Reviving the Springfield Model 67 Shotgun

As a lady and her grandson approached me with an old shotgun, holding some of its parts in her hand, she had little hope that it could be repaired. At first view of the parts I wasn’t too sure either. "This old gun was my husband’s," she said, "and we hope you can fix it." To her grandson, an eager, young hunter, the broken gun held real sentimental value. I told them I would do my best.

The parts she handed me were a broken off tang that linked to the slide safety mechanism and the ejector that fastened inside the receiver of the Springfield/Savage Model 67 20-gauge pump shotgun. The ejector posed a lesser problem but the broken off tang was an entirely different matter. The part was made of anodized white metal.

The break was rough and jagged with a rectangular surface about 3/4-inch long Shown are the broken surfaces at the underside of the tang and receiver and the slotted safety lever mechanism where the two parts mate. and 3/16-inches wide. The parts fit together like a broken handle from a cup. My first impression was to use a pair of small, steel dowel pins and J-B Weld to unite the parts. A Careful Analysis This small part was crucial to preserving the old shotgun.

There would be no replacement parts available, and if not repairable the shotgun would be worthless. The gun otherwise appeared to be in quite good condition. The broken part fit into a mortise at the upper forward aspect of the stock. A plunger extended beneath the thumb-operated tang safety with a flat friction-lock slide. The only segment of the part holding the

This picture clearly shows how the thumb safety slides and plunger engages the safety mechanism below. broken tang was a unilateral jagged break on the right-hand side of the tang. I could still visualize the use of a pair of small, steel dowel pins extending downward into the receiver and upward into the separated part, bonded in place with J-B Weld. I had performed similar repairs before, but this one would be tricky.

Performing the Repair Work Further analysis revealed that the broken tang may have impinged on the stock with some force, and relief of a few pressure spots would be necessary before doing the repair. The part had to fit into the stock mortise, and the stock would have to be on the gun as the part was tried for fit and finally bonded in place. So I carefully removed wood where some obvious pressure points appeared to exist. This would obviate further breakage.

With the broken part fitting freely, I marked where the opposing holes for the small dowel pins would go. I used .075" stainless wire as dowel pins roughened to hold the bonding agent. The pins were about .300" in length. A bit in the Dremel tool was used to make the slightly enlarged holes in the broken part and the receiver. I made sure not to bore through Excessive pressure of the tang against the stock may have been a contributing factor to its breakage. the broken part, which left four blind holes.

With the loosely fitted dowel pins in place, the part was tried for fit to be sure the jagged broken piece would lay snugly in place, just like a dentist would try a bridge for fit before carefully bonding it permanently in place. I then applied release agent where there could be no bond (Continued on page 21)

ing along the edge of the stock and along the sliding rail where the safety spring was positioned. Accidentally bonding the sliding safety to the tang would spell disaster, rendering it in operative. With everything ready, I mixed the J-B Weld material and carefully filled each tiny hole and the roughened, broken surfaces with just the right amount of material. Lowering the part in place while carefully aligning the pin holes went well.

The part was then taped to the stock with electrical tape and put aside to permanently set. I tried the safety to be sure it was working just to be sure. A small pin on the sliding tang safety lever must engage a hole in the safety that is attached to the receiver below. Moving it forward released the safety and all was well. The J-B Weld material must be allowed to set for several hours to harden and is ready for use in 24 hours. This is an amazingly durable material with many uses.

Barrel lugs and scope bases are commonly attached with it. Inspecting and Testing the Work With the cold weld firmly set, the safety was again tested for function, which worked perfectly. I then removed the stock to check for tang clearance. This, too, remained ok. I then decided to re-finish the butt stock and forend with Birchwood Casey’s True-Oil, buffed some light rust from the barrel and cold blued it.

Given that the tang and safety repair worked out so well, I wanted the young hunter to have faith in those who could help him enjoy the fine sport of shooting. Conclusions Gunsmithing isn’t always a cutand-dried situation. Some projects involve considerable time and materials and still don’t turn out as expected. Under the circumstances, I made every effort to get this old shotgun safe and ready for the boy. The expression on his face as he saw the finished gun would have been payment enough. AG