My 13 yr old son bought this with his birthday money to restore.
Questions:
What is this choke? Is a piece missing. Can I unscrew this?
Does the magazine tube seperate from the receiver?
I would like to take the bolt out to clean. I have tore down 870 and removed slides & bolt but this is first time to tear down a semi-auto.
The inside of tube and receiver very dirty, can I soak in gas like I have done to single shots & pump receivers. Barrel is 23" then 26 with the choke. Any info would be appreciated. Wood is OK & we will totally strip & refinish. Price marked was 79.95.
I paid a total of 75.00. Barrel says 2 3/4" only. photos below

The choke is adjustable.
I want to say it is made by Poly-Choke, but I don't ever remember them having holes drilled in them.
The choke is not complete.
You need to find the collet for it that gose over the fingers that screws on and off to adjust the choke.
WARNING!: Do NOT shoot this gun until you have found the collet OR ELSE you will blow off the fingers and make the choke useless.
The magazine tube does not seperate from the receiver, it is silver soldered in.
It will take down the same as a pump, just becareful of the o-ring in there.
You can soak it in whatever you want, but if it is gasoline, take the o-ring out or else it will be ruined.
As far as the wood is concerned, if you are going to do an oil finish, I would recommend not using a stripper, because old wood gets really thirsty and if your kid is 13, I guarantee he will lose interest.

This gun is a shooter.
I recommend you make the restoration simple and allow him to do it.
Do a simple freshening up with like 120 then 320 sandpaper on the stock.
As you can see, the gun is real brown.
That is an old cold-blue job.
Don't spend big bucks on this gun because it isn't worth much.
Get yourself some Oxpho-Blue Cold Blue if you want to touch up the finish.

Good luck with your project.

www.cliffsgunsmithing.com

-Spencer

Thanks Spencer, I will keep you updated on the progress.

What about cleaning the inside of the mag tube. Should I just spray with high pressure solvent?

Thanks , In case I did not mention, the barrell at the 19" point was bent slightly and the vent rib was bent down. I straightened it but the last few inches still vere off to the right a little. I have donated my Rem. 870 barrell 28" vr mod to my sons project. A gunsmith in Mich. who converts 870 barrels to 58 is going to drill the gas holes in it . Will cost me 27.00. I will find a replacement barrel for my 870 easier than we could find a new one fore this 58. The smith says he has done plenty of them with great success. Am shipping it off on Fri. The 870 barrel fits perfectly to the 58 except for no gas ports.

The front of the stock seems to have soaked up some grease or oil because it is darker at the end and no matter how much I strip, it won't come off. I assume stain won't stick or penetrate, correct?? May have to replace.

I wouldn't worry too much about the wood.
Once you sand a little bit off the wood, the stain will lighten up.
Personally, I think it looks sort of neat, gives the gun character, like it has been around, you know?
On the mag tube, just swab it out with a little oil or degreaser and a paper towel on a rod or something.
No need to get it spotless, just as long as there are no obstructions in it.
Oh, also with the wood, go with an oil-based stain as it will penetrate through your discoloration, whereas a laquer-based stain will most likely peel off.
Not so sure if I would go thrugh the trouble of buying a new barrel because in the time it will take you to find an older used one, you might find the collet to make your current barrel functional.
Plus, this restoration will take a little while, giving you time to hunt around for your parts.

I like the updates, good luck.

-Spencer

Rogmatt

These adjustable chokes were popular in the late fifties and sixties, but by the late seventies when in-the-barrel screw chokes came out, most gunshops had a drawer full of these that had been cut off. I suggest you ask at some gun shops that have been around for a while.

The smarter old timers might just be able to dig the part you need out of a back corner. I had a box of "junk" that I threw out years ago, I know there were a many of these (along with take off receiver sights, barrels etc (ouch, that still really hurts to say.))!!!

I did have a original usable 28 inch full choke barrel for a 58 around here. If you are interested, send me a PM and I will look for it. If your buttstock isn't cracked (many did)it should finish up fine. If not, a buttstock for an 870 will work as well, and an old one will match your forend.

Because these were built before plastic shot wads, you will have to keep those two holes in the barrel ring clean to keep it cycling. Otherwise these are decent guns, they work fine if you keep them clean and keep oil away from the action.

Roger

Rogmatt,

You can get that oil out of the stock easily. Either get some "whiting" from Brownells or go to a pool supply outfit and talk them out of a coffe can full of DE, Diatomaceous Earth. It is used for pool filters. Make a paste of alcohol and the DE and wipe it on the stock and it will draw the oil out. The DE will turn a pale yellow and then you can do a decent job finishing the stock. If you don't you will end up with a half assed job. Take a bit of time and get it right. I would suggest if you wish to cold blue, you look at Blue Wonder. It is heads and tails above the rest of the useless stuff available. You can prep it yourself and get someone to caustic blue it reasonably.



Check with www.gunpartscorp.com for the parts you need for that choke assembly.

thanks gentlemen, I will keep you updated & post photo when completed. I did ship my 870 barrel off yesterday to have it drilled. I should have an easier time finding an 870 replacement barrel than an original 58. The old barrel is bent at the 19" mark. I could cut it off at the 18 3/4' mark and use and an 870. I have been told the port holes at the bottom should be fine even on a 870. I will try to extract the oil using chemicals as recommended above. I still will most likely refinish with an oil and not stain this time.