I'm at an auction last Sat. and I just couldn't go high enough to get a decent 1948 K22, and u comes this shotgun. It happens to be a S&W, Mod 916, Riot gun. 20" barrel, Rifle Sights, Cyl Bore. Now it looks like it has been fires maybe once, and put in a rack where it stayed until recently. Close as I can figure it dates to late 70's. S/N 209B50. plain walnut stained (?) beach wood stock, red ventilated rubber recoil pat (getting hard). Full length magazine, as long as the barrel, I assume it holds 6 or 7 rounds.

Is anyone familiar with these? I'm pretty sure S&W didn't build these, but it does say S&W Springfield MA on the barrel and a large S&W logo on the receiver.

It will probably get fired at least once, or a round of skeet for grins, and never be used again. I am contemplating loading it up and putting it in the bedroom closet in case of a zombie attack.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

GOT ONE ! LOVE IT. JP

The design originated with Nobel. I don't know if they built them for Smith or if they just sold the design to them. They were replaced in just a few years by the S&W 3000, which was made for Smith by Miroku in Japan.

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Retired Dep Sheriff & Armorer

They bought Noble and built them.

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Don Mundell

The 916 was generally regarded as a piece of junk disguised as a shotgun. The S&W 3000 was MUCH better, especially after S&W made certain changes to prevent double feeds. For a time, even the 870 did not have this feature to prevent double feeds. The 3000 is one of those guns that was "ahead of its time." It should have taken over the police market, but police administrators are notoriously "slow on the uptake" when it comes to advancements in personal weapons.

I got one for $100 at a gun show, it seems fine for me. Mine had the 28 inch barrel, which I had shortened to 20. It's light, and handles well, and I haven't had a problem as of yet. I guess I got lucky.

I had a 916 issued to me in 1978. The department paid $69.00 each and they got what they paid for. It was so bad I left it in my locker and carried a PO Ithaca, in violation of dept. policy. Later we got S&W 3000's they were great. To bad they didn't last.

My father purchased two of them. Were they not made by Eastfield? I have on and my son has one. Never had any problems with them.

See post #4, Noble was bought by S&W and they built them according to Don.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Anybody know where I can get an exploded diagram for one?

I'm glad someone else said they were junk. They were put out
under S&W back when they were into Ammo, Leather, Police
and rescue equipment. Not a gun I would depend on. They might
be OK for someone who shoots very little, when it doesn't matter
if they fail. Nobel guns were known to be bottom end. Parts sheet
can be had from Numerich or Jack First.

In the '90s after my wife passed away, I had a platonic relationship with a female colleage in the college I taught Organic Chemistry at. She was a Biologist whose specialty was Botany. We hiked a lot and she pointed out the names of every plant or flower we came upon. She also owned a tavern in town and had an Eastfield 916-T that she kept behind the bar for when things got rowdy. When she sold the bar, she gave me that shotgun. I stuck it in the back of my safe where it stayed till recently where I noticed it was a Smith and Wesson. I have never shot it and I doubt that she had. BTW it is stamped 916-T clearly on the barrel. It has both a slug and a shot barrel. Is there a difference between the -1 and -T ?

I do believe the 916-T has interchangeable barrels, the 916A does not.

KO

I have a 916T I purchased in 1978 as a rookie police officer. I can't begin to imagine how many rounds I've fired through the years, both 00 and slugs, but I've never had a problem with mine. I even used it for bird hunting in northern Maine for several years. The only gripe I had, if it qualifies as a gripe, is that it has just one rail on the slide as opposed to the two an 870 has. Still, it never negatively impacted my shooting it. I still have it and will always have it.

No...sorry.

Only firearm I’ve owned that drew blood from sharply machined edges on the receiver.

In my experience, most police administrators are acutely aware of advancements in personal weapons and equipment, just unable to convince their legislative body to spend the money to replace it every time there’s a change. In a perfect world with unlimited budgets, sure. Respectfully,
Doug

The gun companies went to double slide bars when they got into
guns of stamped construction. The older milled parts guns were
fit up and slide bar was a machined part. The double bars make
up for slop in action and the machined single bar.

The only riot gun I ever had a problem with. I got it fixed but it ain't one of my go to guns.

updates on this?

+1 on these comments. What a piece of junk. I was issued one and after the first shot, and when pumped, the remaining shells would eject through the carrier... and that was if it fired the first shot. S&W credited the Dept I think $75 each and we bought 870’s.

Numrich has an exploded view here