Need info on western field 16 ga.

[pinstripe]

I am in the process of moving my wife's mom and step father in to live with us. They are getting older and someone needs to be there for them. They asked me to move some wood working tools to my shop and at that time they told me that they had a shotgun, a .22 rifle, and a pistol that needed to be brought home. They knew that the shotgun was in their bedroom closet, and the .22 rifle was behind the bedroom door, and they have no idea where the pistol is. I will find it over the weekend, but for know I have both the rifle and the shotgun here.

The question I have is this. The shotgun is a Western Field for Montgomery Wards, but the barrel has stamped in it "Browning patent" and is in good to very good condition. I am a rifleman, so I don't know much about this particular shotgun. Just needing some information about it. It is a 16 Ga. with a full choke barrel. I will try and post pics here in a minute. First I must find my camera.

Thanks
pinstripe

 

[Fred Fuller]

My bet from what you've posted so far- Stevens 520, which is an excellent takedown shotgun design.

See http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=117129272 for pics...

lpl

 

[pinstripe]

That is very, very close but not exact. The one that I have here doesn't have the safety on top of the stock and the screws under the receiver on mine are spaced farther apart. The receiver housing are identical along with everything else. Mine also only has a 4 digit serial number. Possibly an earlier model, therefore the difference in the safety. I appreciate you helping me on this search. Have a great weekend.

Thanks Lee
pinstripe

I just found that the receiver has a bird dog in a field on its left side. It is very faint and I only noticed it after inspection with my LED light. Cooler by the minute!

 

[Fred Fuller]

You're welcome. The old JMB/Stevens design has become one of my favorites.

There were several different models of the 520. Older ones had 'suicide' safeties in the front of the trigger guard that slid forward for 'fire' and back for 'safe'- thus the nickname. Later models had a crossbolt safety, and the newest models had the top tang safety as shown. The 'humpback' receiver shape is a giveaway for this model- though the older model had a double hump in the receiver, like the BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) does.

There's an older model pictured at http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=117153953 , with a double hump receiver and a suicide safety.

In good mechanical shape it's an excellent shotgun. Its takedown feature offers the best design I have seen so far. To take it down:

1) Clear the gun to make sure both magazine and chamber are unloaded. Hammer should be cocked, and safey ON.

2) Open the bolt fully to the rear.

3) Grasp the ribbed section of the magazine tube and turn it clockwise (as viewed from the rear). As you turn the magazine tube, note that the keyed magazine tube base retracts forward, away from the receiver.

4) With the magazine tube base all the way forward, push down on top of the chamber while pushing up on the bottom of the receiver. The barrel assembly should move freely down in the receiver
about 1/4" until stopped by the action bar contacting the inside of the receiver. At this point the action bar will be separated from the bolt.

5) Withdraw the forearm forward until the action bar comes all the way out of the receiver.

6) Resume pushing straight down on the top of the chamber and straight up on the bottom of the receiver, being careful not to drop either half of the shotgun. The two parts should separate easily. While separated, be careful not to damage the ridges on the barrel assembly.

Reassemble carefully in reverse order.

lpl

 

[pinstripe]

Bingo!!!! Mine has the suicide safety in front of the trigger and the double hump. It has a good feel to it. The length of the stock fits right. I will clean this one up tonight after I repair a buddy's .22 revolver, and possibly take some pics and post them. Thanks again Lee.

pinstripe

 

[pinstripe]

Man Lee, you are the MAN!!!! I just took this shotgun apart in less than a minute! I am impressed. This allows me to get a closer look at what we have here. Thanks again for the directions. They are spot on!!!!!

pinstripe

 

[monkyboy1975]

How do you remove the bolt? I bought my wife one last Xmas (20ga) and it needs a very good degunking. It looks like it sat in somebodys closet for at least 30 years. It does shoot quite well, but that 80 year old build up of gunk is bugging me.

 

[Fred Fuller]

monk,

Just take off the barrel assembly as described above. Remove the buttstock- there should be a single screw through the tang that holds the buttstock in place.

Then soak the whole receiver unit intact in kerosene in a covered metal container for days and days. This is a Browning design and not made for easy field stripping- you do not want to start taking the receiver on this one to bits, if you have to ask how to do it 8^).

Once you have soaked the complete receiver in kerosene for days and days, either use your air compressor or a can of canned air (from your computer store) to blow out what's left in the receiver. Wear grubby clothes and do this outside. Wear eye protection. When you are done, relubricate lightly if you are happy with its condition at this point.

If you aren't happy with its condition at this point, mix a strong solution of Simple Green in hot water and soak and scrub what you can reach with a GI cleaning brush. Then rinse in hot water and dry on a cookie sheet or aluminum foil in a warm (not hot) oven- 170 degrees or so for an hour should get all the water out. Then relubricate lightly throughout- use your compressed air to get lube throughout the receiver.

This is one to pay a 'smith to disassemble, if it ever needs disassembly. It's a really old Browning design (the patent for it was filed in 1903) from before the days when he was designing military firearms that could be relatively easily field stripped. It has lots'o'small parts in the receiver. Talk to any GI who had to deal with a BAR, you'll get the drift. 8^)

BTW, to clean out the magazine tube, carefully remove the single screw holding the magazine end piece to the barrel lug. Be careful as there is nothing to restrain the magazine spring- once you disengage the magazine end piece from the barrel lug, you can launch the whole thing with the magazine spring if you don't restrain it by hand. This will allow you to take apart the magazine tube from the barrel assembly for cleaning.

lpl

 

[monkyboy1975]

Thanks Lee!
BTW, to clean out the magazine tube, carefully remove the single screw holding the magazine end piece to the barrel lug. Be careful as there is nothing to restrain the magazine spring- once you disengage the magazine end piece from the barrel lug, you can launch the whole thing with the magazine spring if you don't restrain it by hand. This will allow you to take apart the magazine tube from the barrel assembly for cleaning.

lpl

Yeah, I found that out the hard way (I tried to take it down to fit in the box when I wrapped, so wife wouldn't know what it was) Thats when I figured out the proper way to take it down, by turning the magazine tube. My dad had one in 12GA for many years, and I was unaware of the takedown feature.