Winchester Model 1200

The Winchester Model 1200 is a pump-action, 12-gauge shotgun used by military, police and civilians for a variety of purposes. It was first produced in 1964. In its context as a military weapon, it is effective as a breaching tool when other means, such as explosives, are considered ineffective or dangerous.

An unknown number of Winchester Model 1200 shotguns were procured by the Army in 1968-1969, with a ventilated handguard, sling attachment swivels, and the bayonet attachment as additions to the civilian Winchester 1200. Small numbers of Winchester shotguns of the 1100 and 1400 series were also procured. The shotguns carry a serial number, found on the bottom of the front end of the receiver.

The one in the game is actually a heavily modified version, since a 40 year old shotgun would not appear in modern combat in its original form. Specifically, it has parts from the Advanced Technology, Inc. 12GA Shotgun System, which is used to modify a number of shotguns, including the Winchester 1200 and Norinco 98.

In Game
In Single Player, the Shotgun is used by NPC's to break down doors. Gaz uses one during the mission Crew Expendable. Lt. Vasquez in particular has a unique W1200 with a pistol grip stock strapped across his back that can be found elsewhere infrequently. The W1200 is available in Charlie Don't Surf, The Bog, One Shot, One Kill and The Sins of the Father.

In Multiplayer, The W1200 is the first shotgun available to use. The pump action requires each shot to be triggered like a semi-automatic weapon. It is usually a one-shot-one-kill weapon at close range and hence is superior in 'round the corner' encounters. Although one of the slower firing weapons, it is still able to engage and dispatch a group of two or three enemies at close range before they are able to respond sufficiently. The Double Tap perk will reduce the pump action time, and thus faster fire rate at the cost of the barrel of the shotgun rising upwards faster.

The main disadvantage of the W1200 is its ineffectiveness at mid to long range. Unlike other weapons, shotguns will deal no damage beyond a certain point. As such, a W1200-user should stick to smaller areas, avoid long range engagements, or pick the Overkill perk and select a weapon more adept at long range. Relying on your pistol sidearm is another alternative.

Note that the shotgun exhibits slightly higher spread when sighted, and so this weapon should always be fired from the hip. The Steady Aim perk reduces spread - while this has little effect in toe-to-toe encounters, it increases the effectiveness of the W1200 at close-mid range.

Although, in the right hands, fire rate can be accelerated by quickly looking through the iron sights, firing, and then quickly letting go about 0.88 seconds after the shot (which relatively is right after the shot is fired), and then repeating the process. The fire rate is doubled if done correctly, creating a Double Tap effect.

The W1200 is available at Rank 2 (when the Demolitions default class is unlocked) and earns the Red Dot Sight attachment at 25 kills, and the Foregrip attachment at 50 kills. The latter attachment replaces the First Tier Perk.

Trivia

 * The loading cycle of the W1200 in Call of Duty, like most pump shotguns in the series, is inaccurate. The gun is pumped every time it is loaded, even if there is a shell in the chamber.  In real life, this would result in an unfired shell being ejected from the chamber, and the loss of a full round.
 * The picture of it in the Create-A-Class page lacks the iron sights.
 * This gun, along with the M1014, are the only weapons with a noticable view of the Foregrip Attachment
 * The W1200 is actually a Winchester 1200 (it'isnt a mossberg!), which is the shotgun used by the USMC along with the M1014.