doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com M17 question

My apologies if this seems like the post that won't die, but I just found this second barrel and fitted it to the gun. Nice to have the choice of lengths and chokes!

You know, for a fairly inexpensive gun, this one has been a lot of fun so-far.

It wouldn't take much effort to completely refinish this gun, only a bit more effort than it would take to reblue the "new" barrel. Now that it's fully functional and is a two barrel composed "set", I'm wondering if I should consider it? Original gun is a March of '29 production. Second barrel dates to July of '33.

Opinions? Much ado about nothing?

I would say leave it alone and shoot it. You might have the extra barrel rust blued so that it won't be in such stark contrast to the rest of the gun. What length and choke is it?
JR

Yes, reblue the barrel.....and they were rust blued at the factory. I have heard, but have no way of confirming, that sawdust was soaked with the acid and the barrels were pressed down into it. Anyone heard similar?

Original barrel is 28-inch and Modified, added barrel is 26-inch and Improved Cylinder. With the shorter barrel, the gun tips the scales at 5lbs14. There is the usual wear and patina on the action, that the replacement barrel matches rather closely. The original barrel actually almost looks too good.

Mr. Wood: Do you know how Remington finished the wood on these guns in that era? Do you know if they use lacquer or some other system/material? Also, were the actions also rust blued? I have heard speculation that the actions were finished by some different process.

Rust blue on the whole gun, Lloyd-mine is turning plum.



The last time I spoke to Steve Bodio, he was down to two shotguns-a Halifax Darne in 16 gauge, and a really ancient looking model 17. I think he was spending more time shooting the Remington. God, I trained that guy well.

The two barrel Remington model 17 trick is easier to pull off than the two barrel Ithaca model 37 trick. Just buy a second barrel.

I've owned this copy of the model 17 since September 17 (my girlfriend at the times birthday) of 1977. The original barrel had a vented Cutts on it, and it was unpleasant to shoot, very loud. Stan Baker asked me what I hunted with it (grouse and woodcock) and where I did that hunting (eastern MN and western WI) and told me it would be fixed in a month or so. It came back with his screw in chokes, shortened to 21", backbored and with a lengthened forcing cone. Damn, does it throw nice patterns. That recoil pad was installed hasily by myself when I had a guest coming from out of town, and as I took the gun out of the safe for him to use, the old recoil pad fell apart! I've shot bushel baskets of birds with it, and longingly remember the time in my life when it was my only repeater. A lot of times I wish it had stayed that way, 'cepting of course then I wouldn't have needed to meet all you guys.

I say leave it be, Lloyd. Use it without too much concern for the finish, you have other guns to worry about condition on.

This is a picture of the business end of barrel number one. Stan Baker had a two step swaging process that worked pretty slick.



The Remington 17s were Duco lacquer in the era (1933) mine was built, as far as I know, Lloyd. The really early ones may have been varnish, I suppose.

Best,
Ted

From my reading, I'm guessing either varnish or lacquer, and I am leaning towards lacquer.

Ted: It would appear that our postings crossed. So it is lacquer. I'm wondering what would explain the almost olive green patina on my action?

Lloyd,
I have no idea why the action would be olive green, and on a gun this old, who knows what has happened.
I can say this. I've spent the time and money to refinish an old pump one time in my life. It came to me because nobody else on my Father's side of the family wanted it. It was the splintered and rusted wreck of a first year model 12 20 gauge, which, had been a barn gun from at least the 1940s until I got it. I bought a used Italian reproduction stock off of one of the gun boards and a new reproduction of the front wood for it, a big button lefty safety for it (since, the model 12 safety is in the wrong place) and polished it myself. Some of the pits were too deep to polish out. Glen Rock blue hot blued it for slim money. The Winchester buttplate came from a friend who decided his Cooey arms single shot needed a pistol stock. I polished and engine turned the bolt.

Here is the gun.



I HAD to refinish this gun. It simply wasn't usable the way it was. I wish I had taken a picture of it, when I got it. It is pleasant enough to look at, now, and works very well, but, that being said, I wouldn't refinish another pump gun unless it was too rough to use it as it is.
I got this gun for free, got most of the parts used, and that is a good thing, because a refinished pump isn't worth much money. I'd break even, I suppose, if I sold it. I might have $150 into it, total.
The gun works flawlessly. At various times at the range we have tried to get it to act up with 2 3/4" ammunition (it is a 2 1/2 chamber gun) and it simply will not refuse to fire, cycle and do it all over again. I think the choke was opened, since the barrel says "Full" but, measures right at the edge of improved modified.

But, the Winchester people especially, want nothing to do with a refinished gun.

Good luck.

Best,
Ted