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Century Arms JW-2000 Coach Gun NO Parts


Quiet Mick

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Just learned from a phone call to Century Arms, that they have no parts to sell for their JW-2000 Coach Gun.

The owners manual has a complete parts list on last page????

 

I just bought one, for lack of any other makes available in my neighborhood, and wanted to get started with local club. I had seen mostly good reviews of it for the $ 300 price tag.

 

Soon as I got it, it needed work, loose screws, stiff opening, and the barrel lever scraping the stock, it was a special order, so had no others to choose from.

 

So far have had to: take completely apart, re-work high wood on stock near lever so barrel lever will clear. File and smooth the receiver nose and forearm connector, so action drops open of it's own weight. Rework top lever shaft to tighten up vertical movement in top lever. And, it appears I will have to heat lever and bend it, because it still kisses the steel tang when unlocking. I wanted to buy a spare lever in the case I screw up, but no chance of that, as I found out today.

I certainly cannot recommend this shotgun at the moment. With a cursory look at it's internals, it appears serviceable, if parts where available...without them it is a throw away..

Nothing about factory service in the manual other then the statement of one year warranty of defective parts, and need for a return authorization...Numrich shows nothing for this gun either. I ordered it from a local dealer, and knew I'd have to do work on it, and returning any cheap import for repair is a giant crapshoot, in my experience.

I will get this shooting, but how long it will last is unknown. My hope is enough owners will complain to Century, that they will eventually supply replacement parts. I sent an email to Century's sales head, with my complaint, but not expecting much as the first contact agent I talked to, did not seem to care about the situation in any manner..

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Coyote Cap may have some parts for it. He has certainly done work on many (at least a close cousin) that he imported several years ago.

 

Yes, the JW2000 is well known and poorly respected. A Colt 1878 clone is easily ordered from Cimarron. Any FFL who would not be willing to receive one from Cimarron is not worth talking to. The 1878 copy is the standard hammered double for cowboy shooting anymore. If you need parts badly enough, we could talk as I have one of the Cap versions in the closet.

 

It will not be any use to send it back to China. There are smiths here who can make it at least work for you. Johnny Meadows, Goatneck Clem, Cap, all come to mind. Spare parts, though, will always be a challenge.

 

Good luck, GJ

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http://blackmarketarms.com/

 

This company is in our area and deals in "black rifles" mostly. But they did sale the JW 2000. A while back they had butt stocks and actions for sale on their GB store listings. They have their own in-house gunsmith of sorts (I assume building black rifles). They may have some JW 2000 parts in a junk box.

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Most of us have bought at least one firearm for CAS that was a disappointment. Good luck in getting it to work; I admire how you rise to a challenge.

 

But if it continues to frustrate you, don't let a crappy gun spoil the sport for you. Whether you want to wind up at the bottom, middle or top of the rankings, this sport is so much more fun with trouble free firearms. And typically trouble free guns are not cheap.

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Sorry to hear about your shotgun, as J-Bar said, a lot of us have been there. It was the Taurus Thunderbolt rifle for me. At least I got SOME of my money back back when I sold the worthless POJ!

 

Take a look on GUNBROKER.COM for parts. I have seen JW-2000 parts on there. Good luck!

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I had one and it was a fun shooter but that was about all, i sold it and went to a stoger, Good luck RR

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I bought one several years back from Big 5 for $200.00. Couldn't resist the price. Anyway, it took $100.00 worth of gunsmithing, but it works OK. However, I really have to get my mind right to shoot it. The buttstock goes almost straight back from the tubes. Hardly any drop at all.

 

The "JW2000" has always made me wonder if that was the gun made for the John Wayne coach gun. I know that was a flop, maybe they had some left over. :)

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Wanted the Cimarron, called them and they are out of them until Sept. or ?? See some advertised for sale at Bud's guns and Impact....but have not dealt with either, and wondering if they actually have one??? Seen some nasty reviews about both. The Turkish CZ also looks nice, in photos... If I do a internet buy, it has been on Gun Genie, their guaranty cannot be beat. Had to send back 2 Rugers once. Next time, I want to actually handle a piece before plunking down $$. Quality Control, industry wide, seems lacking....these days.

