Several years ago, my step dad gave me an old Sears Ranger 12ga pump shotgun (re-badged Stevens 520). It has a nice take-down feature and a 32" barrel with a PolyChoke. It has been well used and worn, but is in good, usable condition, though it balanced like a drunken sailor. Someone had cut the stock down about 1.5", probably for duck hunting with a thick jacket, and they are not all that rare. Here is what it looked like:
It wasn't worth anything and wasn't useful to me in that condition and configuration, so I decided it was a prime candidate for a make-over. I took it to a local shop for the work. I first had them cut the barrel down to 18.5" and install a Mossberg-type screw in choke. They had three used choke tubes (full, modified and improved cylinder) so I got all three. They also installed a large brass bead front sight. Since the stock was so short, they put on a recoil pad. Finally, it still had an old wooden dowel in the 5rd magazine tube for hunting, so I had that removed. Here is what it looks like now:
I am thinking about disassembling it and refinishing the metal with one of Brownell's stainless-colored bake-on spray finishes, but it looks pretty nice just like this. Now, it is a perfect truck/camping gun. It has a new lease on life and I think it was a good recycling project!
It wasn't worth anything and wasn't useful to me in that condition and configuration, so I decided it was a prime candidate for a make-over. I took it to a local shop for the work. I first had them cut the barrel down to 18.5" and install a Mossberg-type screw in choke. They had three used choke tubes (full, modified and improved cylinder) so I got all three. They also installed a large brass bead front sight. Since the stock was so short, they put on a recoil pad. Finally, it still had an old wooden dowel in the 5rd magazine tube for hunting, so I had that removed. Here is what it looks like now:
I am thinking about disassembling it and refinishing the metal with one of Brownell's stainless-colored bake-on spray finishes, but it looks pretty nice just like this. Now, it is a perfect truck/camping gun. It has a new lease on life and I think it was a good recycling project!
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