Winchester Model 1200 Defender
Winchester Repeating Arms Company · Shotgun · Discontinued · 1965
Also known as: Winchester 1200 Defender, Model 1200 Security
Overview
The Winchester Model 1200 Defender is an American pump-action shotgun, the security and law-enforcement configuration of the Winchester Model 1200. Chambered in 12 gauge, it pairs a short 18.5-inch (470 mm) cylinder-bore barrel with an extended tubular magazine holding up to seven shells. Like the base Model 1200, it uses a lightweight aluminum-alloy receiver and a rotating bolt head that locks into a barrel extension, a design intended as a cheaper, more modern replacement for the Model 12. The Defender was marketed for home defense, guard duty and police use.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 2950 g (104.1 oz) |
| Overall Length | 965 mm (37.99") |
| Barrel Length | 470 mm (18.50") |
| Action Type | Pump Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 7 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Tubular |
| Muzzle Velocity | 400 m/s (1312 fps) |
| Effective Range | 40 m (44 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Aluminum Alloy |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 12 Gauge · primary — also known as 12 ga, 12 bore
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Tubular Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Cross Bolt Safety, Trigger Disconnector
- Features: Rotating Bolt Head, Extended Magazine Tube, Bead Front Sight, Aluminum Alloy Receiver
Base model
Service history
Operators
- United States law enforcement agencies
Production
Production years: 1965-1983
Model 1200 series (including Defender) produced until replaced by the Model 1300 in 1983
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: T.C. Johnson
Discontinued: 1983
Notes
The Defender was offered with an extended magazine tube holding seven 2.75-inch shells (six 3-inch shells). The base Model 1200 replaced the Model 12 and was itself succeeded by the improved Model 1300 in 1983, which also had a Defender variant.
Background
The Model 1200 introduced Winchester's rotating-bolt, aluminum-receiver pump design as a lower-cost successor to the venerable Model 12. Its Defender security variant became a common sight in gun cabinets, patrol cars and behind shop counters through the 1970s and early 1980s.