S&W shotgun

[ljnowell]

Ok fellers (and ladies),

I went gun shopping with a friend of mine today, he decided he wanted a new autoloader. He specified he didnt want to use it for waterfowl, this was going to be a strictly rabbit/some squirrel maybe, quail, etc. We looked at several nice firearms and he found a S&W 1000A 12 gauge. Let me explain strait away, this guy is a freak for anything S&W. I can understand, I love thier revolvers. Best action ever, IMO. Anyways. this is a late 70s gun, has the entire reciever covered in scroll work. Beautiful wood furniture. Like new. After considerable bargaining etc he ended up getting a final price of 299 for it. He's in love with it. IMO if you get a reliable autoloader in like new condition and its a decent brand for under 300, not too bad. It was explained to me that these are japanese built and 1st cousin to the mossberg. What say ye knowledgable ones, was it a decent deal? Here is an identical gun:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=112734258

 

[ugaarguy]

Unfortunately, the gas seals were made of low grade rubber, and they tend to melt; thus rendering the gun inoperable. I'm not aware of a source for replacements. It's a shame they don't work, because the wood and metal work on those guns is beautiful.

 

[CZguy]

It was explained to me that these are japanese built and 1st cousin to the mossberg.

It's a Japanese built variant of a Remington model 1100.

Unfortunately, the gas seals were made of low grade rubber, and they tend to melt; thus rendering the gun inoperable. I'm not aware of a source for replacements.

I was unaware of this. My model 3000 (variant of the 870) runs flawlessly.

 

[rbernie]

The S&W 1000 was made by Howa for S&W and is a fine shotgun. The design of the gas system limits its capacity to 3 rounds in the mag, meaning that the tacticool bunch don't find much use for them.

They mostly had aluminum receivers, but the magnum receiver was steel and they're pretty rare. They hold up well, point well, and in general are decent shotguns. (I've had three, and still have one.)

The gas seals are pretty long-lived (being square-section donuts and not thin o-rings) but they are intolerant of solvents. The usual mess is that somebody decides to clean the gas system with Gunscrubber and winds up melting the gas seals all over the inside of the mag tube. It's a mess to clean up. You can buy replacement seals from Numrich, but we make our own from a thin section of heater hose and those last FOREVER.

 

[ljnowell]

Thanks for the info guys. This one is truly a specimen. He told me afterwards that he wanted it because it was so damn good looking and it complimented his pistol collection. I'm pretty sure he got a fair shake on it. I'll try and get some pics if I can.