Bolt Action 20ga.

My uncle dropped off his bolt action 20ga. for me to work on the trigger. You nearly have to tie a rope to the trigger and hook it to a MAC truck to fire a shot. Its atleast 15lbs. Anyway I've never held one of these before today and clueless on how to disassemble the bolt to try some new springs to get a lighter pull. My uncle has redone the stock and barrel and I was unsuccessful in finding any markings to identify what it is. Here are some pics......

It looks like a Stevens but a lot of manufacturers made guns for different vendors, such as J.C. Higgins, Sears, etc. I believe that bolt will unscrew into two pieces. Hard to tell without examining.

i have seen mossbergs that look alot like this. but i am not sure.

Yeah my uncle thinks it's a mossberg. I thought it may unscrew but wanted to make sure because that sucker has got an extremely strong spring(note the 15lb trigger pull). Don't wanna send one part of it through the wall.

Reloader wrote:It looks like a Stevens but a lot of manufacturers made guns for different vendors, such as J.C. Higgins, Sears, etc. I believe that bolt will unscrew into two pieces. Hard to tell without examining.

Looks like my Stevens .410 but it has a tubular mag. The bolt looks the same though. It's so old you'd have a hard time finding any info on it.

Sidroski How does your bolt come apart.

I had a 20 gauge mossberg that looked just like it. I also have a 16 gauge mossberg that looks just like it. I believe they both had a three shot clip.

I had a bolt action 20ga (I think) as a teenager (i.e.; the Dark Ages!). As I recall it looks very similar to what you are showing, even the detachable magazine.

My daughter has it now. I've written her asking her to copy whatever info she can from the gun. And, if I'm lucky she may send me some pictures.

It may take a week or two. If I do get anything back I’ll post it.

Looks like a Mossberge model 195

Make sure it's not the bolt action JC Higgins that has the recall from the bolt shooting out the back. Not sure on the details, but yeah, not something you want to have happen.

I still have my first gun. I is a New Haven made in the mid 60s. I reworked my trigger a couple years ago.It is a Mossburg New Haven 410 . I did a little stone work on my sear and I think I put a lighter spring in it. Anyway, I got it down to 3 pounds which is as low as I want a shotgun. Good luck. You can do it.

9/10/10


OK. I’ve heard from my daughter. Pictures after text.

As far as identifying marks on the shotgun, she writes:
Kessler Arms Corporation
Silver Creek, New York, U.S.A.
MDL 326 FR 20 GA 2 3/4 inch
Full Choke Pat. Pending


I’ve done a little (very little) web seacrhing.

Here’s one URL you might you might want to check out:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_value_of_a_Kessler_arms_corp_mdl_326
It reads:
“What is the value of a Kessler arms corp mdl 326? I just got a Kessler mdl 326 20 gauge shotgun, apparently Kessler made these bolt action shotguns from 1951-1953 before they went out of business. On the underside of the barrel there should be three numbers that will denote whether it is 51, 52, or 53. In mint condition these guns are only worth about $150. Towards the end of production the quality fell sharply- the magazines would jam while loading.”

I have no way to know with what authority that reference speaks.

My son-in-law (who’s sort of knowledgeable in firearms) says the Model 326 pictured here is in fine shape.

I hope this is of some value to you.

I noticed your post regarding "Bolt Action 20 ga". Did you find the information pertaining to disassembling the bolt?

I had a 16 ga. back in 1961 that looked just like your 20 ga. It was sold by Sears as a J. C. Higgins. It was made by J. Stevens Arms Company which was a division of Savage Arms Corp. Stevens sold them as a Model 58.