Springfield/Stevens side by side 12 Ga.

[JLA]

Thanks for that Shawn. It is indeed the very reason I come here. I enjoy helping folks.

I signed up back in feb 2007 looking for reloading advice and got hooked. i contribute as much as i possibly can here.

[ShawnDow]

I reload, the 30-06 and .40 S&W, I do a-lot more .40 than the -06 though.
I found this place trying to get info on fixing my old MAB, thats on the back burner right now... i'm making grips, the blanks are made, I just haven't "sculpted" them yet.
And I do appreciate all the help you guys give,
Thank you!

[ShawnDow]

So... I cleaned the barrels, (I had to sand blast the poor things) And I did a form of rust bluing... Ok... I got medium charcoal grey... this was after 4 "passes" with the rust bluing... I noticed after 3 the barrels didn't get any darker... so I stopped. Look at the contrast between the frame and barrels.. is it good enough? Or should I go another round or two with the rusting process? Now, I didn't polish down the barrels with sand paper(I used a wire brush to satin the surface) in fear of making them too thin.. I left the "patina". Or Should I start all over again and sand them down and get rid of the SxS's "History"?

[JLA]

That looks good shawn. You did well with the browning solution. Now do the same thing to the action and other metal hardware and youre good to go. Your carding technique is rock solid. keep it up.

[ShawnDow]

I did the triggers.. the trigger guard, and the barrel release (that didn't hold the color too well, Im thinking its S.S.) I was going to just clean and grease the rest of the hidden lock works.. but if you recommend bluing them as well I can do that (more practice for me)... I assume I would leave the springs alone, but get the sears, firing pins, and "cocking lever". Ill get the external screws as well.. the retaining pins will be polished like the frame. Thank you for the input. I was after "black" but the charcoal looks good.

[JLA]

black usually doesnt happen on old steel anyway unless you completely resurface it and polish the hell out of for hot salts bluing. which is a no no on a soldered double barrel anyway. The rust bluing looks great

[Hawg]

The receiver is probably case hardened is why it won't take a good blue.

[ShawnDow]

Speaking of the receiver... I don't have a means of re-case hardening it... with out taking it to the airfield.. We do have heat treating ovens, but with out knowing exactly what it is made of.. Any way... what can I do to the receiver to keep it all nice and shiny? Is there something I can buff into the metal to keep it from oxidizing? Or do I just attempt to rust blue it to give it some kind of protection?

[Big Shrek]

Old case-hardening used arsenic, which would probably be heavily frowned upon at an airport as well...
Dangerous as heck...also killed a lot of gunsmiths the slow, nasty way...

Kinda like the stainless look & contrast of the receiver...

[targetacqmgt]

Yeah I would like to be a gunsmith and JLA's advice about schooling in another thread was very welcome.

[ozo]

How is the wood?
Post #28.....is the buttstock 'cracked' ?

[nmckenzie]

Originally Posted by ShawnDow

Speaking of the receiver... I don't have a means of re-case hardening it...

My two original series Ruger Vaqueros have beautifully "case hardened" frames, except of course it's not really case hardening but rather an applied finish of some sort. I've no idea what's involved, but since they're production line items that didn't cost an arm and a leg, I can't imagine the faux "case hardening" application process was too complicated, time consuming or expensive. Just a suggestion, but you might make some inquiries to see what sort of process Ruger uses. Your shotgun is coming along beautifully! My compliments on your efforts.

Spudz

[ShawnDow]

Ozo, Yes the stock is cracked!; is there a remedy to cure this post #28 issue?... "Spudz" (how do you like your new nick name?) I'm thinking Ill just polish (one or two "L"'s) the frame the best I can and hit it with Flitz or some other similar metal polish/protector. Im liking the contrast in colors. Besides..(call me lazy) if I try to rust blue the frame (one or two runs), carding the exterior is simple... the nooks and crannies inside will be a pain! Unless some one out there does case color/hardening for cheap!
Thanks for all the support guys.
Shawn

[nmckenzie]

Originally Posted by ShawnDow

Ozo, Yes the stock is cracked!; is there a remedy to cure this post #28 issue?... "Spudz" (how do you like your new nick name?)

Love the Spudz nick name. My youngest daughter got stuck with that name in high school, and I think she was seriously thinking of changing her last name to Smith. And now to serious stuff. Is the stock cracked horizontally - pretty much straight line fore-aft from the receiver's rear flat? If so, the simplest approach would be to spread the crack - just a bit, and give it time to dry out completely. From that point, you'll have to consider how you're going to hold it together. For a horizontal crack, while the Accraglas epoxy is drying, I like to use very thin headless brass screws. Pilot holes are drilled from above or below, going 90 degrees to the repaired crack, the screws are inserted - I use a pin vise for this, and once everything's set just nip off the protruding portions of the screws and file 'em flush. The results look like small brass dots - which can be darkened chemically if you're fussy about this sort of thing. The brass stock repair screws can be had from Brownell's if I remember correctly.

