millman wrote:I had the advantage of a full machine shop. I sandblasted the parts, polished the barrel in a lathe, and surface ground the side of the frame, and dropped the pieces in with an order that was going out for black oxide. I was lucky that the wood was still good.
Everything is being by hand here. If I was still working in a shop I could do the same as you but oh well, I'm just winging it. It'll be a while before the shop is usable so I couldn't wait any longer and jumped in. My problem is I'm a perfectionest and that was what was mainly holding me back. I decided having it working again was more important than it looking like new.
Junk Yard Dog wrote:Have a close look at the guts in that receiver, I have had several of these, still have one, they can wear inside to the point that touching off one barrel can send off both, and you know what happens when you drop it. I fixed one by calling Numrich and they had new parts in stock, of course that was in 1988, can't say they still have them. Stevens improved on this model in later years, mostly by beefing up the internals. That gun don't look bad at all, I seen much worse off ones sitting behind back doors, and hanging up in barns, these are working guns, and they tend to look it. I have a hard time walking away from double shotguns, you don't want to know how many follow me home, and in the long tradition of country boys everywhere if you see me sitting out of an evening enjoying a fine cigar, it's a real good chance there is a double shotgun sitting on the table next to me.
When I got this gun in about 83 it was in real good shape. I just cleaned it up. Worked on the furniture a bit and retouched the barrels. This gun hasn't been shot much and I've never had both barrels go off by accident. The time I set them both off with Magnums was when I wasn't watching which shells I put in it or I did it on purpose to see what it would do. I don't really remember. Jack Daniels was with us then so it's a bit cloudy. That will never happen again. I have a new hammer set with the wide hammers and redesigned cocking lever, new firing pins and springs and a new stock. The sears look like new. It'll be a little rough but I can live with that for now. I want to see it hanging on the wall again and not have it in a box under the bed where I think about it from time to time and have my heart sink. Did I mention I hate having a gun that doesn't work?