I've been looking out for an early Model 12 in 12 ga. with 28" barrel. Specifically, serial number 525488, manufactured in 1927. It had bare spots where the blueing used to be, the stock wood was oil-soaked and dark from the owner's caress, but could be cycled "with one finger," they say. The gun belonged to Ernest Hemingway. He used it with great skill shooting pigeon at the Club des Cazadores in Cuba while residing at Finca Vigia. It is still missing. Unlike the other guns of Hemingway, which have all been accounted for, this Model 12 is still out there. Still looking!
"Wars are, of course, as a rule to be avoided; but they are far better than certain kinds of peace." - T.R.