Inheritance
I've been doing some research on the older shotguns I inherited from my great uncles and grandfathers lately, specifically the Winchester Model 12 and Remington Model 31. I'm very glad I chose to buy a new shotgun for home defense now, instead of chopping down one of their barrels!
My Model 12 is a plain, full choke 28" barrel pump 12 gauge. Honestly I don't like the loading system or the action as much as some other designs, but it shoulders better than any other long gun I've ever held, including rifles. Also, it holds six shells as opposed to five. The loading system I can get used to, but if you slip all the shells in the tube come flying out; maybe my shotgun is broken, but that's annoying. The action is funny because to cycle it you have to push the forend forward a tiny bit before it moves back after firing. Again, I can get used to it just fine, it's just different.
The Model 31* is easily the nicest pump I've ever had the pleasure of holding. The action is smoother than either of my Ithaca 37s--the second smoothest actions I've ever felt, I might add--and there's none of the rattle even though the 31 also uses a single arm system. It was built in 1931, the first year of production. I'm actually taking it with me turkey hunting tomorrow, along with my Ithaca 37 16ga in case it doesn't pattern well for some reason. It's a full choke 12 gauge with either a 26 or 28 inch barrel. I'm too lazy to measure right now.
My forefathers sure did have good taste in firearms
(I got my Ithaca 37 16ga and Marlin 336 from them too). It's kind of heady for a gun geek like me to realize I own two of the best pump shotguns built in the first half of the 20th century. Maybe they're plain, but I'm not a superficial man. I'd be afraid to take them with me if I had to worry about dinging a gloss finish walnut stock or scuffing up some nice engraving anyway. The warmth
(I kid you not, it's warmth) I feel when I'm holding a fine gun comes from the smooth, oiled action, the grain of the wood, the feel of an amazing piece of machinery working just as it should. I'm not impressed with the frills.
*Even though the Model 31 is my favorite shotgun in my arsenal, I think the bottom loading and ejection of the Ithaca 37 is a better overall design. No shells fall out with that system, no matter how I hold it, unlike side ejection models. It's also somewhat easier to unload the Ithacas. What really turned the 31 into my favorite shotgun was the quality of the action, which feels like it runs on ball bearings.
