Gentlemen,

I would be gratful for your opininon about the following pump shotguns:
Winch. mod 12
Rem. 870 Wingmaster
Winc. 1300 (Do all versions have the trigger assambly in a plastic block? Is that block reliable?)

Best regards,

Fritz

The model 12 was the last winchester pump worth buying the 1200 1300s are junk.
The 870 is a good hard working shotgun that well last a very long time.
I do own model 12s and 870s the 12s are a bit nicer in looks the 870s are a good all around working shotgun.
I have use the other junk winchesters.

I have been a proud owner of a Rem. 870 Wingmaster for 30 years and she is responsible of death of some thousands of gees and ducks and is the most reliable gun I have ewer owned, From the day I started hunting I have owned a lot of shotguns, pumps, autos and doblebarrels and the 870 has outlived them all and is still in full use

remington were good guns they have had a lot of problems lately with there barrels .. i would either buy a old 870 or wait for a new batch of guns to come in i have personally seen 14 barrels that blew the chokes out of the guns . remington replaced all of the barrels under warrentee but who wants the hassel of doing it

I like my Remington 870 very much.I don`t know anything about the other shotguns you mencioned.

Well iown 2 rem 870 wingmaster's both are about 35yrs old when they were newer the firing pins were weak but once replaced they have been good guns.Out of the 3 you chose i would go with the rem if you are willing to consider one more the ithaca 37's are a nice pump i don't own new ones but i've shot lot's of deer with these shotguns.Well good luck

Other options;

Don't overlook the Mossberg pumps. I have had good results with my cheap Mossberg Model 500, and I've been told by several people the 835 is a solid performer.

Also, as stated in one of the other posts, Ithaca's Model 37's are a fine gun (I own a 50 year old 16 gauge Model 37 that works flawlessly), but they are very proud of the new ones (high priced for a pumper, in my opinion.)

I have also heard good things about Browning's BPS, and Benelli's Nova pump shotguns, though I have no personal experience with either.

Of the ones you listed, you the Model 12 is a great gun, and the Remington 870 is also a great gun. I have heard occasional bad things about the newer Winchesters, however.

Tim

I've NEVER seen an 870 misfunction. I've owned various 870's for over 20 years and some have shot thousands of rounds at everything from clay birds to deer.

The 870 Remington in one form or another will always be a valued member of my collection.

The 870 is hard to beat: inexpensive, simple, function flawlessly, last indefinitely. There are tons of them around, can be bought in pawn shops in excellent condition for $100-$200. The Ithaca 37 is also nice. The finest pump shotgun ever is the Remington 31 but they're somewhat scarce.

My 870 Express was the worst shotgun I've ever owned. Jam, jam, jam. I couldn't pump the shell out of the chamber. I tried lots of different shells and makes. I sold it and will never buy a 870 again.

I'm thinking of picking up a BPS or 1300 later this summer. I'm currently shooting a IGA Stoeger O/U which was the 870's replacement.

Sometime back in the early 80's I bought a Win mod 1200 for about 125 dollars new. Thought for the price couldn,t go wrong, could use it for a boat oar if I had to. Should have bought two. I have shot many, many ducks and geese and upland birds with it and have never never had a malfunction. Can't say the same for the many very high priced autos and o/u I own. I now take it along on the out of state hunting trips for a back up gun. Maybe I just got lucky in the 1200 I got but it has served me well.

Fritz: Being from Sweden, I'm assuming that you have these three shotguns as purchase choices. My comments:

The Winchester 12 is very solid, and a fairly refined gun (for a pump). It will serve you well in either the original Winchester or the Browning-marketed reproduction.

The Remington 870 is mass-produced with a lot of stamped parts. It won't have the "class" of a Winchester 12, but is a functional and decent gun. Despite its cheaper design, it may well shoot trouble-free longer than a Model 12.

The Winchester 1200-1300 is a budget-priced shotgun that actually is a pretty serviceable design. It has an aluminum receiver that is a bit more subject to wear than a steel gun, but the bolt locks directly into the barrel, so there is no dependance on the receiver to hold against pressure. I'm unaware of any plastic in the trigger group, but have never had one apart. Although I'm confident either of the other pumps will outlast the 1200-1300, it will still reliably shoot more shots than the typical hunter shoots in a lifetime.

As long as you pay the right price, any of the guns will make a serviceable shooter.