Month: May 2025
Combining hard-hitting authority with light, responsive handling, the 16-gauge Winchester Model 12 could well be the most capable version. 
An evolution of John Browning’s pump-action Model 1897, the Winchester Model 12 shotgun was designed by T.C. Johnson and introduced in 1912. Winchester had enough confidence in it to market it as “The Perfect Repeater,” and time would validate that claim. It has an internal hammer design and was the first truly successful pump-action shotgun with that feature. Nearly two million were manufactured over the gun’s 52-year run.
First-year guns were all 20 gauge. In 1913 16- and 12-gauge versions were added, and the latter required a much larger frame size. Although 12-gauge versions are considerably bulkier and heavier, they proved to be outstanding waterfowl guns. Some 20 years later, a 28-gauge version was added, and it’s certainly the rarest Model 12.
Of all the bore sizes, the 16 gauge boasted the best combination of authority paired with easy carry and handling characteristics. Importantly, 16-gauge guns were built on the same frame as the 20-gauge versions, rather than the bigger, heavier 12-gauge frame. As a result, they carry like the slender, responsive 20-gauge Model 12s—lively, as a fine upland gun should be—yet hit with authority akin to that of a 12 gauge.
My first proper shotgun was a 12-gauge Model 12, and I still love it. However, unless loaded with a premium malleable non-toxic shot like Bismuth, it’s no longer useful for waterfowling. The steel shot in modern waterfowl shotshells will ruin its barrel.
What’s more, once one has carried a light, lively gun afield for upland game, those big 12-gauge guns feel ponderous. As a result, I’ve had a love affair with the sleek 20- and 16-gauge guns for years.
Because 20-gauge shotshells are far more common and much less expensive, 20-gauge Model 12s are probably the most popular among those who want to actually hunt with their guns and, as a result, are fairly expensive on the used-gun market. Blessedly, versions in 16 gauge are the opposite.
Mechanicals
Known for superbly smooth actions, high magazine capacity, and excellent handling characteristics, Model 12 shotguns were a powerful influence on how pump-action guns evolved. Takedown design is standard. Actions are driven by a single operating bar extending back from the pump into the receiver; this was one feature that proponents of later models, such as Remington’s 870, claimed was a weakness, but real-world use proved otherwise.
This push-pull aftermarket safety by Crowe is a unique modification and makes it easier to use.
Provenance
My son William found this 16-gauge Model 12 on gunbroker.com. According to the serial number, it was made in 1947.
It’s in spectacular condition, but a previous owner had a bulbous Poly Choke and an aftermarket Crowe push-pull safety installed. Consequently, its value is between $350 and $400.
I had the Poly Choke removed and a Modified choke rolled into the muzzle of the 23-inch remaining barrel. The gunsmith even managed to transfer the ivory bead sight from the Poly Choke. The gun is now 41.5 inches long, and it mounts and points wonderfully. The action is nice and tight and is extremely smooth to boot. It runs like grease on glass. The trigger pull measures 7.0 pounds, according to my Lyman digital gauge, and it’s so crisp it feels lighter.
Rangetime
When William and I took it out for its maiden run, we soon discovered that while he’s become a darn good wingshooter with several shotguns, he’s never shot a previous gun as well as he has this 16-gauge Model 12. I was also dead-on the clays with this new-old pump gun. The short, responsive gun points like a homing device.
Throughout our testing, the 16-gauge shotgun functioned flawlessly—but that’s to be expected. It is a Model 12, after all.
Model 12 Specifications
- Manufacturer: Winchester Repeating Arms
- Type: Pump-action repeating shotgun
- Gauge: 16
- Cartridge Capacity: 6 rounds (without plug)
- Barrel: 23 in. (non-original)
- Overall Length: 41.5 in.
- Weight, Empty: 6.6 lbs.
- Stock: Walnut
- Length of Pull: 14.25 in.
- Finish: Blued barrel and action
- Sights: Aftermarket bead front
- Safety: Aftermarket Crowe push-pull safety
- Trigger: 7.0-lb. pull (as tested)
The following is a transcript of outgoing company commander Capt. Vince Miller’s change of command speech:
Good morning everyone. I’d normally begin with our unit motto, but after two and a half years of starting every meeting and discussion with it, I just don’t think I can stomach it anymore. So I’ll say good morning like a normal human being.
