barrel at the muzzle is 16.1 mm, the wall thickness is 1.7 mm (there is no difference in thickness at the muzzle).

The inscriptions on the barrel, all in the area of the breech: “Made in New-Haven.conn. u.s. of America” and “winchester proff steel” (the inscriptions are one under the other - the most left). Nearby in italics WINCHESTER and below "trade mark", to the right 2 3/4 CHAM, below: model 12-GA16. Full. All parts of the gun are hardened, they deliberately tried to scratch the box, magazine, parts of the bolt - it does not budge. Even the screws are hard.

Let us note the peculiarity of this specimen: the marking “2 3/4 CHAM” indicates the chamber size is 70 mm, meanwhile measurements, including paraffin casting, indicate that the chamber is exactly 66 mm (61 + 5 mm), the projectile entrance is 9 mm long mm. The chamber itself is slightly conical - 18.8 at the base, 18.54 in the middle; closer to the cut of the sleeve 18.4, the transition cone is 9 mm long, the bore at the chamber is 16.82 mm.

The usual chamber length for American 16-gauge shotguns until the early 50s. is exactly 65 mm. Initially, we believed that there was mislabeling caused by a decline in labor discipline and confusion due to the US entry into the Second World War. World War(the gun was produced in 1940-1941). However, it was later found out that this was not an erroneous marking, and this is how all 16-gauge M12s were done - the chamber drilling was for a 65 mm paper sleeve (the gun does not work with metal ones), while it was marked for 2 3/4 inches. 70 mm sleeves opened already in the transition cone. Which, of course, worsened the ballistics of the shot. But, in all likelihood, due to the fact that 16-caliber cartridges were mainly sold in 65 mm, no attention was paid to this. The gun can withstand shooting with 70 mm cartridges (especially thin plastic ones) painlessly, but with a slight increase in recoil. The transition cone could be made as usual - 9 mm, or extended to 20 mm. The exact correspondence of the chamber length to the 2 3/4 inch marking began to be observed only in the 60s.

The "full" marking, indicating a full choke is drilled, shows a numerical measurement of 0.62 mm.

Design

Structurally, the M12 Winchester is very original and noticeably differs in detail from the modern pump-action shotguns that we are accustomed to.

The barrel bore is locked by tilting the bolt, its rear part, which engages with a groove in the upper part of the receiver, i.e. the box is a power element.

The operating principle of the gun mechanism is shown in the figures.

The gun's chamber is composite - the main part of the chamber, as it should be, is located in the breech of the barrel, and the 5 mm section - the threaded breech bushing - is screwed into the receiver. The bolt rests against this bushing in the extreme forward position, and the barrel is tightly adjacent to it at the other end. The bushing is secured with two screws at the edges, which are screwed into the threaded joint and secure it from unscrewing.

There is a push-button safety at the front base of the clip; it is activated only if the hammer is cocked. At the rear base of the bracket on the left is a bolt release lever for removing the cartridge from the barrel without firing a shot. There is no magazine cutter.

Trigger, trigger pulled

The bolt box is entirely milled, steel, very massive and thick-walled, at the top of the inside there is a triangular recess - a stop for the bolt. The trigger is assembled on the frame together with a bracket, and can be removed from the bolt box without difficulty - it is held by one screw and enters the groove from the magazine side.

The gun does not have a trigger disconnector. Therefore, we can say that the gun has two firing modes. One is the usual one: after jerking the fore-end, press the trigger as usual (the trigger is released immediately after the shot). Second mode: if you press the trigger and do not release it, but only jerk the forend, then a shot follows for each cycle.

This is a feature of the USM of the M12 and M97 hard drives. And it makes no difference for hunting and combat modifications. Subsequently, J. Browning on his later models (Remington models 10 and 17, Ithaca 37) in hunting modifications“by default” a trigger was installed without a disconnector, but when the fore-end was twitched and the trigger was continued to be pressed, the hammer was smoothly released from the cocking position without firing a shot. Military modifications of the Ithaca 37 shotgun were equipped with a trigger similar to the Winchester M12 trigger, which was later called “Slam fire”. J. M. Browning apparently believed that a disconnector was not needed on pumps.

