Restoring Stevens Savage 311 Series H Double BBL. 12ga.

[WeldonHunter]

I've mentioned this gun before and finally took some pictures of the partial restoration. It was in real bad shape when I retrived it from being stored at my uncles place in Maryland. It along with 4 other rifles and shotguns were in the basement for 18 years on the floor in a wooden case. They weren't left there. I put them on top of an old console TV I was storing there too but they got moved over the years. Problem is the basement floods from time to time and the guns have paid the price. Out of the 5 guns the Model 250 Winchester 22lr still works and I'm restoring it little by little. The H&R M48 Topper 20ga. is repairable and I've started on it also. The Marlin 336/35cal is real bad and I'll have to most likely send that to Marlin because the end of the Barrel and magazine tube are rotted off. The Montgomery Wards WesternField 12ga was only missing a trigger spring but is in real rough shape also and I might just write that one off.

This gun was the least damaged but was still a mess. The pictures don't look half as bad as it was. I was sick when I opened the case they were in but oh well. I bought this gun in about 1982 I guess. It was used and a little rough so I cleaned it up and it was a good shooter for many years. Then in about 1990 the stock was cracked. It wasn't done firing the gun. I've been pulling the gun out from time to time and working on it but decided I'm tired of having a great gun like this and not having it working. I'm in the process of fixing up an old out building to work out of but until then I have to wing it. That's partly why it's taking me so long restoring these guns. The barrels were rusty and have some pitting but I cleaned them up some more today and reblued them I decided to not try to get every pit out just now. I want the gun functional again and later when I get the shop fixed up I can do a more detailed restore. These are all before pictures. I didn't get any pictures of the barrels after the reblueing but will try to take some tomorrow.

[WeldonHunter]

Here's some before and after of the disassembled reciever. None of these pictures are a true representaion of what this gun actually looked like because I've been slowly working on it as I said. When I got these guns home I imediately cleaned what scale I could off of them and oiled them down and I mean soaked them. That was about three years ago. It was an attempt to halt the rust. Also I'm using cold bluing so it's not as dark as I'd like but as I said I want this gun functional again. Once the shop is set up I can do a better job. One other thing about this gun. The 311 series is a real bear to reinstall the hammerset in so unless you absolutely have to do not remove them. I had a broken left hammer so I had to. Wish I didn't.

[millman]

Have you found new wood for it?

[WeldonHunter]

Yes I got it from Numrich. It's Walnut and looks real nice. I did some inleting today but have to wait until I get the reciever back together to finish that. I'll post pics of it as I go. I'm going to update this post with my progress.

[millman]

I redid an old JC Higgens (aka High Standard Mod 200) that I received as a box of rusty parts. Can't wait to see your's as it comes along.

[WeldonHunter]

I redid an old JC Higgens (aka High Standard Mod 200) that I received as a box of rusty parts. Can't wait to see your's as it comes along.

Trust me I don't think it's going to look anywhere near as nice as that one but it'll be functional and that's the main goal at the moment. Once I get a decent workshop I can do better work. I'm working on little wobblely table table on the back carport. Have to get everything out to work and put it all back away for the night. What a pain.

[millman]

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.

[Junk Yard Dog]

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.

[WeldonHunter]

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.

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?

[millman]

I'm sure you'll have it working and looking great.

[Junk Yard Dog]

I had both barrels pop when I only pulled one trigger. Happened on the range when the seller was trying to sell me the gun, he offered to let me fire it first . That little incident got me the gun at half what he wanted, from $50 to $25, I knew what had happened, and that it could be fixed easy. Never used mag rounds in it, that would be pushing it. I see a lot of these cut down to coach guns, I always tell the seller that if I put a tape on that barrel and it comes in less than 18 1/2" they will be eating it. Shame to ruin a good bird gun doing that, many a tasty birdie ended up in the pot thanks to the 311, good to hear yours will be among the living again.

[Rongo]

Looks like quite the project. Too bad they all rusted & rotted in the basement.

[WeldonHunter]

Here's some barrels and stock pitures. When I look at the imperfections, like the metal discoloration and some of the pitting I just keep telling myself addressing that stuff will come later. The main point is it's going to be working again. I'm not looking forward to installing the hammers. There'll be a lot of bad words uttered during that I'm sure.