Spudz

[ShawnDow]

Yes, Spudz, the cracks (multiple) run from the flat of the frame back to the butt stock. It looks as if some one has tried to fix it before, less the brass screws, and it failed again! so Ill have to try to open up the cracks a bit... chisel out the old epoxy and start from scratch... Ill see if my local small town hardware store has some long fine brass screws I can put down into the stock. If not, Ill check out Brownell's. And where can I get this Accraglass epoxy? Being that you did NOT mention Elmer's wood glue... stay away from that?
Thanks for the stock repair input.. This will be my first wood project since high school... 20 years ago!
Shawn

[nmckenzie]

Shawn:

Elmer's wood glue is great stuff: I even used it in constructing the deer hoist contraption we've got down in the garage, but for a really thin bearing surfaces such as the side of the stock, AcraGlas is really the only way to go - leastways in my experience. Just a thought on clearing out the residue of someone else's glue attempt, try to get as much of it as you can - widen the crack ever-so-slightly with a single edged razor and use dental picks to probe and clear out, because any that remains is a potential weak spot. Once you're satisfied with the results, blast the opened crack with a drying agent - carb cleaner perhaps, let it dry thoroughly, then go in with the AcraGlas. It comes in both a liquid and gel, but for your purposes I think the liquid would be best. Tape off areas above and below the crack(s), and fill the opened crack (neatness doesn't count at this stage). For stabilizing purposes it'd probably be best if you put the stock onto the receiver (no internal parts installed yet), hand tightened the tang screw, and wrap the stock's wrist with surgical tubing. Having the stock in the position it's supposed to be in while setting up will (should) prevent any movement of wood on one side of the crack relative to wood on the other side. What's to prevent you from gluing the stock to the action? The Release Agent that comes with the AcraGlas kit, with which you will have bathed the receiver before hand. Where's AcraGlas come from? Any number of places - Amazon etc., but Brownell's is probably your best bet for having it on hand and quickly shipped. Once the repair's thoroughly cured you'll want to go in with the stock repair screws. They're not very wide, and the resulting brass colored dot on the stock's surface is really tiny. Something I learned from repairing the stock of my 16 gauge 1915; there's very little space between the receiver's internal moving parts - sears etc. - and the stock's internal surface, so make sure there's no glass residue left on the inside for a sear to bash.

Spudz

[nmckenzie]

p.s. to previous:

Bob's Gun Parts (www.gun-part.com/savagestocks/) does have replacement buttstocks and forends. True, they'll require a bit of fitting, as well as outside finishing and such, but at least you have a fallback position.

[ShawnDow]

As much as I would like to put new lumber on this SxS.. the S.N. on the fore-grip matches the gun..
Speaking of S.N.'s.. how old would this thing be if it has a S.N.? I thought those weren't required until the 60's... and if Steven's dropped the Springfield name in the mid 40's?.. what do I have?
Any way... I still owe this guy 100 for a trade of services/SKS deal we had... And Im looking at an easy $50 in parts that are missing.... and this rust bluing has eaten about 50-75 of the 100... Im passing on the new timber!
I think by the time I'm done.. I'll be in the clear! The things I do for a battle rifle... Too bad it wasn't an M1!.. oh wait.. Id be in debt for the next 2 lifetimes.
Ill start cleaning out the old glue from the previous repair tomorrow... need to get my dental pics from my other job (the one that pays the bills and for my gun fixing/ cleaning/ bluing hobby).

[ShawnDow]

Holly sugar... my heart stopped when I saw how much AcraGlas is.. I hope King Midas touches this SxS when Im done!

[ShawnDow]

Can I use that epoxy to fill in the stripped screw holes for the forearm grip and butt plate? Assuming I put said release agent on the screws.

[ShawnDow]

Originally Posted by targetacqmgt

Yeah I would like to be a gunsmith and JLA's advice about schooling in another thread was very welcome.

+1 with becoming a gunsmith.. Looked into the AGI courses... I like it.. just need to save up.. Although I did sign up for the mini tutorials they had... and if the main courses are just as good.. Ill be hooked.
Im seriously considering giving up aircraft MX for this hobby that is consuming me!

[JLA]

Stripped screw holes in wood can be repaired with wooden dowel and wood glue. just dab some glue in there, drive a glued dowel in and break it off flush and let it set up. Stripped metal screw holes need to be welded up and re D/T.

I have had good results with gorilla glue on cracked stocks. so long as you can get the glue down into the crack a good ways. Then just clamp it solid and let the glue cure.

[ShawnDow]

New Question... while looking up parts for this project..(I'm going by the info you guys gave me of being a model 315... ish.. and in the schematics... they list a cocking lever.. Now I have seen a picture on this forum where its suppose to go.. I don't have a provision to accept this "hook"
http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/show...t=cocking+hook
Now... do some other "manufacturer" lines based on the same "model" possibly have different components? I dont want to find out I order a safety "slide lever" and get the wrong one..

[JLA]

Thats what youre up against with these old doubles. Sometimes you just order parts and hope they are right, and if they arent make sure you ordered them from a supplier you can return them to.

[nmckenzie]

My 16 guage is in the X73000 range, and the original owner bought it before WW2. Looked up Springfield Arms Company Model 1915 Shotgun on Google some years back, and the site I landed on said the series was manufactured between 1915 and 1940. Just where yours or mine would fall in that range I can't say, but there are Savage collectors groups that probably could. As to serial numbers in general, it's not so much that many lower end (Sears, Montgomery Ward etc.) .22s and shotguns didn't have them prior to '68, but rather that after '68 they were required to have them. My little Winchester Model '04a single shot, with which my grandfather, father, and eventually myself learned to shoot, doesn't have a serial number. This made for some interesting conversation when we had to stop at Customs and get a Canadian Firearms Permit when driving to Prince Rupert, Canada (where we'd catch the ferry to Sitka) from northern Idaho.

Spudz