I should probably thank my battalion commander for the opportunity to command this company over the last few years, in both combat and garrison, but I think I’d rather go out into the parking lot and key his car for saddling me with the greatest collection of idiots, malingerers, and criminals that have ever walked the face of this earth.
You’ll notice my wife and daughters aren’t here sitting in the audience today. That’s because Sheila left me six months ago when I had to skip our 10th anniversary trip to Jamaica so I could come in on a Sunday for unit PT, since one of you dipshits decided to go out and get his third DUI.
I wasn’t allowed to go to marriage counseling last year when our relationship was on the rocks because the commander had said that soldiers were the priority. So instead I gave my slot to Private Steadman and his former prostitute wife who he met on R&R in Brazil the month prior. Once they got back, she took all his money and Steadman killed himself. So thanks for that.
Do any of you morons have any clue how much paperwork it causes when you blow your sad little heads off? At least have the courtesy to go AWOL first. But for fuck’s sake don’t come back for at least 30 days so I can drop you off my books and let someone else deal with the meatsack of failure that is your existence.
This would now be the part of the speech where I talk about our glorious combat achievements. Too bad, there’s nothing glorious about walking around Afghanistan for 12 months finding IEDs with your feet.
Now I’m deaf in one ear, have almost a pound of shrapnel in my ass, and occasionally I wake up screaming for no fucking reason. But you know what? That doesn’t make me a goddamned hero. That was the worst part about coming back. Not my empty home, empty bed, or shattered dreams. No, it was listening to you fuckwads thump your chests and talk about how badass you all were. Did any one of you actually get a confirmed kill over there? One?
I didn’t think so.
So in closing, let me say this. Thank you for the countless weekends I lost with my daughters because I had to deal with your trivial bullshit. Thank you for the two suicide investigations that forced me to cancel training events I’d planned for almost a year. And most importantly, thank you for the dishonesty, poor accountability, and outright theft of almost two million dollars in equipment, which is why I won’t be receiving another paycheck until February.
May God smite you all with the power of a thousand suns, and your souls be condemned to Hell for eternity.
And to the incoming commander. Good luck and God bless you for making such terrible life choices.
There’s a bottle of scotch in the third drawer of my desk. You’re going to need it.
I hate you all.
Outgoing Commander: ‘I Still Hate You All’
The following address was delivered by Capt. Vince Williams at his Headquarters Company change of command ceremony.
Good morning everyone. I won’t start with our battalion motto because the very sound of it makes my stomach curdle and my jaw clench with an unholy rage.
Eighteen months ago I stood right here and thanked the battalion commander for the privilege and honor of leading an infantry rifle company in combat and in garrison. You all have no idea how happy I was to hand over control of that lunatic asylum. I took some leave and came back prepared to spend my last six months in the Army behind a nice comfortable desk up at the Division Headquarters waiting for my unqualified resignation to process.
After command was over I had managed to convince Sheila to come home with the girls, and we were working on repairing the train wreck that my marriage had become. We’d even started sleeping in the same bed again. I had also started a nice routine with my AA group off-post, and was clean and sober for almost three weeks. That was when I got the call that the HHC commander had been caught making inappropriate comments on his personal Facebook page and that I would be the new commander.
Let’s fast forward ten months to today. I stand before you all a broken man. These soldiers are the refuse of society. The overweight, the battalion staff, the felons, and the drug addicts.
No human being should have to endure what I have gone through over these last months. I had been in command seven hours when I got my first phone call…from the ATF! My mortar platoon sergeant had decided to sneak away from a training event and try to sell his 60mm tubes to an undercover agent who he thought was a domestic terrorist.
And don’t get me started on the staff. Technically I’m a commander, but what does a commander do when someone outranks him and refuses to come to work, is nineteen pounds overweight, and has a rater who is also his drinking buddy so he’ll never get a negative counseling in his life? I’m looking at you, sir.
