doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Dating a Stevens 520 variant?

Kutter:

Thank you, I suspect that you are right. It's of no consequence really, I was just curious and I've had the luxury of time to indulge my curiosity. These guns fall into a period of history that I never took the time to understand. As a kid growing up in the 60s & 70s, pumpguns were ubiquitous. Everybody had them and most used them for everything, from hunting to competition. My Grandfather liked doubles and used them. I thought he was the definition of wonderful, so if he liked them then I did too. Fast forward 40-years, I have the doubles I always wanted and occationally, I get to use them. I am protective of them and use them fairly selectively. What I didn't have was a utilitarian option, something to use when the weather was lousy or the hillsides and grapevines were too steep and thick. With the guns of my youth (albeit, lighter & more deliberately chosen versions), I now have that option. And, what's even better, is that I'm finding them to be as fun as I remember them being. A rediscovery of sorts, made more fun because I didn't have to break the bank to do it.

http://www.searsarchives.com/products/questions/firearms/detail/firearms_1933.htm

Can't find anything from Mongomery Ward's, but here's the Sear's Ranger from 1933. $20 used to buy a lot in this country! Now, If I was any good with technology, I would have gotten the advert to post the way Researcher does his.

Lloyd3
I imagine that 20 bucks let alone 45 was hard to get together in '33! Tough times for many. It is interesting to note that Sears only catalogs 12 and 16 ga guns except for the 520 variant. Note the long barrels and full chokes. Indicates the market of 1933? Now the 16 is a niche ga. and full chokes are not popular. Now where the heck did I park that time machine?!

Chief

Chief:

That advert has me thinking that in order to save money they just kept re-running the same one year after year. By 1933, the 520A had arrived and IMHO, the suicide safety was no-more. Also, almost every 20-bore variant I see is a Sear's Ranger. Go figure? Moreover, $20 bought a lot more in 1933 than it will now (that's what printing money out of thin air will get you). But you're right, those were very tough times. As to all the full-choke guns I see from that period, I suspect that shotguns were used much more like rifles to kill immobile game animals because every shot had to count (wingshooting would've seemed frivolous to them). Also, shells from that period used felt and paper, so patterns were hard to control any other way.

Got my 16 today. So much for svelt, this unit goes well over 7-lbs (almost 7lbs3 by my kitchen scale, I'd hate to see what a 30-inch 12-bore weighs-in at!). The suicide safety is an odd-bird too. I'm hearing the early Auto-5s used it, and I can see why they moved-on from it fairly quickly. It's not very positive (this gun won't be used as a loner). Other than that, I'm fairly pleased with it. Very Bonnie & Clyde looking, which to my eye is somehow pleasing. It's no Model 12 clone, and it doesn't look like anything else I've ever owned, but the metal forging and machining is first rate, and the take-down is way cool. I'm going to open the choke and try to lighten the stock up just a bit, but.....it is what it is. A wonderful conversation piece in any circle of gun nuts, for sure. I may try it on doves in a few weeks here. Recoil certainly won't be an issue.