Whiskey Hicks Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 12 gauge, non-hammered Stevens with a tang safety. Will this hopefully work for SASS? I’m ok with getting used to the safety, and I do plan on getting the barrels cut down to coach size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Spade Mikey Wilson Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 It'll work just fine. The only issue you will hear about is the locking lug between the barrels that can hinder your reload a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCandless Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 I began with a Stevens 311. The Stevens will get you started. It's fairly easy to convert the safety to manual only. But, without modification the Stevens 311 needs the weight of the longer barrels to keep the breech open wide enough to load. You might want to leave it long for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goody, SASS #26190 Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 https://marauder.homestead.com/Stevens311.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 2 hours ago, McCandless said: without modification the Stevens 311 needs the weight of the longer barrels to keep the breech open wide enough to load. You might want to leave it long for now. THIS^^^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646 Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 The gunsafe is home to a Charles Daly that my Pa, Blue Boy sass46773 bought about 10 years ago. It has the center lug like your Stevens. I have found that I am slow and clumsy enough that the locking lug is not much of a problem. I cant load my CZ much faster. Imis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Bullweed Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 Many of us started and got good service from Model 311, 3100 and 5100 sxs guns by Stevens/Savage. Solid guns. Not the fastest but a good place to start and keep as a backup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 It is an easy fix to make the safety a manual one , when you take the buttstock off to repair the chipped stock ... Jabez Cowboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warden Callaway Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 I wouldn't cut the barrel length for the reasons stated above. Unless it's done by someone that understands how to respring the action and modify the parts to stay open (are there any smiths around that still know how to do this?). If anything, I'd have the chambers recut to modern 2-3/4" plastic folded crimp shell. It'll make a noticeable difference in the recoil. Probably why the stock is chipped. Shooting modern shells in what is a gun designed to shoot paper roll crimp shells with paper wads is causing a restriction in the chamber. Some say the rib extenson aid in guiding the shells into chamber. Grab two shells and have them in the fingers part of your loading hand (left if your right handed) , thumb over heads. Shove them over the the extension that will separate them. Push into the chambers. Keep it as stock as you can because if you and when you move to another shotgun, it'll be more valuable left stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey Hicks Posted December 19, 2020 Author Share Posted December 19, 2020 14 hours ago, Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 said: It is an easy fix to make the safety a manual one , when you take the buttstock off to repair the chipped stock ... Jabez Cowboy It is kind of noticeable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slow Mo Dern Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 Whiskey Hicks! How are you? Nice gun! That will be perfect for bustin' flyin' pop cans and water bottles! Flyin' birds too! I bet you can't wait to try that baby out! There's a lot of knowledgeable folks around our area that can help you with that shotgun if you need it. Ask me if you ever need a light smokeless load recipe. Merry Christmas! Stay safe and God bless. Slow Mo Dern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 2 hours ago, Whiskey Hicks said: It is kind of noticeable It is also a very simple fix ... Just like the safety ... Good luck with your gun ,she will serve you well they are well built and strong guns .... If you decide to cut it down I suggest that it be cut to 24 inches ... Also a good solid Recoil pad like the "Decelerator" sold by Lyman is a plus ... Jabez Cowboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Joker Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 When you do fix it cut a piece of an old plastic membership or credit card to fit between the stock and metal of the receiver. It will prevent future chips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jefro, SASS#69420 Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 Good gun, get rid of the auto safety........you can still use manual if you need it in the field. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 If you are mechanically inclined and are brave you can replace the hammer springs with a lighter set available from Brownells. Read the link above to Marauders website there are direction on which way the pins drive out. They only go one way. With reduced power hammer springs you can cut the barrels no shorter than 24" and still have the shotgun open reliably. Word of warning do not cut or grind on any part unless you have a replacement in hand and have tested that replacement to ensure it works in your gun. Over the years Stevens made slight modifications to the internals of the 311. This means that with some parts you have to change them as a set. For example there are 2 different styles of cocking levers that each have their respective hammer design. You cannot mix or match designs. Other parts like the plunger that goes into the barrel lug are interchangeable. Below is a video of how to make tools to assist in replacing the hammers. One recommendation I have is to use a longer bolt and a couple of nuts. Install the bolt and lock it in place from the inside with one of the nuts. Then use the other nut to compress the tool and hammer springs. This will prevent any chance of damage to the threads in the tang. Be very careful and DO NOT bend the rod that operates the locking lug. If you mess up the geometry of this rod the barrels may unlock with heavy loads causing the 2nd round not to fire. Found this video as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warden Callaway Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 Better advice, take it and trade it for a Stoeger Coach Gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 Cut it to 24 , put a recoil pad on it, cut a 1/4 inch off the rod that pushes the safety on , repair the Stock and enjoy ... They are good and Simple guns that will keep on shooting for the next 200 years and never give any trouble ... The steel they made from is of better quality than that used on the Stoegers , and they will outlast them ... Jabez Cowboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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