doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com New guy needs help.

I looked at the 315 models online and none of them were just marked 410 gauge and none of them had a grip cap. thats when i foun a picture of a 530 model 12ga that looks just like it. the rear trigger seems to be diffrent then anything other then the 530 it is swept way back insted of rounded like everything else i saw. Any ideas on what is safe to shoot from it?

I actually tried to buy thats Wards 410 also thats funny. The wood on this gun has pretty exceptional grain and the stock has a grip cap which i have not seen on any other model. I found a picture of a model 530 12ga online that is the exact gun I have except I cant find if they made it in 410. The butt has a black plastic pad that says Stevens with scroll all around it. Anybody know for sure what would be safe to shoot from it 2 1/2" or 3" chambers measure about 3.18" long. Since it is only marked 410 gauge im not sure. If it is a 530 it was made before 1937 and i believe the 3" 410 came out around 1933 so its kind of a close call.

The chambers may have been extended. I have a 315 that the chambers have been extended to 3" and I have shot 3" in it. I believe your's is the model 330 which is a 315 with walnut stock and grip cap. It for sure isn't a 5100.

My 315 measures .700 OD at 3 1/2". Assuming the bore is .410 (I have no way of measuring) that would leave .145 wall thickness which I believe to be sufficient. Later 315s were offered in 3". Maybe your's is one. RESEARCHER could tell us when.

The reason I say sufficient is because I own a 1929 Western Field made by Ithaca; the Western Long Range. It is marked 3" and the OD at 3 1/2" is .702; slightly larger than the Stevens 315,but not enough difference for concern IMO.

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopi...7#ixzz1V82otwas

That's a cute little gun. I wouldn't mind having one of those for field trial birds.

Be careful Mark, it was dog training with the subsequent shooting of pen-raised pheasants that piqued my interest in .410's. From there it was a slippery slope.
Steve

I came across a note the the 315 or 330 .410 was first offered in 3" in 1934.

Red 37
I have one just like yours, sleek little guys arnt they

As 2Holer said this gun is striker fired rather than having swinging hammers. The 311, 530, 5100 etc are all hammer fired. You can differentiate between the two actions from the outside. Notice the two pins through the frame, on this one the rear (sear) pin is higher than the front one due to the different location of the sears for the strikers. On the hammer fired one the rear (sear) pin is lower than the front pin, very near the bottom of the frame.
I had a model 315 in 20ga many years ago labeled Central Arms Co & it didn't even have a walnut stock, probably Birch, stained. It shot well enough but at 7lb & tight choked I really had no practical use for it & traded it off.
As I recall on the hammer models the front pin serves as pivot for both the hammers & the cocking lever, while on the striker fired models it is only for the cocking lever. Both have coil mainsprings, but in different locations of course.

My 315 .410 weighs 5 lb 14 oz which is one reason I like them better than later ones which seem to be heavier. I've seen some of the later model .410s weigh 7 lb. The 315/330s also have longer cutouts on the bottom corners of the receiver making them like a poor man's round body.

Well gentlemen i have found my gun it is a Stevens model 330. It is the only Stevens ever to have the duck and marsh grass engraving( stamping) I believe. the 315, 500, 5100 models all have a bird dog engraving or nothing other than Stevens on the sides. If anyone knows what this gun was intended to shoot for sure let me know I am happy shooting 2 1/2" it was purchased specifically for rabbit hunting but, i would still like to know if it was originally made for 3".