and the grip hand was just as good as the front hand. The Burgess opened for cleaning and storage by a latch. Opening the latch hinged the barrel and magazine tube down, but they stayed attached. One very interesting feature of the Burgess was that it could be folded for storage while the magazine was loaded. By snapping it shut and working the slide, the shotgun was ready for action. The competing Winchester could not be stored loaded. As a ready weapon for bank guards, messengers and railroad guards, the Burgess had much going for it.
The Burgess company had a serious competitor in Winchester. By 1897, Winchester had the now-famous Model '97 on sale, and a take-down model was soon to come. His health failing, Andrew Burgess sold the patents and machinery to Winchester.
The takedown shotgun a century ago came apart in two pieces, the receiver and stock, and the barrel and magazine. It was strong, but expensive. To have a two-barrel set for your shotgun involved the cost of a magazine assembly, and fitting the extra assembly to the original receiver.
The front half was a package that required each replacement barrel have its own magazine tube. The result was expensive and heavy.
Not all shotguns back then came apart this way, but the story of the Browning A-5 is for later in the book.
The first pump shotgun that came apart by removing only the barrel was the Remington Model 17, designed by (drum roll, please) John Browning. The barrel used interrupted threads, and a knurled nut on the end of the magazine tube locked the barrel extension in place. Making replacement barrels for the Model 17 was easier and cheaper than the Winchester method, and replacement barrels did not require fitting. A shooter could have different barrels for competition, hunting and defense. If you ever run into a Remington Model 17, it will look oddly familiar. By 1933 Remington had dropped the M-17, as they had newer designs to sell. The Browning patents were soon to run out, so Ithaca stepped in. At the time Ithaca was a maker of double guns. But Ithaca redesigned the Model 17 action slightly, enlarged it to 12-gauge (the Remington M-17 had been a 20-gauge only) and have since then endeared themselves to left-handed shooters.
The economic advantages to barrel-only removal made the design the dominant one in the market. While not as compact when disassembled, the cost savings are worth the size difference.
The general instructions for disassembly are simple. Make sure it isn't loaded. Open the action and leave it open. To take your pump shotgun apart you will have to turn a nut on the end of the magazine tube. If it has been on for a long time, or was tightened down by a strong person, you may need assistance. Do not seek that assistance in the form of pliers. You will scar the magazine nut. Open your Brownells catalog and order their padded and curved shotgun disassembly pliers. With these you can take your shotgun apart for the rest of your life without marring it. With the nut loosened or removed, slide the barrel off.
On pumps using crosspins, press the pins out and slide the trigger assembly out of the bottom. On pumps using screws, you'll need properly fitting screwdrivers. With the barrel off and trigger assembly out, slide the forend forward. Depress the shell stops to slide the forearm and bolt out of the receiver. Specific instructions to follow.
To clean, scrub the interior of the receiver, bolt, trigger assembly and forearm rails. Dry and lubricate them. Reassemble.
The Remington 870
The 870 has been around since 1950. Unlike the earlier Remington Model 31, the barrel retainer is not a lug, but a ring that surrounds the magazine tube. The ring has made the 870 popular with law enforcement agencies, because by replacing the magazine nut with a tube, you can increase the capacity of the shotgun.
To strip and clean the Remington, make sure it is unloaded, the hammer is cocked, and the action is open. Unscrew the magazine nut. Slide the barrel forward off the magazine. With the drift punch, press the two trigger pins out of the receiver. Pivot the trigger assembly down out of the receiver. On the Remington 870 the shell lifter is attached to and spring-powered by the trigger assembly. Inside the receiver you will see two flat pieces of spring steel on the sides. These are the shell stops. When you gently ease the slide forward, the stops will keep the slide from coming out. If you try to force the slide, the operating rods may loosen the shell stops. Loose shells stops usually mean an 870 that will not feed properly. With your fingertips press one and then the other down to let the slide pass. Once out of the receiver, the bolt and its carrier plate will fall off the operating rods.
The Remington 870 bolt locks into an extension of the barrel. The idea was not new to Remington in 1950, but rather came from John Browning and the A-5 in 1898.
Scrub the powder residue off the bolt, carrier, the inside of the receiver and the parts of the trigger assembly. Lubricate everything. Cleaning the magazine tube requires removing the spring retainer. On older 870s the magazine spring is kept in place by a spring steel cap that is press-fit into the magazine. With a screwdriver, pry the cap upwards until it is free. Pull the spring and follower out and clean them. To replace the cap, press the spring into the magazine with one hand while compressing the cap into it. Tap it flush with a mallet or screwdriver handle. Newer 870s use two detents in the tube, and a plastic retainer. The retainer has two sets of grooves in it. One set passes completely along the sides, while the other stops. To remove the retainer, use a screwdriver that fits in the slot on top of the retainer. Press the retainer down and turn it one-quarter turn. Ease the retainer forward and it will slide out of the magazine. To replace it, line the full grooves up with the detents and press the retainer in. Give it a quarter turn and ease it forward.
For the first step of reassembly you will need to juggle four parts, the bolt, carrier plate, forearm and receiver. The easiest way is as follows: Place the carrier flat on your bench within arm's reach, with the bolt in place on top of it. Stand the receiver upright on the bench or in your lap with the bottom to your left. With your right hand, start the slide over the magazine tube. Hold the slide in place, and keep the receiver upright, with your right hand. Pick the bolt and carrier up with your left and place them on the cutouts in the operating rods. Slide the forearm down until it starts into the receiver. Let go with your left hand and depress the shells stops in turn to let the rods go into the receiver. Once in place, put the barrel on and install the magazine cap. Installing the barrel right away is a precaution against running the slide forward and loosening the shell stops.
To replace the trigger assembly, tilt the trigger assembly slightly towards its angled lever. This is the slide lock lever. Ease the slide lock lever into the receiver, and then press the trigger assembly into place. Line the holes up and press the trigger pins through the receiver.
The Mossberg Model 500
The Mossberg has many design characteristics similar to the old High Standard pumps. High Standard went out of business in the early 1970s but many of their shotgun still serve faithfully.
The big advantage that Mossberg had over High Standard was its removable barrel (yes, High Standard was making shotguns thal did not have a removable barrel, even into the 1960s!).
A broken safety on the Mossberg 500. On top, it can get in the way of obstacles and become cracked or broken. Replacement is easy.
While desirable, the removable barrel is not the remarkable thing about the Mossberg design. It has four things that make it an exemplary shotgun; the safety, the shell stops, the receiver itself and the shell lifter. The safely is a button on the top
