That's not terrible, depending on the finish, barrel length and choke. For bird hunting and skeet, lots of people like a 26"-28" barrel with IC or MOD choke. For trap, lots of people like a longer barrel with a more full choke. These make a difference in how the gun swings, and how the gun patterns at given distances. Arguably, barrel lengths and chokes are better suited to different activities. Be sure you at least know length and choke so that you can learn what to expect from your gun.
You've already observed at least one crack in the forearm. Look for others toward the front of the forearm. These can be hidden under the barrel or inside the forearm itself.
You can look for the
ejector on the barrel when it's in the gun. just open the bolt and lock it back. you can view the ejector in the ejection port on the opposite wall of the receiver. The
extractor is on the breech bolt, and will look like a sharp little finger on the bolt.
Please note, this gun uses a reciprocating barrel. The barrel actually moves back and forth along the magazine tube as part of the cycling process. To verify the recoil system is there you'll need to remove the forearm. Here's how to remove the forearm and barrel:
Ensure the gun is not loaded.
Place the butt on a soft surface like carpet.
Grab the barrel with one hand and apply some pressure to move it backward into the receiver. Won't need a whole lot-just enough to move the barrel and take pressure off the forearm and magazine nut.
Keeping pressure on the barrel, unscrew the magazine nut.
Pull the forearm toward the muzzle and off the mag tube. This will expose the recoil spring and friction piece.
At this point, the barrel will slide right off the gun. Be sure to maintain control of the barrel and receiver to keep parts from falling on the floor.
Installation is a reverse of this process.
Ejector:
Friction and Steel Rings:
How they could be arranged on the gun. In this image, the steel ring is on the left, the bronze piece and spring are on the right. Recoil spring in the middle. It's also normal to see the steel ring together w/ the bronze piece.
As far as the rest of the gun goes, all the parts are connected to each other somehow, and they all perform specific functions. When the gun is together, you can open the bolt and lock it back. You can press the bolt release button and snap the action closed. Those motions should also move the lifter up, then down. Watch for these actions. They should be prompt, snappy and forceful, and not sluggish or soft. you can pull the trigger. Should break pretty cleanly and reset. The safety should move freely and snap open/closed. Obviously, you'll want to engage the safety and try to pull the trigger. Should function as expected and without surprise. Nothing should feel syrupy or spongy in terms of how the gun responds to your input.
You've already observed at least one crack in the forearm. Look for others toward the front of the forearm. These can be hidden under the barrel or inside the forearm itself. There isn't much else you can do except to look for anything that's obviously missing or broken, or parts that flop around on their own without springing back, or don't seem to be connected to anything else. That's about all you can do without shooting it. And shooting it is really the test of truth w/ these guns.