Bill Akins
Member
- Nov 9, 2010
- 10
- 1
Recently I picked up two of the old Browning designed, double hump, slide action, 12 Ga, Western Field (Stevens 520) at auction. This first one is marked "Western Field Montgomery Ward & Co" and although not marked, it is known as the model 30. It is full choke, 30" barrel, and has the in the trigger guard safety (called "suicide safety" similar to early Rem model 11 safeties) so it is the oldest model with that safety since later models came with a behind the trigger guard button (crossbolt) safety (as is the other one I'm restoring) and still later with an upper tang safety. It has nice brown patina. No rust hardly at all so its finish won't be touched other than to clean. I fired it and it operates very smoothly. Although I know from the in the trigger guard safety that this is one of the earliest models, there is no way to know the exact date of any of them prior to the early 1920's because Stevens had a fire that destroyed all their production records prior to the early 1920's. We know they were selling them in 1904 though because catalogs exist from that date showing them. Some folks say they were selling them in 1903 too. So all I can know about this one is that it was made sometime between 1903 or 1904 up through til the early 1920's when they changed the in the trigger guard "suicide safety" to the behind the trigger guard crossbolt "button" safety. But because of the fire (I think it was 1922 the fire happened), we only know about production dates of the ones AFTER the fire. Seems Stevens was being accused and investigated for overcharging the government on a WW1 contract and coincidentally they had a very convenient fire destroying all production records before that date. But I'm sure there was no connection of the fire to the investigation (huge eye roll). After all, "what difference at this point does it make?"....except to collectors who today have no idea nor records of when their Stevens 520's were made prior to the 1922 fire.
Here's some pics of it from the auction same as it looks now.
This next one is also a "double hump" receiver style (earliest of the type's receivers) and is marked "Montgomery Wards Western Field model 35". There was also a single hump "flat top" model one (commissioned by the military as a "trench gun"), and a curved standard receiver looking one too called the Steven's 620. They were sold under many brand names like "Sears Ranger", "Wards Western Field", "Stevens 520", "Western Auto", "Savage", "520", 520A", "model 30", "model 35" and several others I can't recall. But they are all the same basic John Browning design easy take down barrel, bolt locking in cutout on upper receiver, that Browning sold his patent to Stevens in 1900. For more info on the different models see these links.....
Threads and disassembly
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=269484
http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/s...-sears-model-30-western-field-model-30-a.html
http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/26133-j-stevens-520-shotgun-help/
http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?165899-Stevens-520-30
Parts
http://www.gun-parts.com/savageshotgun/
Military manual for 520/620 Stevens shotguns
http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/wwiitms/tm9_285_1942.pdf
Articles
http://www.guns.com/review/montgomery-wards-western-field/
http://www.gunvaluesboard.com/stevens-520-and-520a-identification-guide-2617.html
Browning patent
https://www.google.com/patents/US781765?dq=781765
Unlike my first above one, this one has the crossbolt button safety behind the trigger guard. This is the one I am restoring. I picked it up very cheap as a parts gun since the gunshop selling it at auction said it did not operate and was selling it as parts or a wallhanger and called it a "gunsmith special" Lol. I disassembled it and found out why. Broken firing pin and worn out slide action bar notch and loading tube nut had the little protrusion broken off that holds the slide bar in position as it goes into the receiver.. That was all that was mechanically wrong with it and relatively cheap and easy to fix. I already have the parts ordered and on the way from Numrich as well as a new Boyds butt stock since the old one wasn't even the correct butt stock and did not match the tangs and looked like a stock from another model gun entirely and modified to fit....but fit badly and looked like its butt plate had been cut off with a hacksaw. It would work, but looked butt ugly (pun intended). It had a lot of moderate (but not extremely deep) rust all over it and someone had cut the barrel (bead sight on order too) and added a Mossberg heat shield to the barrel in a lame attempt to make it look like the "trench gun" model. Bubba struck again. I originally bought it for parts for my first above one. But after a through inspection, I decided it was worth restoring on its own and not to use it for a parts gun. It actually was rusted/pitted a bit more than it looks in the auction photos so I had no qualms about restoring it nor ruining its historical value since that had already been ruined by Bubba. Here's the pics of what it looked like on the auction.
You can see from the last pic that it had a lot of moderately deep rust all over it. She looked pretty sad as a Bubba victim.
Below, how she looks now after a through cleaning, removal of the heat shield (I won't be reinstalling it), and several hours of initial buffing to remove rust and pits. I haven't finished the final polish buffing yet but she looks TONS better. And now it is easy to clearly see all the markings. I'm undecided on the finish to put on it, but I may even keep it "in the white" and just wax it.
If you look closely on below pic you can see the little "keeper" protrusion on the tube locking nut that positions the slide bar as it goes into the receiver has been broken off. You have to be very familiar with the gun to know and notice that. New nut arriving today.
Don't that Browning receiver with its double hump remind you somewhat of the Browning military BAR receiver? The later single hump "flat top" one the military commissioned as trench guns reminds me of my Browning auto 5 and my Remy 11's. It has been said that Browning made this slide action pump as a cheaper alternative to his auto 5 and the Remy 11 semi autos. Talk about a retro antique looking slide action shotgun huh? I just love the way it looks. Ugly to some, a beautiful retro looking antique to me. Also this was the very first hammerless (non exposed hammer to be exact) slide action shotgun.
