Dilemma

[onefastokie]

Okay I have a dilemma. I have a Stevens 520-30 trench gun the barrel is a half inch shorter than everything i have found on barrel length and has been threaded for a Weaver choke which is still on it, I bought an aftermarket heat shield and can push the heat shield back to the tube magazine mount and actually screw the weaver choke back on it. the dilemma i have is the barrel doesnt have the groves in the barrel and would have to have that done to mount the heat shield. I dont think it will hurt the value of the gun since the barrel is already messed up from the Weaver choke threads anyway and all the numbers match on the gun. I was trying to see what everyone else thought.

Information

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[browningautorifle]

First, it's your gun so do what you want. The barrel has already been hashed so what's the harm? Last, why put a heat shield, specially if it's original on that gun?

[onefastokie]

I didnt have a heat shield on it when i got it and i like the way it looks on it thats about it. i just wasnt sure about cutting the groves in and was curious what others thought about it. its strange it didnt already have the groves in it for mounting it because it is an actual trench gun.

[browningautorifle]

it is an actual trench gun.

Or perhaps a riot gun?

[Aragorn243]

Doesn't sound like a gun that would have a heat shield so I wouldn't put it on. Not all did.

[Sunray]

Sounds like it's a commercial 520 somebody fiddled with. May be military with a commercial barrel put on too. No Weaver chokes on military models either. 20" cylinder choked out of the factory. It's right side of the barrel and left side of receiver have a “P” proof with Ordnance Corps flaming bomb and left rear side of receiver have the “U.S.”?

[browningautorifle]

Pics would be priceless though...

[onefastokie]

Or perhaps a riot gun?

No it has the j Stevens on the right side and the chamber proof on the left and has matching number and U.S. stamp just above trigger all the P's and the flaming bomb's on it. The chokes were added after the war to be sold to civilians. It's definitely a trench gun. I will try to get pics soon.

[browningautorifle]

and the chamber proof on the left and has matching number and U.S. stamp just above trigger all the P's and the flaming bomb's on it.

You know the Military had riot guns marked too, right? Those never had the shroud, thus no transverse grooves. Apart from the shroud, they were virtually identical and so marked as the trench guns...

So if it doesn't have the transverse grooves then it definitely ISN'T a trench. It's a riot that's been altered...see? Check what Bruce Canfield prints in his book for clarity.

[onefastokie]

You know the Military had riot guns marked too, right? Those never had the shroud, thus no transverse grooves. Apart from the shroud, they were virtually identical and so marked as the trench guns...

So if it doesn't have the transverse grooves then it definitely ISN'T a trench. It's a riot that's been altered...see? Check what Bruce Canfield prints in his book for clarity.

Yes but on those everything was written on the left side of the barrel like the trainers except the trainers had full length barrels from everything i have read only the trench gun was marked on both left and right sides of the barrel so it could be read with the heat shield installed.

---------- Post added at 10:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:52 PM ----------

During World War II, Stevens began producing both the Model 520A (renamed the Model 520-30) and the Model 620A (labeled as the Model 620) as trench guns, riot guns, and long-barreled training guns for the US military. Trench guns were produced with 20 inch barrels (cylinder bore) and had a heat shield with a unique pinkish anodized bayonet lug attached to the front of the barrel (late war examples had a small "S" stamped on the left side). The receivers of both models were stamped on the left side (from front to back) with a small "P" and ordnance bomb, "Model 520-30" or "Model 620", and a small "U.S." over the trigger. Model 520-30 trench gun barrels are marked "Proof Tested--12 Gauge --2 3/4 Inch Chamber--" on the left side and have another small "P" and ordnance bomb and the "J Stevens Arms Company" address on the right side of the barrel. This was done so that all the markings could be read with the heat shield installed. Some Model 620 trench gun barrels were marked in the same manner as the Model 520-30 trench guns and some had all the barrel markings on the left side. Trench guns were also fitted with a sling swivel in the stock. Riot guns also had 20 inch barrels (cylinder bore) and had all the same martial markings, except that all the barrel markings were on the left side. The long barreled training guns were marked in the same manner as riot guns and were mainly used for aerial gunnery training. Total wartime production of all Model 520-30 shotguns was 33,306 and all Model 620 shotguns was 12,174.[19] After the war the US military standardized both the Model 520-30 and the Model 620 and kept them in the inventory. They were used in the Korean War and as late as the Vietnam War.[20]

source Wikipedia