S&W Model 916 Shotgun Information

DWalt

DWalt

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A few years back (8), I ran across a S&W 916 pump gun in 12 gauge, with a modified choke 3" chamber barrel, at a garage sale. It was in fairly sorry condition (It looked like it had been left out in the rain a lot) but I got it cheap. I fixed it up so it looks presentable, and the only major thing I had to do was to machine a new firing pin. Fortunately, both pieces of the old broken firing pin were present, so I could make the necessary measurements. It's one of my favorite shotguns now, mainly because I like the "feel" of it, and I still use it for skeet and turkey occasionally. I've understood it was made by Noble, but is marked as an S&W. Can anyone provide a little historical background on the 916 or any other information, especially the Noble relationship? I've not seen another. I can't imagine it's worth much, if anything, but I still like it.
 
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S&W bought the Noble tooling, machinery and parts, etc. in 1969, when Noble went out of business, and came out first with the S&W "Eastfield" model, which was was a design improvment to the Noble gun in 1972. This was soon changed to the Models 916 and 916A and continued until 1980 when the gun was dropped and a new model was made in Japan for S&W. It was initially called the Model 1000P as it was a pump variety of the model 1000 semi-auto shotgun. This caused market confusion, so the Model name was changed to Model 3000, and that continued until S&W stopped long gun production in 1984. 916s were made with blue finish, except for a few made with a stainless steel finish, however those are not true stainless steel guns, just finished in stainless steel. Ed. #15
 
The only thing that I know about the 916 "Eastfield" guns is that they were made "across the road" from the main facility in what is now office buildings. I also know that some (very few) of the short barrel guns were shipped with 17.90" barrels.
S&W had to find all the guns and replace the barrels on them. :eek:

Someone measured incorrectly! I would say someone got reprimanded!!!
 
916s were made with blue finish, except for a few made with a stainless steel finish, however those are not true stainless steel guns, just finished in stainless steel.
Click to expand...
What is a "stainless finish"?
 
I have a stripped receiver and barrel for this model 916. Does anyone have advice on where I could get parts? Any help is appreciated. I want this interesting piece back to working condition.
 
I have a model 916 T with a slug barrel on it can anybody tell me if there's a tube extension for the magazine
 
Hey DWalt!

Searching for a firing pin for my S&W Eastfield 916A when I ran across your post..... IMPOSSIBLE to find this firing pin. Sounds like you have skills far advanced to my own. Like you, the gun is nothing special, but I love it. Plus it was one of the two physical items my father left me when he passed about 25 yrs ago. I have been trying to find a firing pin for almost a year now.
Any chance you could help out a fellow Texan?
Thanks,
Buck
 
I remember Numrich used to carry parts, it's been awhile since I looked there.

I have a 916, it didn't cost me a lot ($100, if I remember). I know they have a bad reputation.
 
My "issued" riot gun was the S&W 916.
I was able to keep it when it was replaced by the Remington 870.
Today, it is still working as a "night" gun beside my bed and nightstand.
It works just fine, and I am glad to still have it.
 
The 916 was so unreliable that S&W would send credit vouchers in exchange for guns. My dept had numerous issues as I recall and we hated them... I was issued a brand new one and when you pumped it, you never knew if you loaded a round or not and sometimes the carrier would stick upward and shells would fly out of the magazine onto the ground. We transferred all the credit vouchers to a police supply and got 870’s in return.
 
mrchuck said:
My "issued" riot gun was the S&W 916.
I was able to keep it when it was replaced by the Remington 870.
Today, it is still working as a "night" gun beside my bed and nightstand.
It works just fine, and I am glad to still have it.
Click to expand...

I would not put my life in the hands of a 916. I know a lot of S&W employees and they could buy them for $40.00. They sat in the vault. That right there speaks volumes.
 
It's likely not a good idea, but when I was 14 I found an old 12 ga. single shot shotgun in my grand parents barn. It had no firing pin. I made one out of a 16 penny nail, using a file. I first tested it on an empty hull to be sure the pin was long enough without being too long. Then I tested it by strapping it to a stake, put a string on the trigger and from about 25' back I pulled the trigger. It shot. I repeated it a few times and it fired every time. I then held it at waist height at my side and fired once more. At the crack of the shot I felt a big pain, the action opening lever had gotten rammed into the web of my thumb. I don't think I ever shot it again and after mom died in 2015 (dad died 12 years earlier) I found that gun still in the homemade gun rack in my old bedroom. It was really worth nothing and I destroyed it, then threw it in the scrap bin, the wood was burned and the barrel was badly bent (on purpose).
It has since been used in a wealding project.
 
Huh. I have a 916T I bought as a new Police officer in 1978. I couldn't afford an 870 back then, and the department I joined used Ithicas, I believe. Can't remember what I paid for the 916T, but it wasn't expensive. I liked the option of having rifle sights, a rifled barrel and an 8 round magazine. I had it parkerized and some years later sanded down the dark slide and stock and stained it a lighter maple. I still have it, and have to say, I never once had a problem with this shotgun. I would post a picture, but I don't know how.
 
I bought a 916 in 1978. On sale at the local lumber yard for $169, came with two barrels and a case. It was my only shotgun for twenty years, I ran a lot of rounds through it, never a single issue or failure, until it finally wore out and the gunsmith said it wasn't worth fixing. It still functions as a single shot - it just jacks the second shell out the bottom. I can't get rid of it. I know just what DWalt meant.
 
Folkedahl said:
I bought a 916 in 1978. On sale at the local lumber yard for $169, came with two barrels and a case. It was my only shotgun for twenty years, I ran a lot of rounds through it, never a single issue or failure, until it finally wore out and the gunsmith said it wasn't worth fixing.
Click to expand...
You were lucky!
They had a reputation for being "JUNK".
I worked at a gunshop/indoor range in the 70s. We would not even take them in trade. I knew lots of cops at that range. If they were issued one, they bought themselves an 870. Back then, I saw people try to sell them for $50 and have no takers. ;)


The later Mod 3000 was a great gun. I shot one for many years. Very smooth.
 
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Way back in the 80s I bought a S&W Eastfield 916 for $79.95 new in the Box. I could have had a Mossberg 500 for the same price but I chose the 916. I don't recall having a problem with the Shotgun, but sold it to a Co Worker a year or so later.
 
I bought a 916 cheap at Tulsa last year. When I got home I found out why. Broken firing pin. My gunsmith fixed it after having to order two different firing pins. I sold it for what I had in it and bought two S&W 3000's. Both of those are good reliable guns.
 
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