Should I even bother trying??

slushee

slushee

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So I go out to a farm to find this old beat up wooden box the owner found buried in his barn ..

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i75/slushee1234/SSPX0037.jpg

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i75/slushee1234/SSPX0038.jpg

Now this shotgun is probably unregistered, but as I am 'in process' of trying to identify it, and then call to verify it, I believe I am okay with the Amnesty.

This picture does not do the pitting justice..
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i75/slushee1234/SSPX0039.jpg

I think this trigger group is seized due to rust..
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i75/slushee1234/SSPX0042.jpg

I think the white areas on this stock are mold?! :eek:
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i75/slushee1234/SSPX0043.jpg

I am having difficulty getting the data stamp information from this barrel .. you can see the rust and pitting..
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i75/slushee1234/SSPX0044.jpg

I have been able to figure out its a Winchester Repeating Arms shotgun .. but the rest is very unreadable.

So, considering the shape, and that it is taking me a few months to refinish a regular shotgun stock .. where would one begin with this 'project' :confused:
 
That looks like a model 12 takedown.

I wouldn't register it until you decide to fix it up or not. If not, its useless to you.
 
Its a Model 12.
Was it in pieces, or did you take it apart?
I'd oil everything really well, let the parts sit for a while, soak the trigger group, then start cleaning.
 
yeah it was disassembled in the box... some of the parts coincidentally were stored in a 30 year old herbacide bottle :rolleyes:

I think a short trip to walmart to get a rubbermaid bin to soak all the parts in would be a good start. What chemical should I soak all the parts in? Brake Cleaner? Hoppes #9 solvent? Good old WD40?

Thanks for your advice .. I think this is going to end up being a 10 page post of me just asking advice before I am done. :redface:
 
You, never know.

I can't comment on the legalities of the situation, but you could start by soaking those parts in a wallpaper tub covered in Kroil (or WD-40.)

When the parts have been dried off (an airhose works great) you could then try sand-blasting everything to determine the shape of the metal.

BTW the butt stock looks like it is toast. However, you can probably get replacement wood off of Numrich.

If the metal is OK and you are serious about restoring it, I would parkerize the metal and then GunKote over that.

You might need to replace a few parts, but it would be cool to see it brought back to life.

It just depends how much it costs. It might just be cheaper to buy a brand new shotgun and sell that one for parts.

Cheers!
 
If it is any encouragement to you, I shoot the gun below and the first photo does not really show just how rusty it was. I would not sandblast the gun because that would leave a general fine pitting, I would think. I also think the stock is salvageable as long as it is not rotten.
The real issue is do you want to take the job on as a challenge or not? If you enjoy tinkering with guns and want practice etc then go for it. If you just want a cheap shotgun, then buy one in working condition. Part of the question too is how able are you to replace or make parts etc although in the case of your gun, as long as you do not want it to end up looking brand new and shiny, it looks to me like most of the parts are there and all you have to do is de rust them and get them moving smoothly. Remove rust but accept some tarnish.

cheers mooncoon

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slushee said:
So I go out to a farm to find this old beat up wooden box the owner found buried in his barn ..



I have been able to figure out its a Winchester Repeating Arms shotgun .. but the rest is very unreadable.

So, considering the shape, and that it is taking me a few months to refinish a regular shotgun stock .. where would one begin with this 'project' :confused:
Click to expand...

Winchester and Remington are/were two separate companies, each manufacturing their own shotgun... I do not believe they made any together...

...From what I see in your photo's appears to be a Winchester Model 12....
and if I found a model 12 in this condition and with missing parts I think I would simply keep the box and bury the rest. :)
 
ahhh bosley is right .. i have to try. I am going to start by soaking everything in WD40 for 24 hours and lightly clean it using a hard toothbrush .. I will post pics afterwards and we'll all go from there :p

My main concern is the inside of the barrel ... it looks .. well aweful. How bad is slight pitting inside of a 12 ga. barrel preformance-wise? I may have to replace that part...
 
guntech said:
Winchester and Remington are/were two separate companies, each manufacturing their own shotgun... I do not believe they made any together...

...From what I see in your photo's appears to be a Winchester Model 12....
and if I found a model 12 in this condition and with missing parts I think I would simply keep the box and bury the rest. :)
Click to expand...

I have to agree, I would not waste any time on that.
 
slushee said:
ahhh bosley is right .. i have to try. I am going to start by soaking everything in WD40 for 24 hours and lightly clean it using a hard toothbrush .. I will post pics afterwards and we'll all go from there :p

My main concern is the inside of the barrel ... it looks .. well aweful. How bad is slight pitting inside of a 12 ga. barrel preformance-wise? I may have to replace that part...
Click to expand...

Soak it for longer in a penetrating oil... WD40 won't do much...

Don't waste any money on it... you may get this assembled only to find out it is worn out anyway... you can buy a complete Model 12 in shooting condition for far less than you will spend trying to make this work...
 
For roughly $400 you can go to almost any gun store and buy a Remington 870 and at the end of the day you have yourself a new and reliable firearm, but nothing more. With that old wooden box of rusty parts, moldy wood and confusion you have a story, and a good story can make any gun into an amazing gun.

Taking on a project like that would be very fulfilling in the end, especially if the parts you have can be brought back to a safe and reliable state. I think if I had the spare time, the knowledge, and a place to work besides the kitchen table I would have started the project already.

Only you know if the project is worth while and I respect your ambition and will enjoy following this project along.

Good luck
 
What would you all suggest as a good penetraiting oil that I can pick up at the local hardware store/gun store?

Yeah :redface: I have already started soaking the wood in chem stripper lol .. BUT I am using my kitchen table so .. maybe I am crazy after all!
 
I have 5 model 12's, and I think I know them pretty well. Yours is suitable for a fencepost, tent stake or to prop open a door. Interesting story though. Do you actually want to pull the trigger to release a couple tons of energy with that old relic piece of junk between your hands? get serious.
 
04rubicon said:
it would be cool to hang on a wall in a rec room.
Click to expand...

Exactly! Rubicon got it.

I can't believe what I'm hearing.... "Ohh shotgun X is only X amount of dollars, go buy it, save your trouble, etc".


NO FIREARM SHOULD BE NEGLECTED.

So what if you restore it, it looks great but you can't fire out of it? So what if you sink 100-200 bucks in supplies to do it? At the very least you can use it as a wall hanger. Just imagine what that shotgun has seen, and how much game it has taken. The very least you could do for it after lying up and rotting is to restore it to at least some amount of it's former glory.

But, as mentioned ASAP I'd get that soaking in rustcheck or some kind of penetrating oil and let it sit for a week or so before cleaning.

If you restore it, post before/afters! Good luck :)
 
slushee said:
What would you all suggest as a good penetraiting oil that I can pick up at the local hardware store/gun store?
Click to expand...

Liquid Wrench (small yellow aerosol can) is the best of them that I have tried, but not available in a bulk container as far as I know. Releasall (sp) is available in a 4l container and it is almost as good as Liquid Wrench. Both are available at Canadian Tire in the automotive section.
 
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