 

Got the barrel release lever heated and re-contoured today, cast steel responded normally to heat and bend, giving 1/16" clearance from tang and wood now. Chamfered the chamber mouths, and a few more coats of wiped varnish and sanding should finish project.. Looked at some machined voids in butt stock where the receiver meets the wood, and decided to relieve and reinforce the some areas with epoxy that look like they could be effected by recoil.

 

Really makes one think about how so many years ago, without CNC etc. these "tools" were built here in America with

pride and workmanship.....

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Have no idea why the JW? Barrel is stamped ZHONGZHOU MACHINE WORKS CHINA on one barrel and

CAI GEORGIA VT. on the other. (CAI= Century Arms International.) Can't make a JW out of any of that :wacko:

Stamping was extremely rough and done on top of blueing, so showed bare steel in the letters. I had to draw file

and polish the ridges off the letters and re-blue to look halfway decent.

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It's made in China at the Z-whatever Machine Works but it is imported and distributed through CAI. Just like Cimarron, they don't make guns, they import and sell them.

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I bought a PW87 from the Black Market Arms that is made by the same company in China as the JW2000. Everything said about the JW2000 applies to the PW87. The PW87 is best described as a group of crude cast parts forced together. There was a JW2000 on display in their retail store and it's crude.

 

I put a lot of effort and time getting the PW87 to function poorly (as opposed to hardly working). As they say in mule trading, education costs.

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  • 4 weeks later...

After about ten hrs. of work on this, I had it slicked up and went to practicing loading only to find one chamber had not been reamed deep enough at the rim leaving .026 of rim sticking out,..which causes it to jam closing and opening the action...Tried different brands of shells, all stick out. Now trying to rent a rim cutter to fix it,.. as to buy one costs $100... this is getting .ridiculous...

 

img_0147_2-12191361.jpg?ts=1432609925

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After about ten hrs. of work on this, I had it slicked up and went to practicing loading only to find one chamber had not been reamed deep enough at the rim leaving .026 of rim sticking out,..which causes it to jam closing and opening the action...Tried different brands of shells, all stick out. Now trying to rent a rim cutter to fix it,.. as to buy one costs $100... this is getting .ridiculous...

 

img_0147_2-12191361.jpg?ts=1432609925

Too bad you didn't drop a couple of empties in it the first thing.

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Quiet Mick,

 

I have parts for the JW-2000 and PW-87. No barrels or frames, but screws, hammers, springs, firing pins, (American Walnut) forearms and buttstocks, but that's about all I have.

 

Those guns were built in the same corner of the Shandong #2 tractor Manufacturing plant in Linya, China. The same plant that built the TTN's and yes, the long name on each gun is correct!

 

I know, because I have been to that armpit of the earth, and offered Python soup for lunch, but preferred the rice soup and vegetables !

 

"Cap"

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After about ten hrs. of work on this, I had it slicked up and went to practicing loading only to find one chamber had not been reamed deep enough at the rim leaving .026 of rim sticking out,..which causes it to jam closing and opening the action...Tried different brands of shells, all stick out. Now trying to rent a rim cutter to fix it,.. as to buy one costs $100... this is getting .ridiculous...

 

img_0147_2-12191361.jpg?ts=1432609925

You have a lot of patience. Good for you, but maybe this last bit could get done faster in a machine shop or at a smith. If you have time put up a picture of the finished product.

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If you still want to buy a 12 gauge rim cutter, there's one on the Cast Boolits site:

 

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?278905-Chamber-Reamers

 

They don't seem to have good first hand info on the condition of a whole raft of chamber reamers they are selling, but it's a lead.

 

Good luck, GJ

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Too bad you didn't drop a couple of empties in it the first thing.

I did, but they were fired from a Rem 870, and the rims must have been slightly flattened, and with the then very tight pressure of forearm steel against receiver, I did not recognize problem. Should be able to rent a cutter from 4D for $ 30.. 7 days. Wood, fit and finish are not bad for $300. Locks are coil spring. Triggers; right 8# left 5# fairly smooth, OK for my use, will see how they change with more break in, coated sears with dry lube. Safety is non- auto and not an issue for competition. The Hammer design could have been much better, they need to be 1/8-1/4" taller. with larger ears..

