Reader Forum

Stevens Model 94B I am new subscriber and want to thank you for Learn Gunsmithing, The Troubleshooting Method included with my subscription. I need advice on my Stevens Model 94B 20 gauge. As to its history, I bought it from a friend (a meticulous one for sure) but do not know why it has been difficult to cock. In drawing the hammer back, I feel no roughness or sensation in my thumb that would indicate a mechanical misalignment.

I have cleaned and inspected all of the mechanisms to be sure nothing is binding causing the difficulty of pulling the hammer back. Nothing is binding that I can tell and I believe I’m dealing with a very strong mainspring. Even after a thorough cleaning and oiling cocking the hammer is still a major chore. There’s an example used in your Troubleshooting guide that the collector market they are not looking for a ‘32 Packard classic or a ‘57 Chevy Bel Air and don’t want to maintain a collection of older vehicles.

Modern-day collector cars and trucks, including new Camaros, Corvettes, Mustangs, Challengers, Jeeps, and the like are the apparent future of the hobby. As premiums remain stable for the classic car market, valuations are falling for the older traditionally-defined classic car and new valuations and premium rates are being developed for the new collector cars. Back to guns. We also need not look any farther than our own profession for another indication of the future.

In the past five years, exactly one semi-local young man went to gunsmithing school and now works as an inhouse gunsmith for a large multilocation "big box" sporting good chain away from here, at the same time working on building his private practice in his basement shop some break open shotguns have a mainspring adjustment feature, however, this Stevens does not.

Without grinding off a bit of the cylinder at the end of the spring for adjustment (I have not reached that point yet) I don’t know how else to address this. Do coiled springs get tougher with age? I thought they never did, but I may be wrong. Is it possible someone in the past may have replaced the mainspring with an incorrect one? I could buy anew one ($15) and test that question.

I could also take out one coil off the spring, but not too much as the hammer would have no tension in the uncocked stage if the spring was too short. Attached is a photo of the mechanism which might be useful should someone else ask the question of the mechanism of the 94B. during evenings and on weekends. Closer to home in this neck of the woods, the youngest independent gunsmith in four counties is around 50 years old. And for gun shows?

Back to that last show mentioned above, the chief topic among the vendors was the loss of two of their longstanding brethren since the previous show the autumn prior; one just a week ago as I write this to a six-month battle with cancer and the currently unfavorable health outlook of three other vendors who were not present.

If those who are presently in their 70s no longer set up by 2030, there may well be significantly fewer "fire hall" shows to go with the notably smaller number of brick and mortar sole proprietor gun shops. One thing is absolutely true: The future of firearms shooting and collecting in America will be different as we Boomers fire our last cartridge. Vastly different. AG Mark Hollensen (BenchMarkPerformanceServices.com) responds. I think that shotgun was manufactured between 1939 and 1961.

I believe it came with a mainspring plunger assembly that had an all metal rod, spring, and plunger seat. If or when that one went bad, the new mainspring plunger assembly made to replace it came with a plastic or Tenite strut head that fits up against the back of the hammer. Over time, that plastic head deteriorates and breaks down. It could be that is causing your issue at hand. Robert

As it starts coming apart, it becomes much harder to cock the hammer and sometimes it moves around to where the shaft will bend and that makes matters worse. If you had it apart and found the assembly is made of all metal, then check to be sure the rod or shaft is still straight and that it rides in the mainspring plunger seat smoothly. Also check to make sure it was reinstalled correctly and not upside down as that alone can make the hammer much more difficult to cock rearward.

If it has a plastic head on the plunger shaft, check to see if it is coming apart, cracked, broken, bent, or if some of the pieces of plastic are down in the receiver; if so, flush out and install anew assembly. I would not cut coils down on the mainspring as it really needs the full power to detonate primers due to the geometry of how the hammer and hammer strut assembly interoperates with one another. There is nothing wrong with installing anew mainspring plunger assembly with the plastic head either.

They will last a number of years, just not as long as the original metal ones did. RK Campbell responds. Has the 94B always been difficult or has the or post a letter to Falls Church, VA 22041. subscription For questions or mailing problems contact American Gunsmith