See how the bolt locking lug locks in the cutout at the top of the receiver? All the versions of this did, from the earliest Stevens 520 ones to the last Savage model 620 models. They were also all quick take down barrels on all them. Barrel, fore end and loading tube all comes off quickly as a unit.
New Boyds butt stock, loading tube nut and front sight bead (that I will have to drill and thread the barrel for) parts from Numrich will arrive today according to UPS tracking. I still need to get the firing pin and slide bar but already have them located on ebay since Numrich was out of them. I will update this thread as the new parts come in and I finish my final buffing and polishing. Maybe even a vid of it firing later on. All for now.
.
Here's some pics of it from the auction same as it looks now.
This next one is also a "double hump" receiver style (earliest of the type's receivers) and is marked "Montgomery Wards Western Field model 35". There was also a single hump "flat top" model one (commissioned by the military as a "trench gun"), and a curved standard receiver looking one too called the Steven's 620. They were sold under many brand names like "Sears Ranger", "Wards Western Field", "Stevens 520", "Western Auto", "Savage", "520", 520A", "model 30", "model 35" and several others I can't recall. But they are all the same basic John Browning design easy take down barrel, bolt locking in cutout on upper receiver, that Browning sold his patent to Stevens in 1900. For more info on the different models see these links.....
Threads and disassembly
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=269484
http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/s...-sears-model-30-western-field-model-30-a.html
http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/26133-j-stevens-520-shotgun-help/
http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?165899-Stevens-520-30
Parts
http://www.gun-parts.com/savageshotgun/
Military manual for 520/620 Stevens shotguns
http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/wwiitms/tm9_285_1942.pdf
Articles
http://www.guns.com/review/montgomery-wards-western-field/
http://www.gunvaluesboard.com/stevens-520-and-520a-identification-guide-2617.html
Browning patent
https://www.google.com/patents/US781765?dq=781765
Unlike my first above one, this one has the crossbolt button safety behind the trigger guard. This is the one I am restoring. I picked it up very cheap as a parts gun since the gunshop selling it at auction said it did not operate and was selling it as parts or a wallhanger and called it a "gunsmith special" Lol. I disassembled it and found out why. Broken firing pin and worn out slide action bar notch and loading tube nut had the little protrusion broken off that holds the slide bar in position as it goes into the receiver.. That was all that was mechanically wrong with it and relatively cheap and easy to fix. I already have the parts ordered and on the way from Numrich as well as a new Boyds butt stock since the old one wasn't even the correct butt stock and did not match the tangs and looked like a stock from another model gun entirely and modified to fit....but fit badly and looked like its butt plate had been cut off with a hacksaw. It would work, but looked butt ugly (pun intended). It had a lot of moderate (but not extremely deep) rust all over it and someone had cut the barrel (bead sight on order too) and added a Mossberg heat shield to the barrel in a lame attempt to make it look like the "trench gun" model. Bubba struck again. I originally bought it for parts for my first above one. But after a through inspection, I decided it was worth restoring on its own and not to use it for a parts gun. It actually was rusted/pitted a bit more than it looks in the auction photos so I had no qualms about restoring it nor ruining its historical value since that had already been ruined by Bubba. Here's the pics of what it looked like on the auction.
You can see from the last pic that it had a lot of moderately deep rust all over it. She looked pretty sad as a Bubba victim.
Below, how she looks now after a through cleaning, removal of the heat shield (I won't be reinstalling it), and several hours of initial buffing to remove rust and pits. I haven't finished the final polish buffing yet but she looks TONS better. And now it is easy to clearly see all the markings. I'm undecided on the finish to put on it, but I may even keep it "in the white" and just wax it.
If you look closely on below pic you can see the little "keeper" protrusion on the tube locking nut that positions the slide bar as it goes into the receiver has been broken off. You have to be very familiar with the gun to know and notice that. New nut arriving today.
Don't that Browning receiver with its double hump remind you somewhat of the Browning military BAR receiver? The later single hump "flat top" one the military commissioned as trench guns reminds me of my Browning auto 5 and my Remy 11's. It has been said that Browning made this slide action pump as a cheaper alternative to his auto 5 and the Remy 11 semi autos. Talk about a retro antique looking slide action shotgun huh? I just love the way it looks. Ugly to some, a beautiful retro looking antique to me. Also this was the very first hammerless (non exposed hammer to be exact) slide action shotgun.
See how the bolt locking lug locks in the cutout at the top of the receiver? All the versions of this did, from the earliest Stevens 520 ones to the last Savage model 620 models. They were also all quick take down barrels on all them. Barrel, fore end and loading tube all comes off quickly as a unit.
New Boyds butt stock, loading tube nut and front sight bead (that I will have to drill and thread the barrel for) parts from Numrich will arrive today according to UPS tracking. I still need to get the firing pin and slide bar but already have them located on ebay since Numrich was out of them. I will update this thread as the new parts come in and I finish my final buffing and polishing. Maybe even a vid of it firing later on. All for now.
.
