Winchester Model 1912 Trench Gun
Winchester Repeating Arms Company · Shotgun · Discontinued · 1918
Also known as: Winchester Model 12 Trench Gun, Model 1912 Trench Gun, Winchester M1912 Trench, Trench Broom
Overview
The Winchester Model 1912 Trench Gun is the militarized combat variant of the Model 12 pump-action shotgun, a smoothbore 12-gauge designed by Thomas Crossley Johnson. Adopted by the United States Army late in World War I, it differs from the civilian Model 12 by a shortened 20-inch cylinder-bore barrel, a perforated steel heat shield over the barrel, an M1917 bayonet adapter, and sling swivels. Its slam-fire capability (firing each chambered shell as fast as the action could be cycled with the trigger held) and six-shell tubular magazine made it a devastating close-quarters weapon in the trenches and, later, the jungles of the Pacific.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3400 g (119.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1003 mm (39.49") |
| Barrel Length | 508 mm (20.00") |
| Action Type | Pump Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Tubular |
| Muzzle Velocity | 400 m/s (1312 fps) |
| Effective Range | 40 m (44 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 12 Gauge · primary — also known as 12ga, 12 Bore
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Tubular Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Cross Bolt Safety
- Features: Perforated Heat Shield, M1917 Bayonet Adapter, Sling Swivels, Slam Fire Capable, Cylinder Bore Barrel, External Tubular Magazine
Variants
- Winchester Model 12 Riot Gun — Riot Gun
Base model
Service history
Operators
- United States Army · adopted 1918 · as Model 12 Trench Gun
- United States Marine Corps · adopted 1942
- United States Navy
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
- World War II (1939-1945)
- Korean War (1950-1953)
- Vietnam War (1955-1975)
Production
Production years: 1918-1963
Total Model 12 production across all configurations was approximately 2,000,000; trench-gun procurement was roughly 20,000 in WWI and 80,000+ Model 12 shotguns in WWII.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Thomas Crossley Johnson
Discontinued: 1963
Notes
About 20,000 Model 12 trench guns were procured during World War I; more than 80,000 Model 12 shotguns (trench and riot) were purchased in World War II, primarily for the Pacific theater. Early WWI heat shields used six rows of perforations, reduced to four rows from 1942. Served through Korea and into the early Vietnam War until stocks were exhausted.
Background
Combat shotguns like the Model 12 Trench Gun proved so effective in trench raids that in 1918 Germany issued a diplomatic protest claiming they violated the laws of war, a complaint the United States rejected.