Repair or not worth it?

[GeeDog]

I've got an old Stevens Arms & Tool Company SXS 12 gauge with rams horn hammers, 2 triggers, an 30 inch barrels. I got it cheap, and it had a good lock-up. I shot about a dozen low brass shells through it and it worked great. But when I took it home and cleaned it afterward, the lock-up wasn't so good. Side-to-side is solid, but up and down is a bit sloppy. The action release lever rides up about a 16th of an inch with just the weight of the barrels, and creates a gap of about that size at the top of the breach. I was thinking about cutting it down to a coach gun length, but I don't know if I can easily repair the sloppy lock up. I've seen where people shim the pivot bar which forces a tighter lock-up, but that doesn't seem too safe or a good solution. Just wondering if I have a wall hanger or maybe it's worth fixing. Thanks for any advice.

[Lead Waster]

Rather than wall hang it if you don't fix it, see if a Cowboy Action shooter might want to buy it (and fix it).

[kmca]

I'm not familiar with that shotgun, however, it sounds like it could be a worn locking bolt. If that's what it is, it can be welded and remachined. Probably be in the 2-300 dollar range. If that's worth it to you, go ahead. Have a gunsmith look at it. He/she should be able to tell if that's the problem. I can't recommend any local smiths to do the work though, I always send my shotguns out for work.

[GeeDog]

The shotgun really has an "old west" look and feel, except for the long barrels. I'd definitely be willing to pay more to repair it than I paid for the gun if I could find someone to do the work. It seems that people who do this kind of work are few and far between. I watched a video of this old English guy who must be close to 100 years old who does this kind of work on old shotguns, but he seems to be a dying breed. I'd definitely pay 200 - 300 bucks to have the work done. I guess the hard part is finding someone. If anyone could recommend anyone in the SF Bay Area, that would be great. Thanks for the responses so far!

[Thefeeder]

,,

The one place that has been used before is Turnbull, not local but they do top work. .............best to give them a call and get a repair estimate and possible value....then decide if its worth it

I'm sure its not news to not fire it again. Was it damaged due to firing modern shells, ie is it proofed for smokless powder, does it have 2 3/4" chambers?

[GeeDog]

I'll look up Turnbull and check that out. It is old (around 1916 I think) but the steel is good, and it's chambered for 2 3/4 shells. I think that after shooting it and giving it a good cleaning it just shook and blew the gunk out that was keeping the internals tight. That's just a guess. While I don't know that it's proofed for modern powder, I did research it for about a month before I shot it the first time, and the consensus was that low brass modern shells in 2 3/4 were safe in this particular model. I'm definitely not going to shoot it until I can get it repaired.

[GeeDog]

FYI, I just fired off a message to Turnbull's in New York. Thanks for the suggestion Thefeeder. Looks like they do fine work on quality guns. Not sure that mine fits that description (to say the least!) , but I'll be interested to hear what they say!

[MeatyMac]

FYI, I just fired off a message to Turnbull's in New York. Thanks for the suggestion Thefeeder. Looks like they do fine work on quality guns. Not sure that mine fits that description (to say the least!) , but I'll be interested to hear what they say!

It would be akin to sending your Timex watch to a Rolex repair shop for service; yes, they can do the work, but you'll pay top dollar for it. The problem is there just aren't a lot of SxS gunsmiths left anymore. Locally in Northern California there's only one, IMO, and he 's Jim Gaston up in Truckee (530)587-4135, Jim has worked on several SxS shotguns of mine and his work has always been excellent and fair priced.

[GeeDog]

Thanks for the contact MeatyMac! I definitely saw by the Turnbill's page that I wasn't in their class, but it'll be interesting to hear their reply. Very much appreciate the contact info for Jim up in Truckee. I'll do a reach out soon and see what he says. Thanks!

[GeeDog]

FYI, I just left a voice-mail for Jim. I'll report back with the results when I hear something. Thanks!

[edgerly779]

Pacific coast firearms or r&d barrels both in So cal just ship and have fixed. Reasonable. You don't need to send from ffl either.

[GeeDog]

Thanks edgerly779. I guess there are more options than I'd imagined. I'll let Jim in Truckee get back to me, but if he's too busy or it doesn't work out for some reason, I'll give these a try. The gun is (was) too fun to shoot to let it just sit and collect dust. It'll be great to get it up and working again. Much appreciated.

[buzzardbait]

Just a FYI. Low or high brass has nothing to do with the pressure of the loads. Look for some trap/skeet loads or have someone at a local skeet range make some low pressure loads for you.
Low/high brass is just marketing now, a carryover from paper shotgun shells. Go with light trap shells or you will loosen it up again after the repair.

[edgerly779]

As long as it does not have damascened barrels. And low and high base is still valid. Low base denotes light field loads high base denotes more powerful loads. The high base contains the pressure better and are easier on the firearm. Amazing fud out there.

[GeeDog]

That's interesting. Good steel barrels. I'd always heard to go with the low, as it's lower pressure, less powerful. It makes sense that if the barrels are modern steel the higher brass would contain the pressures better. Always learning something new here. Maybe to be safe I'll ask the smith who does the work to recommend some rounds for me. Thanks.