Model 12 Solid Rib Trap

[JDHasty]

This beautiful shotgun unfortunately suffered an incident that left the left side of the receiver badly pitted.  It is such a nice old target gun that it was heartbreaking to look at.  It nearly brought tears to my eyes. 

Anyway, I was given the opportunity to work on it and it’s looking a lot happier now.  The owner opted to have it slow rust blued, it was originally caustic blued, but in those days Winchester would do pretty much anything a customer wanted.  So rust bluing would have been an option.  Slow rust bluing has more of a satin luster than other finishes.  I’m kind of partial to it.  It is quite labor intensive. 

I didn’t take any “before” photos, trust me it was bad.  A lot of blister rust and blister rust has “roots” that penetrate pretty deep below the surface.  I think he made a good call on the slow rust bluing.  I find it attractive. 

I don’t do much at all for others any more because in this idiot State they have to be here when I am working on the receiver and take it home when they leave.  On this one I sure was grateful to have had the opportunity to work on it.  The only way I could justify a FFL/Gunsmithing license would be if I charged people to work on their guns and at that point I would need liability insurance too.  I just do it for fun. 

It can be hard on the owner to watch their gun go from bad to worse before it gets better.  I just tell them it’s kind of like being in Federal Way, south of Seattle and going to a nice place, like maybe North Cascades Park.  You got to go through that S hole, but so long as you let me keep going and don’t stop in Seattle you are going to end up somewhere lots mo betta than where you started. 

I have some more photos of it along the way and how it ended up.  I’ll see if I can get more posted in the next couple days. 

[follow maggie]

Very nice

[JDHasty]

That’s a LOT more real estate than I’m used to working on.  I had to do quite a bit of draw file work to get all of the pitting out.  Keeping it flat, even and edges sharp and straight while going through the polishing process was a chore.  Glad you like it.  It even made an 1886 receiver seem like a toy. 

[JDHasty]

Here’s another photo.  If it looks a bit blotchy it’s because it has Ren Wax on it that hasn’t been completely buffed out yet. 

[follow maggie]

You definitely have a talent JD

[Magnum_Willys]

Love those Model 12s.  My My Dad had one of each size except 28 ga.  Broke his heart when he rushed to pick up one advertised in the paper and lady had broke her promise and sold it to another guy minutes earlier. 
Nice work!

[wadu1]

Well, done JD, nice furniture on her as well.

[JDHasty]

It does have really attractive wood.

The finish on the stock was pretty worn.  There are a few areas that take a beating, and the checkering, and above it, where one's thumb lies on the left side of the grip for a right-handed shooter is one.  Salt and acid combined with a rather abrasive skin on one's thumb had affected the checkering right there.  It is kind of like dry rot.  When I am hooded up it looks "punky."  Connecticut on the address line on this barrel was also the balance point when carrying it to and from the line also took a hit from his thumb.  We were going to have an engraver fix the address line but he opted to just go with it as is. 

I was able to use a riffler and fix the checkering, to a degree.  Once I teach myself how to checker gunstocks I will do a proper job on it.  Don't want to practice on someone else's stock.  That can happen any time in the future when I'm ready to take it on.  I got all of the affected wood gone and was able to just carry the existing checkering through it with a couple rifflers for now.  It is really eye opening how bad factory checkering is when you are hooded up and it's magnified.  It still is attractive though.  On this one there are lines that cross each other and other stuff. 

[JDHasty]

I just did a cute little Model 75 Sporting and put a lot of phots here yesterday.  It had bad corrosion too. 
https://www.rimfirecentral.com/threads/my-%E2%80%9Cnew%E2%80%9D-little-winchester-model-75-sporting-needed-a-little-help.1322078/?post_id=13652943#post-13652943

If you find this sort of stuff interesting, there wasn't much to do on the last few, but I have a ZKM sporting rifle, a CZ 527, a Visible Loader and a Winchester Model 1906 I might get to before my energy has to go into sending rockckucks to meet their maker through June.  I haven't seen the latter two yet, but I think that they will be a lot more fun.  The 527 is an old 222 Remington that was missing the bolt.  I'm going to put a Russian bolt in the receiver and rebarrel it to 22 PPC and put it in a first gen HS Precision CZ 527 Kevlar Varmint stock. Pretty boring. 

The ZKM needs a fairly significant stock repair.  It might be interesting to see how I tackle that. 

Everybody loves a ZKM.  I place them in front of Model 52 Sporters and we have Model 52 Sporters so I'm not just talking out my A when I say that.  Not everybody can justify a 52 Sporter these days, but anyone can afford a ZKM with a good bore and if they restore it will end up with a real Jim dandy.  They made millions of them.  Model 75 Sporters, not so much these days.  Same with Remington 513-S-A and Mauser KKWs, the prices have gone crazy on the better vintage rimfire sporting rifles.