[the naked prophet]

I accidentally bought it at an auction. It was announced as a 20 gauge Springfield (which gun I had examined, and approved) but turned out to be something else entirely (16 gauge Stevens 94B). I paid too much, and there's no way in heck I'm getting my money back for it.

So what do I do with it? It appears fine functionally. The bore has some stuff in it, not sure if it's pits or just fouling. The outside is pitted and orange on one side, about the first 1/3 of the barrel and on one side of the reciever. It's got a horrendous cheesy plastic fake wood stock. The choke is unknown, it doesn't mention a choke anywhere on the gun. The stock has no recoil pad whatsoever.

However, it does shoulder and point well. The 28 inch barrel is a bit ungainly, but I wouldn't feel bad about taking a hacksaw to it and rebluing. In any case, I'd saw an inch off the end of the stock and put on a slip-on recoil pad, as well as use steel wool to take off the rust and reblue with that stuff in a bottle.

Should I use it for clay games? I've got a 12 and my wife's got a 20 gauge Mossberg 500. My 12 has a cylinder bore, but my wife's 20 has interchangable chokes. Could I use this as a clays gun? I suppose I should pattern it before I answer that question though.

Should I cut it down to 18.5 inches, put an elastic shell holder on the stock (full of #1 buck and a few slugs), and toss it in my trunk?

What would you do with it?

[Dave McCracken]

Sounds like a great project. First, get a smith to look it over. If it's safe to fire, do so.

Numrich should have real wood stocks for this.

Clean off the metal and duracoat or park it.

Don't hacksaw that barrel, you'll lose the choke and gain little.

A 28" barrelled single shot is shorter than an 870 with 20" barrel.

This is short enough now.

16 gauge ammo is available, but I don't see this as a clays gun.

Any rabbits or squirrels in your area?

Catch my drift?....

[Onmilo]

All what Dave said and almost all Stevens single shots are full choke.

This is one firearm I would suggest a paint type finish for, and that elastic buttcuff is a good idea.

A box of #6 1 1/8 ounce #6 shot and a couple of five packs of Winchester Foster slug loads, coat the gun inside and out with a thin layer of RIG grease, place it in an inexpensive fabric gun sleeve and store it in the trunk with a Hoppe Bore Snake,(To wipe the RIG out of the barrel before you shoot it).

One never knows when one might roll past a promising patch of squirrel woods!:)

[sm]

Single Shots are great guns!

Agree with above, Do NOT cut the barrel, you want that choke.
Have a gunsmith check it out, and if this gunsmith knows guns fit, have him/her check you for gun fit and properly fit the stock.
Not just LOP is involved here, also pitch.

Pachmayhr makes not only a great pad that should fit this gun [my recommendation] also a slip on pad I bet. Again, check with gunsmith and follow recommendations.

Finish? Heck I would have the metal removed from wood. Clean up the wood and apply Johnson's Paste Wax inside bolt hole and all exterior to protect.

Metal : Spray with favorite CLP and let sit. Wipe off with hose, or cheesecloth.
Last time I used Breakfree CLP, I have used Ballistol as well.
Deal is, applying, let the CLP work, then wipe with a cloth with a bit of "teeth" to it [hose and cheese cloth ] and see where this gets you.
IF...IF it comes to needing more , Spray with CLP, and lightly rub with 0000 steel wool, or if Brass Wool from the Gunsmith.

Inside bore. Spray and let sit with CLP, run some clothes through to get out the easy gunk.

Take a cleaning rod, chucked into a battery drill with a brush with wisps of 0000 steel wool and run from chamber to muzzle.

Then spray with CLP, run a patch through and done.

These old guns have character, so I am not in the camp to mess with worn bluing, even with a few rust pits.

To protect, use the Johnson's Paste wax on the Metal.

Oh, when putting back, use RIG [Rust Inhibiting Grease] on the bolt attaching stock to receiver.

Now take this gun out and pattern it, and take this gun afield and use it for small game, go shoot clays from a portable thrower...

Tip: Folks seeing this "old gun with character" will think " that fellow knows that gun, best keep an eye on him"
And/or - "what a neat piece of history, and so happy you preserved and are using as intended, instead of butchering it".

Neat!!

[foghornl]

That "Cheesy plastic stock" is a material called 'tenite'. It is some sort of plastic. Be cautious with it if you remove the stock, because if you chip or crack it, there is NO WAY to repair it.

I started out shotgunning with that model as a teen...Savage/Stevens 94B 16-Ga. IIRC, there was no marking as to choke, mine seemd to throw a 'modified' pattern with #4's & #6's, tightened up a bit with 7-1/2's or 8's. It was "Pops" shotgun, grandfather on Dad's side. Sat by the back door with a box of shells, for when the fox raided the henhouse, etc duties. Not fancy, or even 'pretty', but was a good serviceable shotgun.

