Category: All About Guns
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)
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
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Snub Nose Colt SAA
Opinion
U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training trainees carry weapons at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland on August 2, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ava Leone)Well, here we go again. The United States Air Force had a brief moment of clarity—just a moment—when it looked like they might start treating their own recruits like real warfighters by letting them carry actual M4 rifles during basic training.
But predictably, that moment passed faster than a Beltway politician dodging accountability.
According to the Air Force’s top brass, arming trainees with real, live-fire-capable rifles throughout boot camp is just too hard. Too many “logistical challenges,” they say. Too much responsibility. Heaven forbid young Americans who sign up to wear the uniform actually handle the tools of war early on—tools they’ll be expected to be intimately familiar with when the real fight starts.
Instead, they’re sticking with glorified toys: inert M4s that look real, feel real, but don’t go bang. Maj. Gen. Wolfe Davidson, who oversees the whole training pipeline, confirmed they’re not moving forward with real rifles “in the near term.” You know what that means—it’s code for never, unless they get forced into it by reality.
Let’s be clear: The Marines do it. The Army does it. Hell, even most ROTC programs give their kids more trigger time. But the Air Force? Nope. They’re convinced a red-plastic-tipped dummy gun is enough to create a “warfighter mindset.”
And that’s the problem.
We’ve got high-ranking Air Force officials saying we’re on the brink of a near-peer war with China or Russia.
We’ve got high-ranking Air Force officials saying we’re on the brink of a near-peer war with China or Russia. They’re right. The next war won’t be fought from cushy air-conditioned offices—it’ll be brutal, ugly, and real. But if you believe that, and you still won’t arm the next generation of Airmen with anything more than a cosplay rifle, you’re not preparing for war. You’re playing pretend.
Security concerns? Too many weapons to store? Not enough instructors? Guess what—none of that stopped our grandfathers from winning WWII. They figured it out with clipboards, paper maps, and grit. But now, in the era of biometric locks and digital armories, the world’s most advanced Air Force can’t figure out how to responsibly issue a basic firearm to a grown adult?
Meanwhile, here’s what Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had to say just three months ago in his Message to the Force:
“We will remain the strongest and most lethal force in the world… All of this will be done with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards, and readiness.”
So let’s ask the obvious: how exactly does marching around with a red-tipped plastic toy gun meet the Secretary’s call for lethality? How does locking a non-functioning rifle in a dorm room locker restore the warrior ethos?
It doesn’t.
This is what happens when political correctness meets the profession of arms. Instead of sharpening the spear, the Air Force dulled it—again.
Sure, they still make the recruits look like they’re carrying rifles. They march them around with fake M4s, let them break them down—oh wait, you can’t—and then practice holding them. It’s like handing someone a rubber knife and calling them a chef.
You can’t fake warfighting. And you sure as hell can’t fake the Second Amendment. That right—the one to keep and bear arms—isn’t just a civilian right. It’s a warrior’s foundation. If the Air Force can’t trust its own people with real rifles in basic training, maybe it shouldn’t be trusted to send them into combat either.
We’re raising a generation of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines to fight enemies who are armed to the teeth and trained from childhood. And instead of meeting that threat with strength, we’re stuffing red and blue plastic into warrior’s M4 barrels and calling it a day.
Lock and load, America. Because the people in charge of defending this country still think the scariest thing in a barracks is a loaded rifle.
About Tred Law
Tred Law is your everyday patriot with a deep love for this country and a no-compromise approach to the Second Amendment. He does not write articles for Ammoland every week, but when he does write, it is usually about liberals Fing with his right to keep and bear arms.
A brief filed by the federal government in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in a case involving the constitutionality of banning machine guns has one pro-gun rights group seeing red.The case United States v. Justin Bryce Brown revolves around the federal government charging Justice Bryce Brown with knowingly possessing a machine gun in violation of federal law. Brown’s attorney argued that under the landmark 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the statute was unconstitutional as applied to him.
A district court dismissed the charge against Brown in January, holding that the ban violated the Second Amendment as it applied to him. The government then appealed to the Fifth Circuit.
A brief filed April 24 by Patrick Lemon, acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, argued that “machine guns are not the kind of arms protected by the Second Amendment,” and that America’s “history of regulating dangerous and unusual weapons confirms [the federal machine gun ban’s] constitutionality.” The brief drew quick condemnation from the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), which called the brief both “horribly flawed” and “insanely offensive.”
One portion of the brief that really set the gun-rights group off was when Lemon cited The Trace, a rabidly anti-gun instrument of Michael Bloomberg’s so-called Everytown for Gun Safety, as his source of information.
“Acting U.S. Attorney Lemon’s horrifically flawed brief is unprincipled and an incredible affront to the People and our constitutionally protected rights,” Brandon Combs, FPC president, said in a press release about the brief. “Not only does this lemon of a brief expressly advance anti-liberty arguments, it went so far as to cite the radically anti-Second Amendment Everytown propaganda publication, The Trace, in support of its position. This brief could not be less consistent with President Trump’s ‘Protecting Second Amendment Rights’ executive order.”
Since President Trump’s executive order on protecting the Second Amendment does matter—or at least it should to Lemon—Combs said the brief should prompt the president and Attorney General Pam Bondi to look into Lemon’s ability to respect the executive order. After all, the U.S. Attorney filed the poorly thought-out brief on behalf of the federal government, which Trump heads.
“This insanely offensive brief should never have been filed in any court, let alone at the Fifth Circuit,” Combs continued. “It should be immediately withdrawn and thrown into the trash, along with Mr. Lemon’s ability to make these filings in the future.”
Combs added that the Lemon filing is a prime example of why the organization has been asking President Trump to appoint a competent Second Amendment czar to coordinate the administration’s agenda across the government and with stakeholders in Second Amendment litigation.
“Our rights must be protected at all costs and the American people are counting on President Trump and Attorney General Bondi to fulfill their promise to do just that,” he concluded.
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