To reload the M12 hard drive, like the M97, after firing, you must first move the fore-end forward a little (towards the front sight) by a few millimeters, and after that it moves back, at the same time the spent cartridge case is ejected and the next cartridge is fired. Without this movement of the fore-end - slightly forward - it is impossible to open the shutter, since this eliminates the misalignment of the shutter, the thrust tooth lowers and comes out of the socket - the shutter lowers to horizontal, is released and freely moves back. There are two extractor grips for the side of the sleeve, on the right and on the left, both are spring-loaded.

The forend of the pre-war version of the Model 12 is slightly shifted forward, and in the rearmost position it does not reach the receiver by about 50 mm, which makes it not entirely convenient to grip with the left hand. When reloading the gun, at first it was not entirely convenient for the owner of the gun, but later she got used to it and currently there are no problems for this reason. The extended rear forend, oddly enough, only appeared on the post-war Winchester M12 and other models of pump-action shotguns, such as the Remington 870 or Winchester 1200.

Left view, magazine coupling clearly visible

The butt neck and fore-end are made very thin. The force of the handguard is 4 kg, and it is not divided into two components (disengagement from the barrel and cocking of the hammer). When turned upside down and held by the forend, the gun does not open (and besides, to reload, you must first move the forend forward!)

The sights on the Winchester M12 included only a front sight and a groove milled along the entire upper surface of the receiver. The groove has a notch. The majority of guns did not have a sighting bar. Only in recent years of production has a modification appeared with an aiming rib, with the beginning of the rib mounted on the receiver.

On models without an aiming bar, its absence noticeably affects the quality of aiming during intense shooting. Quite quickly the barrel warms up, and a “haze” begins to rise from it; aiming through the rising air currents is uncomfortable, the target trembles and blurs. For hunting, of course, this is not very important, but when shooting at targets it sometimes gets in the way.

The sights are a bit rough, but very convenient.

Loading the gun is also unique. The first thing that immediately catches your eye is the absence of cartridge locks in the magazine. Nothing holds the cartridges in the store, last cartridge exits the magazine to the height of the metal base (10 mm) and extends approximately 2 mm onto the feeder tray. His further move is limited by the feeder's ledge.

When sending the next cartridge into the magazine, you need to make sure that when the feeder tray is pulled up, the previous cartridge does not jump out of the magazine. The cut-off lever is activated only while the fore-end is being jerked. As soon as the forend begins to move backward, the cutter already begins to move upward and slides along the skirt and then the body of the cartridge - as soon as the bolt reaches its rearmost position, the tooth is raised as much as possible and intercepts the lip of the next cartridge. When the bolt moves forward, the tray rises along with the cartridge, directs it into the breech, then when the bolt is 1/3 shown in the box window, the cartridge has already entered the barrel with its front part, the tray lowers one hundred, but the cutter tooth does not lower. It lowers with the click of the bolt locking device. If for some reason the cartridge case does not go completely into the breech and the bolt does not close, then the cartridge from the magazine will not jump out onto the tray. When the shutter is closed and the tray is in the lower position, the tooth lowers and opens the way for the next cartridge onto the tray. Between extreme point There is a gap of 7.5 mm between the feeder and the edge of the receiver.

The feeder tray has a rounding at the end from the inside, so that if you start to push the tray towards the bolt, it presses the cartridge back into the magazine. While the end of the tray passes through the bottom of the cartridge, it holds it in the magazine. As soon as this feeder tray passes through the upper point of contact with the bottom, the cartridge stop disappears and nothing prevents the cartridges from jumping out of the magazine.

Recharging can be done in two ways. Using the cartridge in the right hand, the feeder tray is recessed inward until the cartridge begins to move out of the magazine. The bottom of the cartridge in the magazine rests against the rolled-up part of the new cartridge, and after that you rest your thumb on the bottom of the new cartridge and push the entire “cartridge line” back into the magazine; at the last stage you have to rest against the rim almost with your fingernail - this frees up space for the lowering feeder tray . As soon as the finger is removed, the tray snaps into place and the newly inserted cartridge slides out onto it.

