doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Model 50

hand made guns went away in 1964. as mentioned, the 1400 was what they banked on to combat the 1100. they lost.

quirks of the m50:
1. the stock bolt would loosen and cause the stock to become loose. recalls were implimented to no avail. some worked, some didnt. issue now is, people own guns made up from parts and dont know of the recalls and what to look for.
2. forearm bolt would crack forearm when gun heated up from use. metal expanded in field from use, shooter retightens bolt. shooter went home, gun cooled in gun cabinet.........metal contracted....crackola.
3. recoil spring needs continuous adjustment to ensure bolt doesnt crack receiver on recoil. spring new is 13". when a spring hits 10", bolt will strike receiver. most people dont even know of this quirk.
4. 20ga m50's do not have replacement springs available. oem or nib 20ga springs are hens teeth. wolfee has 12ga springs.
5. gun needs cleaning after daily use. action can clog up after only 250 rounds.
6. trigger groups were made of alloy. guide holes for pins would wear, misaligning the group in the receiver.
7. there are 3 hammer assy's out there. 1st, modified, and new design. 1st hammer was designed like a m12 and would hang up on second notch causing ad's. recall called for the removal of this notch. by 1956, the new hammers were being installed w/o the notch. again, since this gun design has been parted by so many people, there is no way to track what is done to what gun.
8. an overpowered ejector would toss hulls 25 ft. a recall called for filing it down to reduce throw.
9. the featherweight and proceeding model 59 were flops. receiver cracks spelled doom for the 50-59 lineup. they were glad to get rid of it. owners hated dealing with it. they wanted a simple gun. the model 50 wasnt one.

pros:
1. its a heavy gun. for clay shooting, thats a good thing.
place a m50 receiver next to a m12 and youll see why they call it the semi auto model 12.
2. built like tank.
3. 1st american gun without a recoiling barrel on the receiver. split hairs all you want, but it doesnt recoil and effect your sighting.
4. could be had in numerous grades with the same quality engravings as a model 12 pigeon.
5. last of the best hand done fixed choking from winchester. i never had a gun with a blown pattern or holes.
6. no plastic parts on the gun. ok...(buttplate and red bradley bead.)
7. softest recoiling semi on the market. i'd put it up against new guns today.
8. workhorses....my club stocks loaners of m50's exclusively.
since i like tinkering, it doesnt bother me...clean, oil, adjust, throw them back in the rack and away it goes for another decade. and i always store my forearm screws loosened so the wood moves. you should too.

countless hundreds of model 50's have passed thru my hands. last count in the safe puts me at 18 of them right now. all grades. i like em. besides, they were made in my home state. my uncle worked on them. they have a special spot in my life. that goes for model 12's too.

ask away in the future. be glad to help.

people that read of the 2 washer mod to the stock loosening recall dont always do the important part of boring out the equal amount of wood inside the stock cavity.
when you add the washers the OL effects the adjustment of the spring.
issue is, if you dont know if the stock has been bored, or ignore that step, you can find yourself back in trouble putting the washers in.
i have the stocks 'factory gunsmiths recall' procedures if anyone needs it. just buzz me.

Would that management at the time could have foreseen the impact of that decision. They thought they were doing the right thing. I would say they opened the door for the competition to actually be able to compete.

You use to be able to buy a reprint of the assembly/dis-assembly instructions for the Model 50 that included a section on all the factory recalls. I have that book and own 4 Model 50s. I have shot them at skeet and they are great. Very smooth. I hunt doves with them occasionally too and they are great pass shooting guns.

I like the fact that Carbine Williams designed it.

Thanks Bobski for that list. That will go well with my little book in making sure I keep them running great.

Jason

I have enjoyed the Model 59 for the last 20 yrs in the grouse woods. Reading Frank Woolner's books I had never heard of one until then. I think they are most at home in the grouse and woodcock covers, the rearward balance point lends itself to the fast point and shoot that the game demands.
I would recommend to anyone that shoots these to stay with a 3 dram load and 1 1/8 oz of shot. From what I have been told by many old time lovers of the design it is a steady diet of heavy fast shells and not timing the action properly that caused the cracks in the frames. They were a long time favorite of high volume dove shooters because of the low recoil.

I would love to see this design modernized with carbon fiber on the barrel, titanium internals and synthetic stocks.

To key off of bobski's good advice on cleaning, keep the floating chamber very clean and lubed, as they tend to rust quickly.

Good post Bobski, excellent information.

my pleasure. the blowby on the chamber will gum up and cause a delay in cycling. youll know its time to clean, when the bolt hesitates on you before recycling the 2nd shot...or its slow going into battery on round 1.

i have a field expedient fix for stocks lacking the wood removal for the 2 washers mod. its in my va home. sorry, cant post it yet. i will soon. im in conn enjoying the mild weather.

for you fellows that shoot 50's in winter, im sure you noticed how a 50 likes to come off your shoulder weld or if you hold it lightly on your shoulder.
its because the design of the gun causes the bolt to squat down as it nears the pistol grip. thats why a 50 has low recoil, it send the shock wave down the pistol grip...not the stock...to the butt.

no other gun does that.

just a historical note, the video, "the showman shooter" 1954, with herb parsons...shows him shooting a model 50 with a polychoke.
he dials it in to Q-U-A-I-L as part of his act...and proceeds to smash some targets.

what killed the 50 early on was the decision NOT TO make 16-28 or 410.

cody has some experimentals on display where they toyed with it.
remington just took that advantage and buried them with it.

even so...when they made the 1400, they again hesitated with the 28 and 410 idea....and remington just closed the door on them.