The real highlight of my tenure as the HHC commander was when I had to come in on Christmas to explain why my senior medic was caught having sex in the Sgt. Major’s office with the assistant S-2 while she was on staff duty.
We won’t even talk about the time my wallet was stolen when I was forced to spend Thanksgiving dinner in my Class A’s serving food at the mess hall, or the enormous pile of human shit that someone left in the dayroom two hours before this ceremony.
That’s because seeing you all standing before me today, in your clean uniforms and black berets, masquerading as human beings and not the vile hell-spawn you really are, brings a darkness over my soul that can only be fixed with lethal amounts of hard alcohol or a manslaughter charge.
So to my successor remember this: always lock your door, don’t ever go into the barracks at night, for any reason, and never provide information about you or your loved ones to anyone in your unit — ever!
Or better yet, go AWOL. Right now. It only gets worse from here.
This is Havoc Six signing off the net. I still hate you all.
AP Photo/Seth Perlman, FileThe 2025 National Rifle Association Annual Meeting was a big one for the organization. After the membership meeting wrapped up–with a number of noteworthy happenings occurring there–the newly installed board met on Monday April 28. The election of officers did not go lock-step with what the nominating committee wished, and the so-called “reformers” managed to sweep the slate, taking control of most of the organization.
Over the last two years, the NRA Board of Directors has cleaved off into essentially two parties, with a few directors remaining unaffiliated. Previously reported, the 2025 election of board members overwhelmingly favored one party over the other.
One group self-identifies as “Strong NRA,” and is made up of what’s colloquially called the “old guard.” The other group labels themselves “NRA 2.0,” and they’re referred to as “reformers.” NRA 2.0 has alleged that the Strong NRA is made up of a Cabal of loyalists of former NRA CEO and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre.
NRA 2.0 took 66% of the available seats in the recent board election, a near supermajority of the spots. Strong NRA took the remaining 34%.
There were no incumbent directors or nominated candidates elected or reelected who were unaffiliated.
The Nominating Committee made the recommendation that Bob Barr continue to serve as president and have First Vice President Bachenberg replaced by Second Vice President Mark Vaughan, with Eb Wilkinson to take the second vice president spot.
The committee recommended keeping incumbents Executive Vice President Doug Hamlin, Secretary John Frazer, Treasurer Sonya Rowling, and Chief Compliance Officer Mensinger.
It was recently reported by Cam Edwards that the NRA 2.0 party took control at Monday’s board meeting, with them securing top leadership positions. Incumbent Strong NRA President Bob Barr was challenged by NRA First Vice President Bill Bachenberg–a proponent of reform.
As discussed in an interview with Edwards prior to the officers election, Bachenberg stated his intention to challenge Barr. Traditionally–on a handshake–officers would normally serve two years in a given position and then bump up the line. It can be speculated that Bachenberg’s challenge to Barr is what resulted in the Nominating Committee’s suggestion to remove him from the line.
Ultimately, Bachenberg secured a win over Barr, with the top three officer positions being secured by reform-minded directors. These results were reported officially by the NRA.
“I am deeply honored to be entrusted by my colleagues on the Board to serve as President of the NRA,” NRA President Bill Bachenberg said in a statement. “We are at a pivotal point in our Association’s history as we work to reach out to new members, build upon the trust of existing members, and provide the gold-standard programs that American gun owners expect. As the Nation’s oldest civil rights organization, the NRA plays a critical role in protecting and advancing freedom in America.”
The final numbers are in. A request was made to board Secretary John Frazer to return the official tally, as well as the results of the committee appointments/elections. NRA spokesperson Nick Perrine delivered the election results to Bearing Arms in fulfillment of that request.
The report noted that Bill Bachenberg secured the president’s seat. The vote tally was 38 for Bachenberg and 34 for Barr, for a total of 72 votes. Bachenberg’s win comes where a 4.2% swing could have resulted in a loss. He took 53% of the votes, enough to secure more than a simple majority.
Three votes could have changed this election.