The second loading method is used by its owner, as it is less harmful to nails. The gun is placed with the receiver on the left hand and the feeder is pressed with the pads of the index and middle fingers. The finger of the left hand, until the cartridges in the magazine touch the front of the new cartridge, plays the role of a cartridge cutter, keeping them from jumping out of the magazine. The left hand moves a little further, continuing to hold the tray in the raised position. Next with your thumb right hand the cartridge is inserted into the magazine. The moment it is inserted all the way thumb the right hand moves slightly along the case head, freeing up space for the feeder tray to move. Simultaneously left hand begins to release the feeder, which fixes the cartridges. As an option, at the final stage you can adjust the cartridge not with your thumb, but with the outer side of your index finger.

Unloading a gun without jerking the bolt is done in the same way as modern pumps, only instead of pressing the bolt stops, the feeder tray is retracted until the cartridge leaves the magazine, and then the feeder is released into place. The cycle is repeated until the last cartridge is removed.

During disassembly, the barrel is separated along with the magazine. There is only one forend rod, located on the left side of the receiver.

The ejector is spring-loaded - the side of the spent cartridge hits it when the bolt moves backwards and begins to pop out to the right side (out the window). Inserted on the left side of the receiver. The receiver window is 67 mm long. The ejector is pressed against the body with its flat tail. The triangular tooth protrudes 1.2 mm above the spring; it, in fact, squeezes the bottom of the cartridge case out of the left grip when the bolt moves backward. There are no additional fasteners to the body; the ejector is pressed in by the bolt and sits in its socket due to friction; there is a groove in the bolt specifically for it.

The bolt is not removed from the box until the ejector is removed. When removing the ejector, the bolt must be in its most forward position. Using a thin screwdriver, the ejector is lifted from its socket and pulled out from under the bolt towards the butt. Accordingly, assembly is in reverse order.

The cut-off device prevents the simultaneous feeding of two cartridges, operates only for a while when the bolt is jerked, creates a stop for the rim of the next cartridge case, when finishing the bolt, it deflects and releases the cartridge onto the tray with its skirt. The shutter does not work in the forward position.

All parts are processed “from under the mill”, no grinding or polishing. Grinding was carried out only on rubbing parts, for example, the cutter, the outer part of the bolt, and the inner surface of the receiver.

The shutter release button is located on the left rear of the trigger guard. Pressing it is not very convenient.

Procedure for partial disassembly

The barrel is separated along with the magazine, to which it is connected by couplings. One coupling is removable on a screw, like a clamp, the one that is closer to the muzzle, the other at the breech is pressed into a hot fit. The magazine has a free movement along the barrel of 10 centimeters back and forth; on the breech side it runs inside a 55 mm long sleeve. When assembling the gun, the barrel is oriented 90 degrees to the left, relative to the bolt box, so the lead-in fields of the threads on the barrel and in the box match, the barrel is inserted into the box, the magazine is moved as far as possible towards the front sight, the rod is flush with the pressed-in coupling, then the barrel is turned to its place counterclockwise, the threads go into place, the magazine slides in, it also has an entry thread along 1/2 the area outside the magazine - inside the bolt, the rod (it is on the left of the barrel) enters its special window. Then, using a movable spring-loaded bobbin at the end, the magazine is rotated counterclockwise and fixed, the bobbin returns to its original position. The gun is assembled. When disassembled, it is impossible to find cartridges in the magazine, since there are no cartridge latches.

Almost complete disassembly

One of the disadvantages of a threaded connection without additional fixation was that if the barrel was often removed, then over time there would be play in the threaded part of the connection between the barrel and the box, and the play would sometimes be so large that it was necessary to resort to installing a washer under the barrel at the junction with the box . To replace the barrel, you must disconnect it from the magazine. Subsequently, Browning refined this connection, and at Ithaca 37 threaded connection the barrel has undergone significant changes - the threads have become larger and an additional tie has appeared with the barrel spread apart.

A few words about the problem of 65 mm sleeves

Even though the gun works with 70mm cartridges, only 65mm cartridges are used to avoid unwanted increases in chamber pressure and wad deformation.

