Dumspter find Stevens 94
So I was working in a retirement community pruning trees and one of the townhouses had a big dumpster in the driveway. I make a habit of looking in them out of curiosity after finding a old Bowie knife and a cast iron model T hand pump in one at a moving sale when I was in my 20's. I glanced in and saw what I thought was part of a gun, reached in and pulled out a receiver and barrel of a Stevens model 94 single shot shotgun. Jumped in and found the Tenite forearm. After placing shotgun in my truck, I told a kid I was working with what I found. He jumped in and found a replacement wooden stock and stock bolt. It had rained the night before and there was some superficial rust in a couple of spots on receiver and barrel.
I am familiar with the fact that the Tenite stocks had a tendency to crack and many have been replaced with wood stocks over time. My research on this shotgun dates it to 1948 or 1949 due to the markings on the receiver and the Tenite furniture. This shotgun cleaned up nicely, but i did run into one issue. The stock bolt/receiver threads seem to be stripped. I was able to get stock bolt tight with out the stock on once but other times it keeps turning, with the stock on it keeps turning. I am aware that these shotguns were made for a long time and that there may be slight dimensional differences in the stocks, bolts, receivers over time. My research also found the stock bolt should have a 1/4" x 24 thread.
Question for you experts? Would you re-chase the threads or would you re cut receiver to another dimensions to solidly reattach the stock. This is not a high dollar firearm, probably why it was in the dumpster. I do have a tap and die set but have never used it. I would like to get it serviceable again if possible.
Before anyone suggests that this shotgun was used in a crime we did talk to the son of the guy who lived there and he told us anything in the dumpster was fair game. My coworker scored a circular saw and an old ammo can but that was it.
I am familiar with the fact that the Tenite stocks had a tendency to crack and many have been replaced with wood stocks over time. My research on this shotgun dates it to 1948 or 1949 due to the markings on the receiver and the Tenite furniture. This shotgun cleaned up nicely, but i did run into one issue. The stock bolt/receiver threads seem to be stripped. I was able to get stock bolt tight with out the stock on once but other times it keeps turning, with the stock on it keeps turning. I am aware that these shotguns were made for a long time and that there may be slight dimensional differences in the stocks, bolts, receivers over time. My research also found the stock bolt should have a 1/4" x 24 thread.
Question for you experts? Would you re-chase the threads or would you re cut receiver to another dimensions to solidly reattach the stock. This is not a high dollar firearm, probably why it was in the dumpster. I do have a tap and die set but have never used it. I would like to get it serviceable again if possible.
Before anyone suggests that this shotgun was used in a crime we did talk to the son of the guy who lived there and he told us anything in the dumpster was fair game. My coworker scored a circular saw and an old ammo can but that was it.
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Thank you for making that clear. It is a question which would be asked. I gave you a "like" for pointing it out in the first post.tangara said:
Before anyone suggests that this shotgun was used in a crime we did talk to the son of the guy who lived there and he told us anything in the dumpster was fair game. My coworker scored a circular saw and an old ammo can but that was it.
Now, lets hand it over to our gunsmiths...0 -
First thing I would do. Would try 1 or more washers, under the head of the bolt. Possibly the stock bolt is bottoming out? With less engagement, because of the washers. It might tighten up sufficiently, to hold the stock in place..
I owned one of the old Stevens combination guns, with Tenite furniture years ago. To the best of my recoglation, it didn't have a factory serial number. As it was made 20 years before, the laws were changed. Requiring the serialization, of all commercially manufactured firearms.0 -
" My research also found the stock bolt should have a 1/4" x 24 thread."..............your tap & die set will not have this, std. is 1/4x20 or 1/4x28. I'd suggest retaping the hole to 5/16x18 and find a bolt at ace hardware 0 -
As Rufe said- if you can get the bolt tight WITHOUT the stock, then the problem is not that threads are stripped- it is that the bolt is not engaging the threads. May be too short with the different stock, or just not lining up with the different stock. When the stock is off the shotgun, and you slide bolt into the stock, how much does it protrude? And Mike Whiskey is correct- 1/4 x 28 thread- not found in average homeowners tap & die set. Before I whittled on anything, would check on the bolt.
Gunsmith's Rule #1- always fiddle with the cheapest part first.0
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