The following officers–including the executive vice president–were elected “by acclamation”: First Vice President Mark Vaughan, Second Vice President Rocky Marshall, Executive Vice President Doug Hamlin, Treasurer Sonya Rowling, and Chief Compliance Officer Robert Mensinger.
Incumbent Secretary John Frazer won with 38 votes, over Bryant Lewis who took 32 votes.
The following committees were also formalized and or had members added to them:
Executive Committee: Thomas Arvas, Bob Barr, Charles Beers III, Anthony Colandro, Todd Ellis, Al Hammond, Craig Haggard, Maria Heil, Charles Hiltunen, Robert Mansell, Buz Mills, Janet Nyce, James Porter II, David Raney, Barbara Rumpel, Amanda Suffecool, Craig Swartz, Linda Walker, Bruce Widener, and Robert Wos.
**Note: The President, First Vice President, and Second Vice President also serve on the Executive Committee.
Nominating Committee: Cam Edwards, Al Hammond, Maria Heil, Robben Love, Mitzy McCorvey, Buz Mills, Janet Nyce, Susan Springhorn, and Robert Wos.
Audit Committee: Charles Beers III, Jonathan Goldstein, Theresa Inacker, Rocky Marshall, and John Richardson
Special Contribution Fund (Whittington Center) (terms ending in 2028): Al Hammond, Robert Mansell, Barbara Rumpel, and Craig Swartz.
The 2025 NRAAM is now in the rearview. NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Doug Hamlin celebrated the conclusion of what he said was a “very successful” meeting.
“I know one thing for sure: NRA’s best days are ahead of us,” said Hamlin. “This Association is moving forward, full speed ahead, to support the shooting sports, train new gun owners, and defend the sacred right to self-defense. I thank the dedicated staff of the NRA who work day and night on behalf of NRA’s millions of members and America’s more than 100 million firearms owners.”
The decisive win that NRA 2.0 saw in the board election prior to the NRAAM seems to have paid off for the reform candidates, gaining them more ground within the Association. While the members spoke loudly and clearly in who they wanted to take a director’s chair, how big is their hold now within the ranks?
With a new makeup of directors, a shakeup within the officers’ line, and the formulation of reform-minded committees, it’s time for the BOD to get to work. The majority of the Association’s legal problems are behind them–with some exceptions. The voices of the members have been communicated to the board, and everyone will have to see who listens and who does not.
According to the NRA, the 2026 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits will take place in Houston, Texas, from April 17-19, 2026.
The complete list of election results as sent by Spokesperson Perrine is below:
President
Bill Bachenberg – 38
Bob Barr – 34
First Vice President
Mark Vaughan (by acclamation)
Second Vice President
Rocky Marshall (by acclamation)
Executive Vice President
Doug Hamlin (by acclamation)
Secretary
John Frazer – 38
Bryant Lewis- 32
Treasurer
Sonya Rowling (by acclamation)
Chief Compliance Officer
Robert Mensinger (by acclamation)
Executive Committee
Thomas Arvas
Bob Barr
Charles Beers III
Anthony Colandro
Todd Ellis
Al Hammond
Craig Haggard
Maria Heil
Charles Hiltunen
Robert Mansell
Buz Mills
Janet Nyce
James Porter II
David Raney
Barbara Rumpel
Amanda Suffecool
Craig Swartz
Linda Walker
Bruce Widener
Robert Wos
**Note: The President, First Vice President, and Second Vice President also serve on the Executive Committee.
Nominating Committee
Cam Edwards
Al Hammond
Maria Heil
Robben Love
Mitzy McCorvey
Buz Mills
Janet Nyce
Susan Springhorn
Robert Wos
Audit Committee
Charles Beers III
Jonathan Goldstein
Theresa Inacker
Rocky Marshall
John Richardson
Special Contribution Fund (Whittington Center) (terms ending in 2028)
Al Hammond
Robert Mansell
Barbara Rumpel
Craig Swartz
Vince Coleman was just a normal guy, right up until
he was called upon to do some very abnormal things.
On the morning of December 6, 1917, the French munitions ship SS Mont-Blanc sat fully laden with a cargo of TNT, picric acid and guncotton in the harbor at Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ship also had a load of highly volatile benzol stored in barrels lashed to the deck. The vessel was desperately trying to leave the harbor to transport its critical cargo to the World War I battlefields in Europe.
