Jan. 19th, 2020

stickmaker: (Runner Bluegrass Elf)
One of the things I inherited from my maternal grandfather several years ago was a Stevens/Savage Model 620A 20 Gauge pump shotgun. These are a cosmetic variation on the older Model 520. The basic design dates back about a century, and this example is around half that age. They are a John Moses Browning design, and take down - that is, the barrel and magazine tube separate from the rest of the gun very easily, and reattach very securely - with ease. 

They are rather substantial pieces of ironmongery, those in 20 Gauge moreso, because they were all built on the 12 Gauge frame. (Shotgun gauges are like wire gauges, the smaller the number the larger. For shotguns, the gauge is the humber of lead spheres of bore diameter needed to total a pound.) Normally, you don't aim shotguns you point them. These you steer. :-)

The model 520 and 620 were made for multiple customers, such as Sears. Mine is a Ward's Western Field Model 30. 

I'm not a shotgun guy, but as an engineer I definitely appreciate both the design and its execution. These things are built to last, and this one will likely outlast me. 

March 2026

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