WWII M12 rebuild with Full marked out and Cyl wrote underneath

[cplnorton]

Hey saw a m12 US marked trench gun today. I know a little bit about shotguns, but not a lot. I do know the m12's were marked cyl on the barrel. But this one is marked full, then crossed out and marked cyl underneath. It almost looks factory, or very well done by maybe an arsenal?

It is a rebuild. It is parked and RIA marked on the stock, the barrel does have the winchester stamp on top with flaming bomb and all the markings on the shotgun look correct.

Serial number was like 960,xxx or something like that. And both serials matched.

Is the barrel maybe a arsenal replacement, or a commercial barrel reworked during wartime for the govt, or just a bubba'd special? Thanks guys!

Also anyway to tell if a M12 was used by the Marines? I read the M12 was used extensively by the USMC more so than the army. Just curious.

Steve

[Tom Doniphon]

Many of the long barreled Model 12 shotguns were converted by arsenals to riot guns. They would cross out the original choke mark and restamp it "CYL". That's likely what it is.

[cplnorton]

Was that done for WWII, or was that done after WWII? Just curious as it was maybe an aerial training gun, that got rebuilt after the war, or a commercial gun that was rebuilt, and US markings were put onto it and made into a riot during WWII. Thanks.

Steve

[Tom Doniphon]

Maybe done towards the end of WWII or not too long after the War.

Does the gun have the factory applied "U.S." and Ordnance flaming bomb on the right side of the receiver? If so, it was a Military contract shotgun.

[cplnorton]

Yeah it is marked US with the ordnance bomb on the side. Even the top of the barrel is ordnance bomb marked. And the serial is in the military contract guns. I just thought maybe the barrel was worn out, and arsenal replaced?

[Nick Riviezzo]

I don't know much about this subject but I bought a Mod. 97 Winchester 40 years ago that had all the proper Gov't markings on it and the barrel was marked "FULL". The "FULL"was chased out and stamped "CYL" just below.I was told or read[not sure which] that these were shotguns that were made for commercial sales still in factory inventory that were converted[cut to 20"] to fill military orders.Mine is a mis-matched receiver and barrel group so it had no real collector value. Still, it's one heck of a good shotgun! Nick