Since there are no 16x65 cartridges on sale, this inevitably leads to the need to load the cartridges yourself into cut-off cartridges. One of the options to solve the problem. The 12-gauge bimetallic sleeve is cut off from the bottom to a size of 64 mm (a tube 64 mm long is obtained). The 12-gauge sleeve is tightly placed with the neck on the metal skirt of the 16-gauge sleeve, and the base is exactly the diameter of the sleeve being trimmed. A textolite reinforcement is inserted into the trimmed 16-gauge sleeve, the aforementioned measure from the 12-gauge sleeve is put on top and sharp knife the sleeve is cut off at the end. The resulting sleeve has a size of 64 mm (1 mm is left as a reserve for lengthening the sleeve from the shot). To mechanize this process, you can build a simple strike similar to a turning one, placing a reinforcement rod made of textolite, wood or metal on a bearing. You can use a blade from a Soviet-style safety razor as a cutter. The sleeve must be firmly fixed to the rod.

Loading cartridges

The charging ratio was determined experimentally. Sokola 1.8 -1.85 g, cardboard spacers 2 mm, one fiberboard wad, the cup from the wad is cut off from the wad-concentrator, the partitions are cut off, you get a plastic seal separately and a cup, the seal is placed backwards on the fiberboard, then the cup, fractions 29-30 g, this turns out to be slightly higher than the level of the container (normal containers, deep without a wad, have disappeared from sale). A transparent circle of 0.2 mm celluloid is placed on the shot and rolled with a twist, and it is secure and visible what kind of projectile it is. The initial load when zeroing was 1.6 Sokol and 26 shot, the maximum we tried was up to 32 g of shot and 1.95 gunpowder, but the above ratio showed the optimal results.

The shots are quite sharp and, judging by the recoil, they do not force the gun. Such cartridges were used to successfully catch both ducks (shot 3) and woodcocks (shot 6), including from long distances (40-50) m. The requirements for aiming accuracy are noticeably higher than those of 12x76, and even more so 12x89. Only Poleva-1 fired bullets from this gun. There was 0.05 less gunpowder than in the paper for the bullets. The cartridge case was not rolled (in accordance with the recommendations of V. Polev himself), and the container with the bullet was coated on the sides with rubber glue (only detachable elements) and thus inserted into the cartridge case. At 45 meters, a series of 5 shots fit into a notebook sheet.

Brass sleeves for the centrifugal primer are not included in the chamber of this M12, although they were calibrated and crimped. However, recently purchased bimetallic shells for the bullet fit into the chamber of the gun, but get jammed in the magazine (the size of the welt is too large).

Accuracy and sharpness were not specifically measured, but apparently these parameters are very good. IN plastic bottle 2 l. within 40 meters there were seven holes - shot 1, the next shots finished it off in the sieve.

During the entire period of operation, the gun did not have a single failure or any complaints about the mechanics. Spent cartridges are removed from the chamber without effort. The geometry of the stock, the size and configuration of the forend are very suitable for an average, not tall man, the dimensions and contours of the gun are elegant and have nothing superfluous. The design and execution leave an overall feeling of reliability and durability. There is not a single non-steel or non-hardened metal part in the gun. This design can be considered a worthy creation of the great J. M. Browning. It’s not for nothing that for five decades it was one of the most popular shotguns on the American continent.

Only new technologies and the use of new materials in order to reduce the cost of the technological cycle, and, as a result, reduce the cost of the product, were able to shake and displace this model, which is not the most economical in terms of production, from the consumer market. Unfortunately, the acquaintance of Russian hunters with models of foreign pump-action, and not only pump-action, shotguns began not so long ago. At first, a stream of frankly cheap and, often, substandard guns poured into our country, when communicating with them a feeling of bewilderment and rejection arose. Only over time did the situation level out and more or less stabilize. Nowadays we have quite high-quality and not very expensive hunting weapons from the world’s oldest companies, but many models that have become classics remain unfamiliar or not at all familiar to our amateur hunters. These include the described Winchester M12, which, despite its venerable age, is still able today to compete on an equal footing with modern shotguns, differing favorably from them in its light weight, all-steel construction, excellent action, ease of transportation, speed and ease of assembly - showdown. There are things that do not lose their attractiveness and relevance over time, and are rightfully worthy of our attention.

Thanks to David P. Bichrest, Executive Secretary of the Winchester Gun Collectors Association, for providing this information.

Special thanks to George Hunter for the materials and information provided.