 

img_0148_2-68436173.jpg?ts=1432660523

 

 

imag0713-38085588.jpg?ts=1432749461

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If you still want to buy a 12 gauge rim cutter, there's one on the Cast Boolits site:

 

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?278905-Chamber-Reamers

 

They don't seem to have good first hand info on the condition of a whole raft of chamber reamers they are selling, but it's a lead.

 

Good luck, GJ

 

 

 

Thanks have sent PM to them and made purchase. Taking off a few thousands with this hand reamer, way cheaper then asking any Gunsmith around here, with $100 minimums...and I can re-sell it after....

 

Also thinking about checkering hammers:

 

capture.jpg11-49673630.jpg?ts=1432671321

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Quiet Mick,

 

I have parts for the JW-2000 and PW-87. No barrels or frames, but screws, hammers, springs, firing pins, (American Walnut) forearms and buttstocks, but that's about all I have.

 

Those guns were built in the same corner of the Shandong #2 tractor Manufacturing plant in Linya, China. The same plant that built the TTN's and yes, the long name on each gun is correct!

 

I know, because I have been to that armpit of the earth, and offered Python soup for lunch, but preferred the rice soup and vegetables !

 

"Cap"

 

 

Thanks I will save your information. Do you have any history of what breaks or wears out on these guns? Everything looks robust, but quality of the steel ????

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Quiet Mick?

 

I can see your gun still has the smaller hammers.

 

I hand made a new and taller "automatic" safety set of hammers and sent them to IAC to send to the factory in China to be investment cast and put into production on my Special Edition coachguns.

 

The Chinese liked my new hammers so much. They took my design and included the tall hammers on later production M-99's for Big 5 stores, nationwide! Yup, you guessed it, I never got paid for a single one of thousands they made

 

Over time I discovered my hammers could be made to fit the South American Rossi and also the JW-2000 and I brought back a couple hundred sets of those taller hammers.

 

"Coyote Cap"

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Wanted the Cimarron, called them and they are out of them until Sept. or ?? See some advertised for sale at Bud's guns and Impact....but have not dealt with either, and wondering if they actually have one??? Seen some nasty reviews about both. The Turkish CZ also looks nice, in photos... If I do a internet buy, it has been on Gun Genie, their guaranty cannot be beat. Had to send back 2 Rugers once. Next time, I want to actually handle a piece before plunking down $$. Quality Control, industry wide, seems lacking....these days.

 

Got the barrel release lever heated and re-contoured today, cast steel responded normally to heat and bend, giving 1/16" clearance from tang and wood now. Chamfered the chamber mouths, and a few more coats of wiped varnish and sanding should finish project.. Looked at some machined voids in butt stock where the receiver meets the wood, and decided to relieve and reinforce the some areas with epoxy that look like they could be effected by recoil.

 

Really makes one think about how so many years ago, without CNC etc. these "tools" were built here in America with

pride and workmanship.....

Got mine at Bud's about 3 years ago. Use it for Frontier Cartridge. I just lookded and they do have them. Put this in the Product Search on the website and it should pop up: Cimmaron 1878 COACH GUN S/S 12 20

 

I'm happy with mine. I'm not fast but I'm deadly!

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Quiet Mick?

 

I can see your gun still has the smaller hammers.

 

I hand made a new and taller "automatic" safety set of hammers and sent them to IAC to send to the factory in China to be investment cast and put into production on my Special Edition coachguns.

 

The Chinese liked my new hammers so much. They took my design and included the tall hammers on later production M-99's for Big 5 stores, nationwide! Yup, you guessed it, I never got paid for a single one of thousands they made

 

Over time I discovered my hammers could be made to fit the South American Rossi and also the JW-2000 and I brought back a couple hundred sets of those taller hammers.

 

"Coyote Cap"

 

 

Nice talking with you on phone today, ordering a set of those hammers from you, should have bought one of your 99's... But, good to hear the steel on these JW's is good..

 

capture.jpg99-13175414.jpg?ts=1432841388

Like the look of those tall hammers for sure..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Way over a decade ago I bought one at Big5 for $179. First time I fired it with featherlites chunks of the buttstock at the wrist went flying off. Chinese mystery wood just barely above balsa. Got it fixed and got rid of the poj

 

Wood on mine, still a mystery, but; heavy, dense, stained walnut color, and took rubbed in varnish well. Checkering cut not pressed:

img_0149_2-30115198.jpg?ts=1432980021

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