Import marked Model 12 Trench gun

[thompsongunner]

Hello,
I recently came across a very poor condition Model 12 Trench gun. It has was looks to be a Century arms import stamp on the left side of the receiver. The gun looks to have the correct markings on the barrel, receiver, and stock. The shroud seems to fit the barrel tight at the end but I question whether it is an original or not. Did anyone make reproduction shrouds to fit a riot gun barrel as I recall these taper at the end where a trench gun barrel does not? The notches on the underside of the gun for the shroud screws seem to be shallower as they go forward. I didnt Mic. the barrel to see if it tapers or not. What are the dimensions of a riot gun barrel and a trench gun barrel on a model 12 at the muzzle? Has anyone else come across any imported guns like this? I am wondering if it was converted by century from a riot gun to a trench gun or did someone do this after buying it? Thanks for any help. Thompsongunner

[Ron James]

A while back, Numrich GPC was selling Model 12 Trench kits, every needed to turn your Model 12 into a faux Trench Gun.

[Tom Doniphon]

Yes, the riot gun barrels do taper. A sleeve was used by Military arsenals to convert riot guns to trench guns.

I assume the barrel is "CYL" marked, right?

And what's the serial number of the gun? That will at least tell us if it is even in the Model 12 trench gun range.

[thompsongunner]

Hello,
I will try to get the serial number tonight. It is really worn down. The barrel is marked CYL and it is not a remark of a cut down barrel. There is no sleeve to make the shroud tight but the cuts across the bottom of the barrel for the screws seem to change depth as they go forward. The front screw actually doesnt even contact the barrel. Thanks for the help.

[emmagee1917]

That sounds like a tapered bbl to me. It's not that the cuts move down as much as the bbl moves up.
Chris

[thompsongunner]

Yes I think that is the case. I will try to get the gun tonight and mic. the barrel to see if it tapers. Did they make shrouds aftermarket that fit the tapered barrels without any shims? This one seems to fit pretty good? I will post what I can figure tonight and try to get the serial number or whats left of it. Thompsongunner

[thompsongunner]

Well I checked the barrel last night. It measures .968 at the very end of the muzzle. It does seem to have a slight taper, but not much as it measures .973 just behind the third screw notch from the muzzle end. The serial number is very worn but the first part is 10127....then its worn down. Does anyone know if these measurements and the serial number range could be correct? It seems to have the correct end on the magazine tube with just two holes. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks, Thompsongunner

[Tom Doniphon]

If the serial number is in the 1 million range, it is likely a trench gun. Most Model 12 Military riot gun serial numbers are below 1 million. Serial numbers on receiver and barrel extension should match. The original finish would have been blue.

If it has a riot barrel, then there should be a band on the bottom of the barrel just aft of the bayonet lug. This band is what the magazine locking pin on a riot gun/sporting gun locks into. Trench gun barrels don't have this band on them.

[rjb1]

I have a Model 12 riot that was converted to trench configuration by Toole Arsenal (TE).
I haven't measured the barrel, but the tapered adapter sleeve is very long and thin (small wall thickness), as your dimensions would indicate it would need to be.
I am a mechanical engineer and part-time machinist and I remember being very impressed at the quality of the workmanship and degree of difficulty involved in making that adapter sleeve.

If yours doesn't have that sleeve it was likely either converted by a non-Arsenal someone or the sleeve got lost along the way.

[thompsongunner]

Thanks everyone for the replies. There doesn't seem to be any indication that the barrel ever had a band on it for a riot gun. The serial number on the reciever and barrel extension match as far as I can tell. They are both very worn but the numbers you can see are all correct. I am leaning more towards this being a legit trench gun now. The only thing that puzzles me a little is the import marks and the slight taper of the barrel. The shroud seems to fit well though so maybe its correct. Should the shroud also be blued? The stock has the inletted sling swivel that looks factory done so that also makes me lean towards it being an original. It also has the inspector marks and cartouche. The worse part of this gun is the left side of the receiver must of been against something wet and is very pitted. Is there any way to fix this so it would look a little more presentable? I know this will never look pristine again, I would just like to restore it a bit. Thanks for all the help! Thompsongunner