[the naked prophet]

I think I'll not cut the barrel. I don't have any place to do bird hunting, and I've got a .22 for squirrels... However, I DO have a handheld clay thrower...

My only issue with the slip-on pad is that it would add a bit to the LOP which is exactly perfect for me. The only issue with a bolt-on pad is that there are no screw holes in butt of the stock - only a single quarter-slot plug screw that doesn't remove the butt plate. There is no pad at all. I may have to cut off an inch or so of the stock to fit a slip-on recoil pad, and then put an elastic shell holder on over that.

As to the rust... there's more than a few pits. It definitely needs to be scrubbed off. And it will definitely need a reblue. I hope to bust some clays with it soon.

[SevenMaryThree]

1) disassemble
2) sandblast metal
3) sand wood finish
4) chop pipe if needed, crown
5) gun kote on metal
6) paint / stain on wood
7) re-assemble
8) test for functioning
9) give it to a kid (w/NRA membership)

[the naked prophet]

What's this wood everybody keeps talking about? :neener:

[AJAX22]

I've got the exact same gun :D it came in a package deal and I didn't want it.

The fit between the barrel and the receiver on these is remarkably tight and they are very well made. I havent decided what to do with mine either. I don't much care for 16 gauge. I was planing on choping it down to minimum legal length and giving it as a HD gun to some family who had nothing. but it is quite well made and If I was more into the 16gauge I'd probably keep it.

Post pics of whatever you decide to do, It might help me make up my mind on my own gun.

[AndyC]

One more member of 16ga.com coming up... ;)

[the naked prophet]

Is it some sort of sacrilige to cut an inch off the plastic stock so it'll fit my shoulder with a recoil pad attached?

Wouldn't want to upset any purists or collectors of shotguns worth under $40. :neener:

[dewidmt]

I was given an old Crescent Arms "Victor" 16 ga single shot by a widow a few years ago. I cut the barrel down to 20", prettied up the wood a bit, peened the latch holding the barrel to the receiver to take out some slop and then busted a few bunnies and a juvenile coyote with it. I just keep it around as a farm gun nowadays.

[ojdidit]

I recently acquired a Stevens 94B in 20 gauge as it belonged to my wife's grandfather. The poor thing looked like it was put in a barn 25 years ago and forgotten about. Mine has a walnut stock that was pretty rough, but with some light sanding, some water placed in the grooves, and a few coats of Tru-Oil it turned out rather nice. The metal had absolutely no bluing left with a fairly solid coat of surface rust over about 75% of the receiver and barrel. The cheapest refinish job I could get was parkerizing, and it came out pretty nice (although totally un-original). After all this I have about $100 into a gun originally worth about $25. It was not a great investment, and the gun isn't all that interesting, but it was the only gun in my rack that was a total POS and my wife's family loved that I had fixed the old thing up. At least now I can brag that I have the nicest 94B I have ever seen!

[Big Az Al]

They can be a pain in *****,

That Quarter sized cover in the but plate is the cover for the stock bolt hole, the stock bolt is way down inside the stock under there.

if the stock and forarm are in good shape no cracks or other damage, there may be a market for then.

get the wood replacement stocks thru GUNPARTS, or Brownells, put the plastic stocks on Ebey or Auction Arms, strat or reserve a price of a little more then the wood stocks cost and see whom is looking for the coeerect stocks to put a gun back into orginal condtion.

And As for bluing, go for it, if you where in So Az I woould say look me up.

Sometimes you can find a 12 ga barrel that will fit right into the action, I always will have a soft spot in heart for a brake open shutgun that has more then one barrel.

Al

[the naked prophet]

So I tried out that rusty single shot, and I really like it. Problem is, it prints 3 inches low and 3 inches left at 10 yards (I patterned on butcher paper). I patterned at 5, 7, 10, 15, and 20 yards, using 16 ga Federal #6 "GAME" loads. The choke is fixed.

I had 10 clay birds left over from a previous range trip with my dad, so I figured, what the heck. I dropped one in the pipe, closed the action, and cocked the hammer. With my left hand, I tossed the bird as far as I could - since it was left handed, there was no way I could tell where it was going! The first round of 10, I only hit five. I had to consciously remember to aim high and right.

I recovered the remaining 5, and hit four of them. I tossed the one I recovered, and busted it the first time. So I figure by the end, I was hitting five out of six.

I also learned it was tough to toss a birdie and still hit it with a shotgun!

So, is there any way to adjust the point of impact or the point of aim? It's got a giant silver bead, which I love! But is there some way to adjust it, or adjust the gun? Or should I just try a different load, and maybe it'll print differently?

There is a bit of pitting in the bore, but not much. Most of it is on the right side of the barrel...