My next project...maybe (pic heavy)

[JAB]

A couple of years ago I was given an old Stevens SXS double-barrel 12 gauge. The thing was (and remains) a bit of a basket case. Apparently, the previous owner left it in a storage building for some years and it has gotten some impressive rust on it. It also seems to be missing parts and certainly needs 'some work' to say the least.

In fact, when the gun was given to me (after the previous owner died) his family thought I might just want to clean it up and use it as a wall hanger. I was inclined to agree - if I could get it cleaned up enough - but had dreams of making it work, again. Of some encouragement was that the previous owner's son, now in his mid twenties, remembers the gun being fired when he was a kid so it hasn't been out of commission that long. At the time I got the gun, I lacked the confidence to tackle a project like resurrecting the old fellah. Also, I had not then seen other people's accounts of reviving old, seemingly lost cause guns - some of which looked worse than this one does. Now, older and wis...well, more experienced, anyhow I think maybe I can save it.

To be a little more specific:

My brother in law looked in an old gun book he has and we are 98% sure that what I have is a Stevens 530. The 530 was manufactured from the 1930s until the 1950s. Here are some pics - if we are wrong, maybe someone can set me straight. Also, maybe some guys who have done similar projects will have some tips for me - or can tell me if this is really a lost cause before I start spending time/money/energy on it.

Looking casual:

The barrels are pretty rusted, especially on the muzzle end:

Travelling down the barrels, away from the muzzle, things get a little better. Not much but a little - plus the barrels get thicker, of course - meaning that rust that might be deep enough to ruin the muzzle end might not be deep enough to hurt further down the barrels. IF these barrels can be saved, then, I might not be able to save the whole thing. I might have to 'amputate' the muzzle end to save the rest. If that turns out to be the case, I'll just take more off and have it cut down into a coach gun and have the bead reset . That wouldn't break my heart - I'd like to have a coach gun. Might even prefer it - but I may still make the effort to save the entire length. If I am able to save at least a part of these barrels, I have already accepted that there will likely be pitting that will be too deep to completely remove. As long as it doesn't compromise the structure of the barrels, I am okay with that. It is an old workhorse - it never was and will never be a Purdy.

Heck, at the breech end, there seems to even still be a little bluing clinging to the metal:

And the view down the barrels from that end isn't nearly as bad - is that the glint of unrusted metal I see in there? Maybe:

The breech end is certainly thicker and doesn't appear as rusty:

For that matter, the fact that the whole thing isn't seized shut and that the barrels will 'lock' into place when closed is encouraging, at least.

Unlike the barrels, the receiver doesn't look all THAT bad. There is certainly rust but I think it is mostly surface rust that a wire brush and some steel wool should be able to handle:

The triggers will not operate the firing pins. The good news, though, is that the firing pins are not frozen so I'm thinking there is just some internal spring/part that is loose, missing or rusted through. More good news is that the safety switch not only moves but it seems to work - the triggers will move when it is set to 'off' and will not move when it is set to 'on'.

It is missing some parts - including the entire fore end, extractor and one or two other things that are obvious without even taking it apart. It might be missing more internally - we'll see as I haven't had it apart, yet.

The buttstock is there and isn't in horrible shape. It has a crack or two and is missing a small 'chunk' at the rear of the trigger guard. I may have to enlist the aid of some wood glue or even some putty - again, we'll see. That kind of depends on what kind of fore end I am able to get. If the fore end looks new then I had might as well strip and redo the buttstock. If I end up finding an old, used fore end then it might preserve more of the gun's 'character' just to do minor repairs and leave it more or less 'as is'.

The STEVENS mark is clearly visible on one side - along with a goose:

And more company information is visible on the other side:

I can't find a model number anywhere but, like I said, we are nearly certain it is a 530. It is marked 12 gauge on top of one of the barrels so I am sure of that.

Now is where I ask for help:

I really haven't done a major restore, before. I've done one or two minor rescues but nothing like this. To date, the only parts source I have used has been Numrich Gun Parts. I have been plenty satisfied with them and Numrich has a parts list/exploded diagram and has some of the parts for a 530 in stock. Problem is, many of the parts - including some that I already know I need - are listed as 'sold out'. Somehow I just don't expect them to get in a new shipment of parts for a shotgun that hasn't been made in half a century any time soon. I'm wondering if any of you guys and gals know of another place like Numrich or another, good source for parts. I am also wondering if anyone has any first hand knowledge of the 530 and if parts from some other shotgun - maybe a different Stevens model, one of the Savage models or even a different company, entirely - will work for the Stevens 530. I plan to repeat this post on all the gun boards where I am a member and hope that someone will have some ideas.

Honestly, if this were just a pump shotgun - unless it were some kind of special antique, etc. - I probably wouldn't fool with it as I can buy a new pump for around two hundred bucks. That said, I have really had a hankerin' for a SxS double and have found that even the 'cheap', used ones cost more than twice as much as a new pump. For those reasons, I really want to make this one work. My suspicion is that even if I have to scrap everything but the buttstock and stripped receiver I would still come out cheaper to replace everything else on it rather than try to buy one - and I don't expect to have to scrap all of the internals. Even if that proves to be untrue and this restore ends up costing as much as buying a working gun, at least doing it this way would let me spread out the expense over time. Then, of course, there is the experience of doing it and (hopefully) the pride of eventually shooting a gun that I brought 'back to life'.

Edited July 24, 2012 by JAB

[Caster]

Glutton for punishment?

If you get that running safely again I think we will all bow to your mad skills.

Time to order some barrel hones from MIdway!

[JAB]

Glutton for punishment?

If you get that running safely again I think we will all bow to your mad skills.

Time to order some barrel hones from MIdway!

To be completely truthful, if Numrich wasn't listing the complete 12 gauge barrel assembly as out of stock I would have just ordered one of those and turned my attention to the internal parts in the receiver. I am assuming that would get me the ejectors and everything and their list price is $137.70 for a complete, used assembly. Even if I also ordered a complete fore end ($40.15 for a used one - that is, if they weren't listed as 'out of stock', too) that would still bring me in at just under $200 (plus shipping, tax, etc.) In all, then, even after replacing some internals that should put me in at around $250-$275 + some time when I would probably just be goofing off, anyhow. I'd consider getting a working SXS for that to be a bargain. That said, if I end up having to try and salvage most of the gun as it is then it will probably just go back into a closet until such time as my skills become 'mad' - if ever.

Edited July 24, 2012 by JAB

[UncleJak]

I sold one like this a couple months ago. It was in good condition and I got a pretty penny for it. I'd say go for it. It's already jacked up, so you can't make it worse...

[JAB]

It's already jacked up, so you can't make it worse...

Heh, thanks for the encouragement but you obviously don't know me very well, do you? I can always make things worse. It's a gift.

Seriously, though, I have no sentimental attachment to this one so now that I have done a real check online for parts, etc. I think this project will depend on finding the pieces I need without paying so much $$$ trying to fix it up that I could just buy a SxS. If I can't, it will just go in a closet for now.

Edited July 26, 2012 by JAB

[peejman]

I'd be real careful with it. The metal is severely pitted and I feel sure some areas will be too thin if you remove all the corrosion.