Century Arms JW-2000

The JW-2000 is a double-barrel shotgun imported by Century International Arms. It seems to be patterned after the Colt 1878 coach gun. Each barrel has a separate hammer. Chambers are three inches and the choke is cylinder bore. There is some debate online about what the stock is made from but it is described in the manual as "walnut stained hardwood." A shotgun with hammers like this one has can’t fire if the hammer isn’t pulled back.

The JW-2000 also has a safety on the top that prevents the triggers from moving when it is engaged. While I like the looks of this gun overall, I was not pleased with the performance. There were Make sure this area is clean and free of debris so the extractor can slide easily. a few needed tweaks to be made with the main issue being hulls sticking in the chamber. Some gunsmithing work and know-how set things right.

If you don’t have the manual for this gun (or any gun for that matter) the first thing to do is go online and search for a digital copy. Nowadays the chances are high that most manufacturers will have owner’s manuals freely available for download and/or that any number of firearm and gunsmith enthusiast sites will have an archive of such information available. Visit your preferred search engine and start looking. I used Google and searched for "JW- 2000 coach gun manual" to find a copy.

The JW-2000 has extractors instead of ejectors. When you break open the gun, the hulls are lifted up from the chamber for manual removal and they don’t go flying through the air. Sometimes, the hulls stick and don’t lift up very far. This can be caused by a few things, primarily a dirty and/or pitted chamber that can cause them to stick. The first and easiest thing to do, if possible, is to try a wide variety of ammunition with differing hulls. Some may function better than others.

If you find a shotshell that functions flawlessly, stock up on them. The problem arises when you run out, can’t buy them anymore, or maybe you just picked up the wrong bag. Then you’ll have to make do with what is available.

A better solution is to have smooth, polished chambers that will function with just about any shotshell and hull type. Keep in mind, when you are polishing the chamber the goal is to make them cleaner, smoother, and brighter, but not necessarily bigger. Oversized chambers could cause the shotshell rim to stick in the chamber, light primer strikes from excessive headspace, or could cause the hull to rupture.

Should you encounter excessive headspace (hopefully not because you caused it…) Brownells sells the Clymer Shotgun Rim Cutter & Headspace Ring (#184-115-012WB) to remedy. Everything is at rest. Looking through older books, there are many recommended ways to polish the chambers. Some recommend using a brake cylinder hone. Brownells sells the Lisle Corporation Shotgun Barrel Hone (#531-108-002WB) that is purpose built and looks quite similar.

The problem with an automotive wheel cylinder hone is that it isn’t made to fit in smaller shotgun chambers. Such a hone may work in a 10 gauge or 12 gauge but would be too big for a 20, 16, or .410. One that has two stones may fit but one with three stones probably won’t. Another recommended approach is to use a wooden dowel with notches cut into it, which is then wrapped with steel wool. This is turned with a hand drill and can be used to clean the entire barrel.

For a purpose-built solution Far along these lines, Brownells sells a Shotgun Barrel Polishing Flex Hone (#080-607-210WB) and special oil that must be used with it. It is available with different grits and sizes for popular gauges. For the JW-2000, I decided to try 0000 steel wool wrapped around a cleaning brush. 0000 is the finest grade available and is used for buffing and polishing.

Other grades might be functional but would be too coarse (especially #3) and result in leaving scratches instead of a smooth surface. I used a cordless hand drill and a fairly low speed with silicone oil. If you are just polishing the chamber, apiece of masking tape can be placed around the cleaning rod to mark maximum depth so you don’t go in too far and get into the forcing cone. After cleaning, the chambers appeared much brighter when viewed in the light. The next area I looked at was the shell extractor.

It rides in a groove in

the receiver and pushes the shells out when the barrel is opened. It is an extractor only, meaning it just lifts the shell up; it is not an ejector which throws the hull free of the chamber. This area was thoroughly sprayed with cleaner and very lightly oiled. Since cold weather was approaching when this project was being worked, I used a dry lubricant which shouldn’t leave a residue to congeal in the cold. Dry lubricant usually leaves graphite particles behind when it dries.

It can operate at a lower temperature and doesn’t leave a residue that retains dust and dirt. As a useful example, another typical use of dry lubricant is as a lock de-icer. After setting the barrel aside, the next step was improving the firing mechanism. If you need to remove the stock, an 11/16" drag link socket fit this one with no side-to-side play. Using a flat screwdriver, remove the screw at the rear of the trigger guard, pivot the trigger guard to the side, and lift up to remove it.

Two screws hold the right side plate to the left side plate. In order to ensure the right screw goes back in the right spot, I poke a hole in a sheet of paper and write or draw a picture of where it goes. I use that with most things I take apart. Sometimes I use paper, other times I use cardboard. Cardboard is better with greasy parts, especially like automotive parts, and is less likely to drop the screws out.

After removing the plates, I sprayed them with cleaner, let them dry, and applied some dry lubricant to the moving surfaces. I didn’t have a problem with the trigger pull but some people online have taken these assemblies apart, polished any shiny wear spots, and reblued them before reassembly. If you do so, the key is to make them smoother, not smaller. I didn’t remove the firing pins but should you need to remove them use a flat screwdriver with a notch cut out of the middle to clear the pin.

This shotgun has the stock hammers on it. If you find those too small, you might try to scour the Cowboy Action forums to see if any are available. At one point, "Coyote Cap" (nickname for Master Gunsmith Martin J. Ahlman Sr., CoyoteCap.com, had some made. While it may not be suitable for hard use in Cowboy Action competitions, the JW-2000 has potential for home defense and most sporting applications suitable for aside-by- Far side shotgun. If you don’t mind the weight, you could carry it in the field.

A little polishing makes it better. AG Far A screwdriver will have to be modified to fit this.