Overflow guns

[sigp220.45]

If you're blessed to have more guns than safe space, you know what I mean. Overflow guns are the ones that don't make the cut.

I'm considering a move that would put me in a squirrel hunting area, and it got me to thinking about getting a .410 shotgun. Then I remembered - hell, I have a .410 shotgun in the overflow!



I picked it up from an old gent in Idaho in one of those three way trades where it evened out the deal. As a measure of my naivete about all things .410 I thought to myself - those little shells oughta be cheap!



I think I bought one box of those oughta-be-cheap-but-aren't shells and then put this one back for trade bait and forgot about it until now.

Its actually a pretty well made gun. The safety is kind of weird - forward for on, back to fire. I love the giant shell slot in the tubular magazine:



There is a real charm to this old gun. No serial number. Man sized stock - this one wasn't built as a kid's gun. There is something endearing about the black fore-end tip.

It shoots 3" shells, and I have no idea how it is choked. Probably full. I'm going to try to knock some squirrels out of the trees with it.

Buttplate is a five buck fix. Plus shipping.



Anyone else have some overflow that might get called up to the big leagues?

 

[Jebus35745]

I used a 410 bolt to hunt squirrels couple of years and had a blast. Good choice, enjoy. Larry

 

[George_in_SD]

Indeed, very good choice. Any idea of the date of manufacture?

 

[ColbyBruce]

Most .410 bore shotguns have a 25" barrel and are full choked.

 

[ditchcrussher]

I shot my first pheasant with one of those when I was about 12 years old. I traded it for a 870 Lightweight magnum 20 guage. Wish I still had it.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk

 

[sigp220.45]

Indeed, very good choice. Any idea of the date of manufacture?

No serial number makes it tough. I gather the Chicopee address puts it prior to 1960 and the presence of both Stevens and Savage names on the barrel makes it post 1948. So if I didn't mess that up, it is sometime in that 12 year window.

 

[b_san]

I understand the "overflow", have a worn Stevens double barrel 12g in the "overflow" aka closet, won't ever use it and it doesn't fit in the safes but I won't sell it since my Grandmother bought it for my Grandfather for their 1st anniversary. Also have a well worn single shot .22 (bore is clean but the outside is pitted) from him that sits in there with it that I'll probably break out for my daughter when she graduates from her air rifle.

 

[CatSnipah]

I picked up a Mossberg 500 in 410 last year. Mostly to have a buddy for my Governor, but also as a trainer for my wife. I love the darn thing.

Is that wrong?

 

[bigolddave]

Oddly enough, my two overflow guns are the ones I paid the most for; a Remington 90T and a Beretta 682 Combo. My grandson and I use them every week, and they are about the least interesting guns I own. The 90T has had more rounds through it than all the rest of my guns put together, but it is just a tool, as is the Beretta.

 

[2152hq]

No serial number makes it tough. I gather the Chicopee address puts it prior to 1960 and the presence of both Stevens and Savage names on the barrel makes it post 1948. So if I didn't mess that up, it is sometime in that 12 year window.

Neat little bolt action shotgun. Love the brass magazine loading tube.

The shotgun may have a Savage Mfg Date Code somewhere on it. They started using them in 1949 when they moved the plant into the old Stevens factory in ChicopeeFalls. They continued to use it into 1970 when it was dropped. Everything was serial numbered by law then (GCA68) and letter or number prefixed to code a date of mfg.

Most all Savage/Stevens/Fox production in that period have them, even the guns that were built w/a factory applied ser# like the Model99,, but there are exceptions of course!
Should be visable w/o taking anything apart as it was about the last thing done during the assembly/inspection process, just before going to the range for proof and function firing.


It'll be a small oval w/ simply the date code stamped inside of it. Or it could be the oval with a one or two digit inspectors ID number & the date code.

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 X1970