I put it aside as a winter project, and it's now winter. The gun needs disassembly and a good cleaning, a few metal parts need a bit of re-bluing, and the wooden stock and pump would benefit from re-finishing. There was no factory instruction manual; I found one in Remington's website and printed it. The case was old and disintegrating so I went to Cabela's and bought a new one, plus some gun cleaning supplies and a tool kit.
Since I'm a visual learner I thought I'd see if there were YouTube videos for disassembly. And I found this video of a man having a heckuva fun time shooting bottles, gongs, cans, zombies and other things with his Remington 870. Zip past the one-minute mention of an eBay sale at about 2:00, and enjoy the rest of the video. I'd like to be on his property!
The guy is a pretty good marksman - hitting a gong at about 100 yards with a shotgun slug is not an easy thing to do.
When I have finished reconditioning my father's shotgun, I'll keep it next to a 1917 Stevens 10 gauge that I inherited from my grandfather a few years back. That gun was given to him by his father (my great-grandfather) when my grandfather was 12, because his job was to go into the woods and not come home without meat for supper. While neither gun is especially valuable, they are filled with priceless memories.
Enjoy the video.
11 comments:
870s are nice - good value, work like a dream. One cannot have too many of them.
My grandfather was an amateur gunsmith and collector. When he died in '62, the collection was spilt among four sons and son-in-laws); my dad got a Remington shotgun which I remember firing as a kid -- if only because it kicked the hell out of my shoulder.
If you grew up in Wisconsin back then, you either knew the smell of hops or Hoppe's.
I fired the 870 a couple of times at a trap range maybe 25 years ago. Nice feel, solid kick. The sound of the pump action makes it a decent home def weapon, with some limitations.
I'll take it into the field this spring along with my 1187 for some practice time and a bit of trap shooting.
When my father passed I inherited his Winchester model 12 12-gauge.
Thanks for reminding me that, as part of mt New Year's resolutions I've got to get it checked & maintained by a gun smith, which are not that easy to find in suburban MD.
Reminds me of the Grand Old days and my 1300 Ranger from WalMart.
I used to listen to George Thurogood while reloading shells every week.
Same live album.
I always loved the Annie Oakley. Finished third once I think.
That's cool to have those guns from your past. I'd love to have the ones I grew up with and spent day after day and hour upon hour just shooting in the woods of Western PA like kids play video games today.
My step-dad, who was a fantastic force for fun in my life, took me deer, pheasant and rabbit hunting every fall as a kid. I carried a 16GA, and I'd really like to have the lever action Winchester 32 Special that he used until he gave it to me at about 14, when he moved to a 273 bolt action. I'd love to have all those guns again. I need to call my Mom and find out what happened to them.
My step dad was probably the worst hunter in the world, as he never got a dear in 20 years, and I think I saw him get one rabbit and a couple pheasant over the 5 years or so we did that.
The Whitetail were very plentiful in our area, and we usually split up when hunting them, and I suspect that he was probably like me in that although I saw legal deer in my sights, I never pulled the trigger. I just couldn't do it. They were too beautiful to me, and I always felt unfairly advantaged with a rifle. It was to easy, too final, too severe an act. So as far as I know, neither one of us ever got a deer, and we also never confessed to each other that we let them get away. We would talk of how they were just out of range, or slipped behind a tree just in time. Regardless, we still seemed to enjoy the the whole thing just as much: the anticipation, the reading books and magazines about hunting for months in advance, the excitement, the clean, crisp air and beautiful dense woodlands. Gutting and dragging a dead deer out just seemed like it would ruin the whole thing.
I killed plenty of other things with those guns, and I regretted every one of them afterward, but the impulse to aim and kill with a rifle in your hand is overwhelming in a boy, and I suppose most men. I'd have no problem doing it to survive, but for sport, I think anything easier than a knife is just too easy.
I have no problem with hunting, and I support it for others, and even wish more did it, because it's a wonderful experience, but it's just not for me unless the animal has a sporting chance of taking me out too. At least that was my feeling then. I think I'd be more comfortable with it today, knowing the function that harvesting performs to the general deer population, and the suffering through starvation that it prevents.
I like punching holes in paper.
My dear once threatened to shoot me, but that's a story for another day.
As my step-dad would attest, he did get at least one "dear", but Mom didn't run very fast.
That guy has some other useful videos about handguns, if he is the one I watched (with the Glock hat) to help me out on some things.
That guy has some other useful videos about handguns, if he is the one I watched (with the Glock hat) to help me out on some things.
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