What To Do With A Shotgun Past Its Prime?

[UnionMillsNW]

Hey folks,

I have a Stevens 20 gauge break-action that I've had since my youth. It's been on countless boy scout trips, hunting adventures, camps, and ranges and I think it's finally too old and worn to be fired safely.

The last time I fired the shotgun every few shells or so the action would pop open, not enough to eject the spent shell, but it shouldn't open at all. On disassembly and inspection the parts are just worn, the springs are old, and the wood stock is a little loose.

Such a shame since it's a beautiful old shotgun.

So what to do? I'm not the type of person to keep items around that no longer serve a useful purpose. A complete rebuild would cost far more than the value of the shotgun.

So what are your thoughts? How would you put an old single action out to pasture?

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[v0lcom13sn0w]

wall hanger or get it fixed!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

If it holds great memories and you still think about shooting it...I'd look into fixing it up.
I understand that the repair will cost more than its worth money wise...but memory wise , guns like that are priceless.
Andy

 

[JRuby]

I would try to find replacement parts and rebuild it myself or take it to Vezley or Mountain Bear and get a second opinion. Somethings to me are worth more than the dollar value. I bought my dads hunting rifle from him. He is now heavily into dementia and will probably never leave the care facility. That rifle is priceless to me because it was his and it cannot be replaced.

 

[User 1234]

I would get an estimate to repair it, or buy new internals from Numrich and swap them out yourself.

 

[Mark W.]

Some thoughts.

You could sell it cheap to someone who's interested in Gunsmithing and looking for cheap projects.
You could decommission it (simply remove the firing pin) make a nice wall plaque and hang it on the wall of your man cave to honor its service.
You could hand it in at the next moron run gun buy back (their term not mine) and score a gift card to go buy something you could use (I had a .25 auto Spanish TPOS that a friend who could no longer possess a firearm dropped off here years ago. After spending 3 hours I finally got it to go click I turned it in for a $50 Gift card and filled my fuel tank and bought a couple boxes of .22LR)

 

[jbett98]

Your old shotguns condition sounds a lot like me at 64.
I sure hope my wife wants to fix me up instead of kicking me out the door cause it would cost too much to get me back in working order.

 

[MountainBear]

I would try to find replacement parts and rebuild it myself or take it to Vezley or Mountain Bear and get a second opinion. Somethings to me are worth more than the dollar value. I bought my dads hunting rifle from him. He is now heavily into dementia and will probably never leave the care facility. That rifle is priceless to me because it was his and it cannot be replaced.

The MountainBear Arsenal has closed for public business. I am only building my own toys and helping friends and acquaintances with their issues (i.e. no paying work, nothing left out of owners possession, for the gov monitors watching this).

That out of the way, it sounds like it has to be fixed. It has too much meaning and too many memories to simply hang on the wall. It may very well cost more than it's monetarily worth. But the sentimental value is priceless. My suggestion is, before shooting it again, is to take is to @Velzey and have him fix the issues to make it safe to shoot again...

Good luck, I hope you get your old friend working again!

Cheers!

 

[Velzey]

Lots of parts are available to repair these properly. Always nice to get an old family heirloom back in action.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

I had an old rifle that had belonged to my great grandfather. It had been through a cabin fire and somebody had removed almost all of the original finish from the metal. The butt stock was scorched and the forearm was missing. The barrel was rusted out inside. It was worth maybe $100 for parts.

$3000 later here it is. It now fires .357 Mag rounds instead of a .38 rimfire cartridge. Worth it? Hell yes!

 

[Kruel J]

I had an old rifle that had belonged to my great grandfather. It had been through a cabin fire and somebody had removed almost all of the original finish from the metal. The butt stock was scorched and the forearm was missing. The barrel was rusted out inside. It was worth maybe $100 for parts.

$3000 later here it is. It now fires .357 Mag rounds instead of a .38 rimfire cartridge. Worth it? Hell yes!
View attachment 573482

I like this.

 

[UnionMillsNW]

I appreciate everyone's input and consideration.

@Velzey if this is a project you're interested in perhaps we should talk.

@ZigZagZeke that is a beautiful rifle and a great story!

Is there a thread that has before and after photos of guns that have been restored? If not it may be an interesting topic.

Thanks again and safe shooting, everyone.

 

[leadcounsel]

Wall hanger, restore it, or send it my way to do 1 or 2...

 

[EPS]

Remember the lamp on the movie

THE GREAT OUTDOORS.
Just saying

 

[Martini_Up]

Remember the lamp on the movie

THE GREAT OUTDOORS.
Just saying

"It's a major award!"

Oh, wrong lamp....

 

[EPS]

"It's a major award!"

Oh, wrong lamp....

FRAGILE .
It must be from Italy lol

 

[Geardo]

If you want to sell, for cheap, I might decomission it and give to my Father in law to hang over his mantle in CA and piss off his liberal neighbors

 

[EPS]

If you want to sell, for cheap, I might decomission it and give to my Father in law to hang over his mantle in CA and piss off his liberal neighbors

That gun won't piss anyone off it's single shot and has wood on it

 

[Geardo]

That gun won't piss anyone off it's single shot and has wood on it

You underestimate bay area retardation.

 

[rcnpthfndr]

check out places like Numrich gun parts

Gun Parts & Firearm Accessories | Numrich Gun Parts