anyone make a good over and under shotgun for $500

slugo,

Thanks. As for the .410's, the gun on the far right is actually a .22/.410 combo.

BigDinFL,

Other than the two examples below, I have not needed any spare parts for my other Model 90's.

I bought the 16 ga. Skeetking (custom engraved model 3rd from the left) knowing it had a broken top lever spring. A gunsmith found a replacement at Numrich.

I bought a 16 ga. Model 90 with 26" barrels made in 1952 for $150 that I thought I might use as a parts gun. The firing pin springs were so weak they would hardly make an indentation in the primers. It had a lot of rust/corrosion on the outside of the barrels and frame. However the bores were bright with no rust or pitting. It was choked .003" and .009" (approx. Skeet and Lt. Mod.)

Out of curiosity, I checked to see if the parts gun barrels would fit any of my other 16 ga. or 20 ga. Model 90's. I was surprised to find that the barrels fit perfectly on my 20 ga. Model Model 90 with 28" barrels made in 1954. The factory forearm on the 20 ga. would not fit the 16 ga. barrels but the forearm that came with the "parts gun" did fit on the 20 ga. frame.

Because the gun looked so bad, I decided to try cold bluing the barrels with Brownell's Ox-Pho Blue. I didn't want to disassemble the entire frame (I would not know how to do it anyway!) so I used Brownell's 44-40 Cold Blue on the frame. The "new" finish is not perfect but it looks better than it did.

Now I have to decide what to do with the gun. I can:
1. Keep the barrels and forearm for use on the 20 ga. frame and keep or sell the rest of the gun for parts. I think it would be cool to have a Model 90 with interchangeable 16 ga. and 20 ga. barrels. (I already have a 16 ga. with interchangeable 26" and 28" barrels)

2. Keep the the parts gun as a shooter and try replacing the firing pin springs.

Before.
IMG_2844LeftBarrels.jpg

IMG_2839RightFrame.jpg

After.
RebluedGunfullview.jpg

RebluedFrame.jpg
 
I still contend that Marlin Model 90 O/U's are good "shooters."
Click to expand...

Barkey, I agree with you 100%. I picked up a fairly ratty looking 20 a few years ago in trade. I stripped the stock and refinished it with Minwax Tungoil finish (functional and easy but isn't the best choice if you have really nice wood to show off). I steel-wooled the metal parts and did some touchup with some Oxfo Blue. And, I ground a Pachmayr Decelerator pad which lengthened the pull enough for my arms. It turned into a nice shooter. I've got maybe $300 in the whole package.
 
Recently looked at a maverick hs-12 I saw it at my local gun store for $449 sweet o/u might be my next toy? If funds permit of course! Good luck with your search
 
I favor the M90 as well.

I came across a mint, double trigger 16ga. a couple years back that belonged to the father of a friend of mine. He said it had not had a box of shells ran through it. As tight as it is, I believe him.

I'm doing my best to break it in. :D

Question...where would I go for the man. date?
serial # is G56x
 
the baikal O/U is the best bang for the buck in your price range IMHO, no im not camparing it to a B gun, but, they have mechanical trigger, chrome lined barrels, i have around 1k rounds through mine and its still pretty tight, which is a lot more than i can say for other sub 1k shotguns i have tried in the past
 
Dang!! I forgot all about the IZH Russian built Baikal O/U. Here's my 20 gauge which I picked up last summer for $300 bucks in like new condition. It is built like a Russian T-38 and is easy to shoot... :D

8451315823_f3d3b1f05c_b.jpg
 
shortwave,
Model 90 with "G" serial number was made in 1950. Marlin started using the letter prefix in the serial number to indicate the year made after WWII. C-1946, D-1947, F-1949, G-1950, H-1951, (Marlin did not use I, O or Q) J-1952, etc. Apparently, there were a few made prior to WWII that were marked with A (1940) and B (1941)

In case anyone is interested there are a couple of Model 90's listed on Gunbroker.com, a 16 ga. Sears Ranger 103. and a 12 ga. Model 90ST. Search for Marlin 90 rather than Marlin Model 90.
 
If you can find a SKB for under $500 and it hasn't been beaten to death, let me know - they go for over $1000 all day long
 
Many people want to bash the Mossberg Maverick Hunter and I bet none of them have ever shot one. Personally I like them a lot. Are they pretty guns, NO. Are they smooth as glass, no. Are they retardedly expensive, no. As first o/u they swing decent enough, have extractors instead of ejectors, synthetic stocks that you cry about if it gets scratched up, and a decent enough finish against the elements. I don't know about some of these guys on here, but mine spends more time in bad weather than good.
 
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