Valmet 212

Valmet Oy · Shotgun · Discontinued · 1968

Also known as: Valmet Model 212, Valmet Lion, Valmet 212 Lion

Overview

The Valmet 212 is a Finnish 12-gauge over/under shotgun built on a monobloc steel receiver with chrome-molybdenum alloy steel barrels brazed together with side ribs and chambered for 2 3/4-inch shells. A break-action stack-barrel design whose lockwork was inspired by the Remington Model 32 target gun, it was offered for trap, skeet, sporting clays and field hunting, and served as the forerunner of Valmet's later 312 and modular 412 over/under shooting systems.

Specifications

Weight (empty)3200 g (112.9 oz)
Barrel Length711 mm (27.99")
Action TypeBreak Action
Firing MechanismHammer Fired
Trigger TypeSingle Stage
Magazine Capacity2 rounds
Effective Range40 m (44 yd)
Barrel RiflingNone
Frame MaterialSteel
Barrel MaterialSteel
Stock MaterialWood
FinishBlued

Calibers

Features

Production

Production years: c.1968-1974

Superseded by the Valmet 312 in the mid-1970s; total production not published.

Origin

Country of origin: Finland

Discontinued: 1974

Notes

Also marketed under the 'Lion' name that Valmet carried over from its earlier boxlock over/unders. Unlike the later Model 412, the 212 was not built around interchangeable barrel sets. Barrels were typically offered in 26, 28 and 30 inch lengths; the 711 mm figure corresponds to the common 28-inch barrel. Exact factory weight and full dimensions are not published; the empty-weight figure is an estimate for a 12-gauge steel over/under of this class.

Background

Valmet's over/under lockwork traced back to the Remington Model 32, a design the Finnish state works adopted after the American patents lapsed in the 1950s - making this rugged Nordic sporting gun a direct descendant of a 1930s Ilion target shotgun.