[Junk Yard Dog]

I well recall putting the works back in one of these, took some time

[WeldonHunter]

I well recall putting the works back in one of these, took some time

Here I was hoping someone would come in and say "Oh it's a piece of cake". Being a mechanic, once I saw the way the hammers are installed I had an idea it would be a real pain and some research confirmed it JYD. I saw many posts where guys say it's a real bear. Lots of cussing and a six pack is what one guy said. I did a see where a few of the guys said you need to make a Z bend in a flat blade screwdriver to compress the mainsprings and I found a post with an article where the process is explained in detail by a guy making modifications to one with some replacement springs among other things. http://savageshooters.com/SavageForum/i ... 469.0.html I right clicked and saved all of it to my 311 folder. We'll see if it helps.

I actually did a trial run with one hammer and got it close without a vise. Put some scratches on the hammer where the sear hit it so I stopped. No harm done it's just superfical scratches. I'm going to load it in a vise to finish the job.

[desdem12]

Nice

[Junk Yard Dog]

These days I have things like a spring clamp, and a few other tools made for muzzle loader locks that might help with the job, but back then I had a crappy screwdriver, and a hammer. I don't remember exactly how I did it, but I do recall it being many hours. Civilian weapons are like this, Milsurps are designed to come apart easily with few or no tools while the user is under stress. Civilian weapons are designed to be taken down by trained gunsmiths, they require special tools, have lots of easily lost small parts, and often are not built for serious abuse.

[WeldonHunter]

These days I have things like a spring clamp, and a few other tools made for muzzle loader locks that might help with the job, but back then I had a crappy screwdriver, and a hammer. I don't remember exactly how I did it, but I do recall it being many hours. Civilian weapons are like this, Milsurps are designed to come apart easily with few or no tools while the user is under stress. Civilian weapons are designed to be taken down by trained gunsmiths, they require special tools, have lots of easily lost small parts, and often are not built for serious abuse.

You know you make a great point about the difference between civilian and military weapons. So true. Also about the small parts/springs. Holy crap it's my worse nightmare. I became a mechanic out of a natural curiousity of what makes things tick but always hated anything that had small parts or springs. The reason the Westernfield 12ga I mentioned earlier was missing a spring was because it went across the room duing a cleaning and I never found it. That was 1980. It's hasn't been fired since. It has greater problems now because of the basement storage. I have a Snap-On tool box as big as a refrigerator full of tools but most aren't designed for gunsmithing. I'm slowly building the tools for that. I just don't want to wait for that to happen to get this and some of the other rusted guns back in service.

[Junk Yard Dog]

A friend of mine was a tech for Caddy back in the 90's before he got out of the business, he has a Snap On roll cab like that, takes up an entire wall, probably fifty grand worth of tools or more. Drives him nuts when he sees me haul out a tiny tool bag with a few simple hand tools to tune my Model T When I gave him his first rifle and shotgun ( lifelong pistol shooter) a few years ago I had to go out and buy him cleaning gear for them, and a set of proper gunsmith screwdrivers. Mossberg makes it's 500 fairly easy to take down, most other Civilian guns are not so easy, this is why they are always found with clean bores but actions loaded with crap. This is why I love sidelock doubles, so easy to clean the locks, they come off in seconds, and use all the same spring clamps as my muzzle loaders do.

[WeldonHunter]

A friend of mine was a tech for Caddy back in the 90's before he got out of the business, he has a Snap On roll cab like that, takes up an entire wall, probably fifty grand worth of tools or more. Drives him nuts when he sees me haul out a tiny tool bag with a few simple hand tools to tune my Model T When I gave him his first rifle and shotgun ( lifelong pistol shooter) a few years ago I had to go out and buy him cleaning gear for them, and a set of proper gunsmith screwdrivers. Mossberg makes it's 500 fairly easy to take down, most other Civilian guns are not so easy, this is why they are always found with clean bores but actions loaded with crap. This is why I love sidelock doubles, so easy to clean the locks, they come off in seconds, and use all the same spring clamps as my muzzle loaders do.

Yeah my boxes were the first of their kind in the line of new generation boxes Snap-on came out with when I got them....25 years ago. It was huge compared to others boxes but it's small now. My buddy has a box like the one you're talking about. Takes up a whole wall. He has to use a flatbed towtruck to move it. I'm not kidding. It's about an $80 to $100k setup. My box full with side cabinet weighed 1500lbs in 1991 when had it shipped to California. More now I'm sure. I brought it to Louisiana in the back of a pickup. What a pain. The thing is the more complicated cars become the more specialized tools we need to have to work on them. Being a Mechanic/Technician these days is an expensive trade to be in.

I have 2 Mossberg 500s but haven't shot them enough to need to do a feild stripping yet. Great guns for the price.