German submarines were a menace, and the Canadian government had erected sub nets across the mouth of the harbor. The nets were closed at night. Extricating from the busy harbor during the limited periods of daylight this time of year was a complex and difficult task. At the same time as the Mont-Blanc was making its exit, a Norwegian cargo vessel called the SS Imo was also transiting the channel.
This was a really crowded place. Ships ranging from ocean-going freighters to local tugs puttered back and forth, jockeying for position. Larger vessels were helmed by experienced local pilots who were well familiar with the harbor and its eccentricities. However, at 0845 that morning, the Imo struck the Mont-Blanc a scant glancing blow. The collision speed was estimated at one knot. That’s only 1.15 miles per hour.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, was a thriving seaport before a horrible maritime accident in 1917 blew the place to pieces.
Damage to both ships was trivial. However, the shock was adequate to tip several drums of benzol. These broke open and spilled volatile liquid across the deck. The benzol ran down into the bowels of the ship until it encountered an errant spark. The subsequent fire soon raged out of control.
The captain of the Mont-Blanc ordered his crew off of the ship. The now-empty vessel drifted slowly until it beached itself at Pier 6 near Richmond Street in Halifax. Curious onlookers flocked outside to take in the spectacle. Several nearby vessels responded to the fire, spraying the stricken ship with water. However, there was no hope.
While the image of the burning ship was mesmerizing for countless hundreds of bystanders, a few among them appreciated the true gravity of the situation. Among them was Vince Coleman, a 45-year-old train dispatcher for Canadian Government Railways (CGR).
The area in the immediate vicinity of the blast was leveled.
The effects of the detonation were felt for miles around.
Coleman and the Chief Clerk William Lovett were working in the Richmond Station, only a few hundred feet from Pier 6 where the Mont-Blanc now rested beached and aflame.
A sailor raced up from the pier and warned the two men that the Mont-Blanc was a munitions ship and that the risk of an imminent explosion was profound. Coleman had time to run. However, the No. 10 overnight express train from Saint John, New Brunswick, was due into the station in 10 minutes. There were 300 passengers onboard.
Lovett called the CGR terminal agent to report the danger, and both men fled. However, Coleman appreciated that this phone call was likely inadequate to stop the incoming passenger train.
As a result, he turned around and ran back into the station. He subsequently banged out the following message along the rail line to stop all trains heading into Halifax, “Hold up the train. Ammunition ship afire in harbour marking for Pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Good-bye, boys.”
At 0904, the fire reached the cargo hold on the Mont-Blanc. The subsequent blast wave propagated out from the ship at 3,300 feet per second. The core temperature of the ship reached 9,000 degrees F. The explosive force was the equivalent of a 2.9 kiloton nuclear detonation. At the time, the Mont-Blanc blast was the largest single man-made explosion in human history.
This picture was taken moments after the Mont-Blanc
exploded and leveled the Halifax harbor.
The explosion destroyed everything within an 800-meter radius. The blast wave leveled buildings, sheared trees off at the ground, twisted iron railroad rails, and pushed nearby ships up onto dry land. The resulting tsunami propagated across the harbor and wiped out the community of Mi’kmaq people who lived in nearby Tufts Cove.
As a result of the catastrophe, 1,782 people perished. Among them were both Vince Coleman and William Lovett. There were a further 9,000 injured. However, thanks to Coleman’s desperate telegraph message, the No. 10 passenger train was successfully stopped at Rockingham Station roughly four miles short of the terminal and Pier 6. The conductor of the No. 10 later attested that it was Coleman’s telegraph that stopped the train in the nick of time. As a result, 300 passengers and crew survived.
We all want to be remembered as heroes. The archetype dons blue spandex and flies off to do battle with digital monsters.
Out here in the real world, however, heroes are not nearly so flashy. Sometimes, they are train dispatchers just going about their day. Normal folk, when faced with abnormal circumstances, are often capable of stepping up to perform amazing feats of courage. Vince Coleman was one of those rare heroes.
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