Yesterday, the gunsmith called me and said the Winchester Model 12 shotgun was ready for pick-up.
As it turned out, there was nothing wrong with the shotgun itself, but as it is a take-down model, the two halves of it weren't connected right, particularly the magazine.
When I got there, he explained everything in detail. Since I knew I wouldn't remember everything (thanks to my "advanced age"), I videoed it.
Here's the video (maybe it will be of some help to others with the Model 12):
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| Above, the Winchester Model 12 shotgun. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Yesterday had me making a trek over to the gunsmith to see what's causing the shotgun shells from feeding into firing position with my Winchester Model 1912 shotgun.
Right away, during an initial cursory look, they noticed an issue with the shell carrier. So it appears that I made the right decision to bring it in.
While there, I picked up a new Hoppe's gun cleaning kit. The ones I have date back to the 1980s and while I was cleaning my Winchester 94, a rod end broke off inside the barrel. I had to push it out from the other end.
Things do get old, for sure.
The problem of the 1919 Winchester Model 12 (12 gauge) shotgun was presented to a pre-1964 Winchester Rifle and Shotgun collectors Facebook page. As of this writing, the post has around 42 replies.
The issue is that the 2 3/4 shells weren't feeding into the firing chamber. The gizmo (one called it a "duck bill") doesn't do anything when I pump the gun. According to a video (see bottom), it is called a shell carrier. I suspect gunk (not visible to me) may be the culprit or perhaps a spring.
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| Above, this thing is called a "shell carrier". Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Anyway, it is way beyond my expertise (which is pretty close to nil), so I will likely take it to the gunsmith.
A couple of months ago, I found that cocking the lever of my Winchester 1894 .30-30 rifle wasn't pushing the trigger all the way back into firing position. I had to manually do so for it to fire.
Thinking that it was a worn out sear or some other internal problem, I brought it to a gunsmith in Thoreau, New Mexico to find out what the problem was.
It turned out that it only needed a "deep cleaning". After he did so, the trigger was pushed correctly into firing position with the lever.
For my future reference (and for helping others) for cleaning the Winchester, I looked up videos on YouTube for correctly cleaning the 1894 and posted a couple of them below.
As the old saying goes, hope this helps!
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| Above, the Winchester 1894 after I got home. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
About a half hour ago, I returned home from Grants to pick up my Winchester 1894 from the gunsmith at Loeffler's Guns, Etc.
I received a call from them at around 10:00 this morning telling me that the rifle is ready for pick up. Since I had nothing else to do, I jumped in the car and headed over to Grants.
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| Above, Loeffler's Guns, Etc. in Grants, New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
When I got there, they told me that all it needed was to be disassembled and deep cleaned. No parts were needed. The cocking and hammer mechanisms are working just fine now. I'm glad they did the deep cleaning anyway, who knows when it last had a thorough cleaning.
It was a nice drive and I would use Loeffler's Guns, Etc. in the future.
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| Above, Happy Thanksgiving. |
It looks like Thanksgiving Day tomorrow will have some cool temperatures, around 53° and partly cloudy in Jamestown, New Mexico. We may get more rain and snow showers Friday and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
Yesterday was not too bad. It was around the 50s.
I almost didn't go to Grants to drop off my Winchester 1894 rifle at a gunsmith. The Mustang wouldn't start. It might have been due to the freezing temperatures (in the 20s) causing any moisture in the fuel system to freeze. After coffee at Denny's, I got home and it fired up. The temperature was in the upper 40s by then.
Just in case it was due to the cold, I put in a bottle of Heet that dissipates moisture in fuel systems and cleans fuel injectors. I filled up the gas tank and headed to Grants. The Mustang ran fine during the 90-mile round-trip. I had to hold it back on Interstate 40 as it loves the open highway and the speed crept up into the 80s at times. This happens frequently since I got new tires and a wheel alignment.
After the gunsmith, I went to the Grants Walmart and picked up a few things, including wine for Thanksgiving dinner at the Lucier's.
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| Above, yours truly with the Winchester 1894. |
It looks like the weather here in Jamestown, New Mexico will clear this afternoon. According to the National Weather Service, the next chance for precipitation will come on Friday.
This works out good for me as I have to go to Thoreau (45 miles east) to a gunsmith with my Winchester 1894 rifle tomorrow. The lever, when cocked, does not push the hammer to firing position. It worked fine during the last target shoot (before last Friday). I had to pull the hammer back into firing position manually.
Reading up on Winchester 1894s, I see this is an issue that crops up with them. Usually, it is caused by wear & tear. Since my Winchester is a pre-1964 one (made in 1962), hopefully parts can be obtained (if needed). I don't know if post-1964 Winchester 1894 rifle parts are compatible. The current ones are made in Japan.
When I cleaned the rifle last Saturday, I paid extra cleaning attention to the hammer and oiled it good. But it didn't help. So, to the gunsmith it goes.
