"Springfield" 20 gauge double barrel.

Exspiravit

Exspiravit

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Can anyone offer some insight into this thing?
It was my father in-law's, and before him, his father's, probably purchased in the 40's or 50's. I can pretty much guess the buttpad is not original. It's going bye bye because it's crunchy. I think I've already sourced a buttplate.

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What little I can find seems to point to this actually being a Savage/Stevens, possibly a model 311.

I'm debating cleaning it up and refinishing the wood and metal surfaces and using it for squirrels, but before I do I want to make sure this is what I think it is: a $100 shotgun.

Also, is it allright to run modern loads through this dinosaur?
 
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I have a very similar Stevens Springfield 5100 16 gauge. It's light and handy. Cleans up real nice and I like it a lot. If you want a 20 gauge double, it's worth hanging onto. There's decent wood under that old finish. If you're gonna put a butt plate on it you might as well strip and refinish it. I'll try to remember to post a pic of mine tomorrow.
 
Pretty sure it's a Steven's 311 just like you said. Solid guns but not worth much by the book. I have one in 20ga that was my grandpa's that I killed my first deer with. Money couldn't buy it.
Change the pad and hunt with it like it is. Alot of hunting likely went into getting that old gun to where it is today. I think a well used gun looks alot better than a new one. It shows character.
 
BBD280 said:
Pretty sure it's a Steven's 311 just like you said. Solid guns but not worth much by the book. I have one in 20ga that was my grandpa's that I killed my first deer with. Money couldn't buy it.
Change the pad and hunt with it like it is. Alot of hunting likely went into getting that old gun to where it is today. I think a well used gun looks alot better than a new one. It shows character.
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I was coming to say almost exactly this. Looks like a Stevens 311 to me.
 
I can appreciate a gun with some straightforward wear on it; most of mine are well used and I like them that way. But there is some satisfaction in restoring an old shooter to nice condition too, especially when it's cheap and easy like this one is. Here's my old hardware-store Stevens as an example, and it looked about like yours when I got it. It's an honest gun:
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Yep, it's a good solid shotgun, about $100 worth as it is.
You can't hurt the value refinishing the thing.
Refinish it and use the crap out of it.
The "proof tested" means it was suitable for pressures produced by ammo available at the time.
Just don't run any "hot" reloads through it and you should be good.
And it's a 20ga and not 16 as your title says. I bet you already knew that.

From another site:
If it was manufactured between 1949 and 1970 there should be a small circle with a number and letter stamped inside of it, between the trigger and the hinge pin. The letter reflects the year of manufacture. *The date code may also be on the flats of the receiver where the barrels rest on the receiver.

Stevens Date Codes

A 1949
B 1950
C 1951
D 1952
E 1953
F 1954
G 1955
H 1956
I 1957
J 1958
K 1959
L 1960
M 1961
N 1962
P 1963
R 1964
S 1965
T 1966
U 1967
V 1968
W 1969
X 1970
 
bondjamesbond said:
And it's a 20ga and not 16 as your title says. I bet you already knew that.
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Yeah, brain fart on my part. There's a 16 gauge as well that used to belong to him I was looking over last night.

There's a "12" in a circle on the bottom of the receiver close to where the forearm fits on. No other circled numbers or letters I can see, though the serial that's stamped in about 5 places has an "X" prefix.
 
Red Marley said:
I can appreciate a gun with some straightforward wear on it; most of mine are well used and I like them that way. But there is some satisfaction in restoring an old shooter to nice condition too, especially when it's cheap and easy like this one is. Here's my old hardware-store Stevens as an example, and it looked about like yours when I got it. It's an honest gun:
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Yeah, that's ridiculously nice, and beyond my skill. I'm just going to knock down the rust and refinish the wood.
 
charliesgrave said:
Yeah, that's ridiculously nice, and beyond my skill. I'm just going to knock down the rust and refinish the wood.
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That's all I did. There's nothing on the stock but stain, and Tru-Oil; lots of thin coats. By thin, I mean one drop on your finger, rubbed until it's gone. The trick is in the sanding (always with a block) and prep.
 
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Besides the X prefix serial, this is the only mark on the flats. "G"?
 
Citristrip got all the flaky varnish off. In the process I discovered a crack I'll need to fix plus this oil staining on the stock where a billion grimy hands have probably been. Going to try acetone to get that out before I start finishing.

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I have an identical shotgun with the exception of checkered forearm and stock, I have found this to be a model 315. Same gun just checkered. Also have same date code oh 12 in circle on bottom of receiver. If you find anymore info please let me know.thanks I looked closer and your firearm is checkered also. If I find more I will be sure to pass along
 
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Sweet double. Fun to shoot and not too punishing. I love an old sxs
 
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