Anyone know the were I could get a Model 12 20 ga. barrel? I have one that went through a fire and seems soft...anyone know the heat treatment for a shotgun bbl?

That's a pretty cool handle you've got. How did you come by that?

Try here: http://www.corsonsbarrels.com/winchesterbarrels.htm

How soft is soft? Try contacting a Metallurgist. He should be able to tell you if the metal is burned.

I will be taking off a M12 20 ga, 28" Mod barrel shortly.

Those M12 barrels are normally soft, I can check the RC scale of several M12 barrels and let you know.


James Wisner
Custom Metalsmith

Morning James;

Good to hear from you. I got a reply from Brownell's staff that the model 12 bbls. were not heat treated. Somehow "Shotgun" did not get into my education.

Doug Jones
Gunsmith Solutions

Gunsmithjones,

Always consider guns that have gone through a fire as unsafe for liability purposes. Why take a chance only to have a person sue you over a blown gun. The alloys used in Win. 12's are a type that could have changed when red hot and a cold stream of water from a fireman's hose just happened to hit the reciever or barrel. Use only actions that have gone through reheattreatment at a company that has a track record for this service. If the locking area on a Win 12 is too soft, the first thing that you will notice is the bolt dropping down at the rear and than it will start to have headspace. Next it will blow up before most people recognize the problem. In the old days the headspace rings and new locking blocks could be fitted at our shop. Special tooling and reamer were required. My 2ct worth!!
Les