Need info about a new (to me) Stevens SxS

Great old gun

I currently have 2, a 12 Gauge 26" I/C MOD with Walnut stock and marked JC Higgins. It's around 90% condition, good gun.
I also have a later 30" 20 Ga. MOD FULL marked Revelation which was a Western Auto store brand. This one has a Birch stock and pressed in checkering. It was my first real firearm. I changed this one to a straight grip and added some weight to it. It's a 3" chamber and will get your attention with magnum shells.

These gun's are the classic workingman's double. Savage-Stevens made about a zillion of them. Don't know if they made them for Wards, I have seen Sears and Western Auto, and of course Savage-Stevens.

They handle like a pig on a shovel, but are rugged and reliable. Shot my first round of trap with the 12 ga. using the modified barrel.

I soon learned there are much better guns for shooting trap! That said I prefer these oldies to the plastic junk that passes for a shotgun today.
 
Hawg Haggen wrote: "The older barrels are softer than modern ones and steel shot is harder, plus steel shot has to have more velocity to perform well. Eventually you will have a damaged barrel if its not proofed for steel shot. "

Hawg,
I have seen a lot of posts from folks on other web sites who have shot steel for years in older guns. With the advent of plastic shot cups that should keep the steel shot from touching the bore, I have a hard time believing that shooting a few boxes of steel shot shells each season in Mod, IC or more open choked guns would cause that much damage.

How does higher velocity (higher pressures?) cause bore damage? Possibly bulged barrels, but unless the barrel wall thickness is very thin, I'd be more concerned about cracking the old, possibly oil-soaked, wood in the stock.

Has anyone seen first hand the type of barrel damage that actually occurs when shooting steel? Or is it a case of "better safe than sorry"?
 
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What occurs is that the steel shot is driven right through the plastic shotcup sides, and makes front-to-back parallel scores in the forward half of the bore, and especially the chokes - which can be altered with enough shooting w/steel shot.


While the problem is somewhat mitigated with an open-choked bbl, the bore still becomes deeply scored.


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Thanks for all the info guys:) HAWG, thank you Sir for clarifying that for me.

Well I just picked up three cases of assorted # lead federal game loads so the steel shot thing is a non issue now. Dadgum walmart still only has the Winchester "non-toxic" stuff:confused:
 
The early steel shells were bad for scoring barrels, but the newer ones have much tougher shotcups. I have yet to see a shotcup that the steel pellets made it thru the wall in the last ten years. BTW, I am not pimping for steel. I hate it and do not shoot it.
 
I'm still not going to worry too much if I decide to shoot a couple of boxes of #7 steel field loads in my 60-yr old Marlin Model 90.
 
I grew up on a old 311 16ga (my dad still uses it for doves). To me they are a very underrated sxs. I would like to find another 16ga or 20ga to just do a duracoat/wood re-finish and shoot to my hearts content lol. Nice find.
 
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