[theheadhunter]

So i bought this off a guy in town he sold me the old shotgun for 20 bucks, it was very loose it may have shot but it prolly would have been its last shot. I was a little skeptical of fixing it back up cause it needed alot of work, so i put it in the classifieds here just to get rid of it. well i didnt get any bites here so I started tearin her down. talk about gunk...this thing had not REALLY been cleaned for years and the trigger spring was very rusty, so rusty it broke in half, so im thinking great, what have i got myself into. So i buckled down striped the rust, replaced both the trigger spring and the barrel release spring, stripped the stock, texture painted the stock, painted and then baked all the metal parts, I also fabricated a new stock rod so the stock would not wobble around anymore. after a afternoon of hard work and a day of preparation this is what i got, not loose at all, its very sound single barrel 12 gauge shotgun now.

Tell me what you guys think.

BEFORE
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa126/booboochatter/DSC00430.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa126/booboochatter/DSC00431.jpg
AFTER
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa126/booboochatter/DSC00454.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa126/booboochatter/DSC00453.jpg

[theheadhunter]

the only paint chip i had was on the trigger puttin it back together and the hammer is just a glare that looks like a chip.

[Dustin19]

looks really good :)

[sm]

*smile*

Now if only that old gal could just talk, and share some stories with you.

[Badger Arms]

That's the most expensive $20 you might have ever spent... time and effort included! Looks great. What's the paint? Duracoat? Brownells Baking Laquer? Gun Kote? Krylon? :evil:

[WardenWolf]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I hate what you did to the wood. I love the patina on old stocks like that, and there's no getting it back once you've covered it.

[Speedo66]

Nice job saving the gun, but I agree about the wood.

Actually looked like it had nice grain. Was that real checkering?

[highorder]

Ugh.

Now it looks like a $20 gun :barf:

Another fine old gun turned into a "modern art masterpiece."

All it needed was some OO steel wool and some good cold blue.

The wood was gorgeous, now it may as well be craptastic plastic.

It's yours, enjoy it.

No offense. Just one mans opinion, and only because you asked.

[theheadhunter]

to answer some questions the stock was cracked on the other side and filled with wood putty. and other than that it was beautiful, but i wanted a different look and for the crack to be un-noticable. The reason for the (bake on 1200 deg engine block paint to answer bader arms question) was so i could sand the metal fill in some bad pits and be able to cover it up, if this gun hadnt been falling apart i proboly would have restored it but I think it came out looking pretty good, and i fully understand those that dont like it everybody has diff taste.

[gunsandreligion]

I'm just wondering but how much did the whole thing cost

[theheadhunter]

well i had the paint and sandpaper and brake cleaner, i bought springs from the pawn shop here in town and had to trim one a bit, overall id say 40 bucks, the texture paint is about 5 dollars a can but i keep a few on hand for touch ups if needed and other projects.

[littlecleo]

I admit I'm a sucker for the grain of a wood stock, and have repaired, and Boiled Linseed Oiled dozens of old guns. I probably would have repaired, and refinished the stock, but it's his shotgun, and he did it "His Way". If it makes a fella happy, and is functional, more power to him!

[chas08]

No Comment!!! :)

[Mike U.]

First off, let me state it's your property to do with as you please. We should all keep that in mind. Guns sometimes need modification to suit the wants and/or needs of the owner.
Now, I have to say, I was almost horrified to see that beautiful grained wood stock covered in paint. However, if you had to use a goodly amount of wood putty on it, I understand your reasoning.
If it's functional and suits your taste, then all is good. Your property, your taste, your decision and finally, tis now your functionally restored gun. Have fun with it and may it serve you well!

[lefteyedom]

I am doing the same thing right now with a H&R 88 12 gauge. The wood stock had Devils with swastikas carved into both sides. Anyway wood filler and rasp then a coat of stonechip paint. Cut off about 7" of barrel and wired wheel the rust off. The barrel has been painted with wood stove black paint. I will post a picture in a couple of days.

[theheadhunter]

cool man. yah i'd really like to see pictures of the finished product.

[RandKL]

I am doing the same thing right now with a H&R 88 12 gauge. The wood stock had Devils with swastikas carved into both sides. Anyway wood filler and rasp then a coat of stonechip paint. Cut off about 7" of barrel and wired wheel the rust off. The barrel has been painted with wood stove black paint. I will post a picture in a couple of days.

Done the same thing many times, too.

I can't count how many Winchester 37's (and 37a's), Toppers, Crescents, I.J.'s, Belgians etc that I've cleaned up and resold over the years. Some, I 've gotten as low as $20....others, I've built from my parts box when it gets too full. They're so cheap because most folks won't spend their valuable time to polish a $40 gun nor spend $50 on a wood stock that's more expensive than the gun.

I can buy a single shot for less than $40 in most cases, gunbroker rules!, derust and refinish the receiver, fix all the mechanics, fix or replace any wood probs, paint and Duracoat it all etc, slice the barrel down to 20" and install a new bead and AccuChoke tube and sell it for $140. Makes the *perfect*, designed for the job turkey gun, they make great home defense guns for the ladies, young starters love them, and those are the perfect survival/camp guns. I've done five in a day before and never had a problem selling them.

Do with your guns what you want, bud! Looks pretty damned good to me! As to the naysayers, well, you *did* ask....but in my opinion, the other guy's opinion turns to bull**** the second he walks by without buying the gun himself. If someone else wants to clean the wood and restore a $30 wreck into some sort of $60 masterpiece, more power to them....but the second *you* pay the gold for it, it becomes *yours* and your opinion is the only one that matters.

That said, if I were you, the next thing I'd do would be to trim the barrel at least three to five inches and reinstall a front bead....and, if you plan to hunt with it, tap it for a choke tube. Those old guns have overly long barrels that ended in some awfully thin muzzle walls. The longer the barrel, the thinner the muzzle. Steel also work-hardens....which means that old steel can be *very* brittle. Those tend to split after a few hundred modern loads. They rupture in a straight line right to the bead and an inch beyond. The tighter the original choke, the more chance you have of a rupture. If you slice it back about three to five inches, you get it back to good, soft steel that has a good thickness.

Again, good work!

richard

[Janos Dracwlya]

i wouldn't have done what you did with the stock, but you did a good job and it looks very professionally done.

Enjoy and be proud.

[EMC45]

Nice job. No take it out and kill some game with it!

[Noxx]

I don't care for it aesthetically, but you did a very professional job of it. I'm a little jealous, it's not like I run across many $20 shotguns here in CA.

[jlv08]

Nice Job!:)

[meytind]

I think you did a great job

[janobles14]

i actually like the new look! great job!

[jordan1948]

Im curious about the history on this shotgun. I have one that's roughly 100 years or so the previous owner claims. It looks identical to this one and has a factory stamp of some kind on the side but the metal is so work it's impossible to tel what it says. Didn't meen to highjack the thread but for real the two look identical.

[Dave McCracken]

Nice job. Not exactly what I would have done, but a good job none the less.

A couple things.

As with ALL old shotguns, getting a smith to look it over is cheap insurance. See the thread about Catastrophic Failure.

I've seen lots of these, usually H&Rs or NEFS but including 37as, IJ Champions, etc, worked over into utility guns or special purpose tools. Backpackers, woods runners guns, trap line tools, snake guns, fishing guns, stowed in bush planes or canoes, they are enough gun for a lot of jobs.

And, they can be one great personal statement, as is this one here.