I gotta youth single shot 20 bore shotgun.
One of these days...
I am going to replace the spacer between wood and factory recoil pad and get another set of recoil pad screws, and forearm screw.
What I do, is make these screws accept any flat head. Granted it would be rare to have to take one of these down,...which is not easy to do, without the proper tools.
Still I do the forearm screw to make it easier to break down in the context of two parts, barrel and receiver .
I can use anything from a coin, to a SAK, to pocket knife to...
I just do not have the material I want, to make the spacer I want to replace the factory one.
The other gun I will replace someday, is a single shot .22 rifle that will of course take short, long or long rifle.
Something like the 514 I had.
I go back many decades with these gun platforms, and how they do hold up in serious conditions.
I have had a Kel-Tec P-11 all the way down once.
Neat dealie about this sucker, all the ones I have messed with, the parts interchanged.
So for one of the testing and evaluations I and some others did, was swap parts to see if these guns would exchange parts and work.
Oh, and we used Lead bullets, reloaded for us as well.
WE really like the idea of using lead bullets if matters dictate.
The reason I prefer the bone stock Gov't Model of 1911, is , it is a tool unto itself.
One can use a fired 45ACP casing for a recoil guide plug, or use that casing for removal of grip screws...etc.
So I have tested and evaluated some guns for serious, and in real life have been in serious and know what I prefer based on real life, as J.Q.Public.
Then again I put around 300,000 rds through Win SX1.
Only it had down once personally, and one more time by a gunsmith buddy, now passed.
870 , in 28 ga, I know has about 300,000 rds through it. It has gone back to Rem once.
It has spare parts, barrels, etc.
Seriously, this gun has been shot 90% with the trigger group , with the safety removed on purpose.
So I like modular, as one can do so much with a 870, with few tools, and some parts.
I am not comfy with a set up such as Nova, that if the stock gets a glitch, it has to go back to factory.
So yeah, knowing how, being familiar, is not a bad idea.
Still, I have run a SX1 every bit of 3000 rds between "inspect and maintain", all I ever concerned myself with was chamber, ports, extraction. Oh, when I thought of it stuck another "O" ring on it.
On a pump gun, single shot, O/U or SxS, chamber and extraction and making sure STOS or something on hinge pins.
I was too busy shooting practice, or reloading, or traveling, or competing to "clean a gun".
Unwritten rule: never show up to shoot with a "clean gun".
Shooting 100/100 is easy, the real competition is the shoot off.
So I and mine "encouraged" folks to clean guns, heck we even had stuff and offered to let them use it, before we stepped out.
I and mine played for keeps, and all I/we need is for you to do , is drop one bird, and I/we don't have to worry about you in the shoot off.
Unwritten rule: I carry a dirty gun.
Whenever I inspect, maintain, or even actually clean a gun, I shoot it and mags if a semi, while at the range.
Shoot off in competition is one thing, in real life, a whole 'nuther ball game.
Much much higher stakes, and I don't consider a coffin or urn for ashes much of a "trophy".
Do you know, if you break down a gun, it will work if you need for it to?
Do you really trust just dropping a No. 2 pencil down the barrel and it being kicked up, after tripping the trigger?
I'd rather carry a dirty gun , personally.