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Inherited a Winchester Model 50
00scoots
Member Posts: 410 ✭✭
It saddens me to say this, but another elderly relative passed away. I inherited all 3 of his guns, none had been cleaned or oiled in over 50 years. What a shame!
The nicest of the bunch is a Model 50 Winchester 12ga. shotgun, 30" plain barrel, choked full. Serial # 92XX - anyone know the year? It has the butt plate with the round Winchester logo.
I spent more than 9 hours cleaning off the crap and petrified grease. I took it down all the way, well almost. The outside of the barrel has about a billion pock marks from rust, but the rest of the shotgun is pretty good, considering the neglect.
I got a good first hand look at all of the powder residue and other crap inside the receiver ...... it was about as filthy as a .22 auto after firing 5 or 6 bricks of ammunition!
What I want to know is are the Model 50 and 59 Winchester autos filthy firing autos??? I went back to shooting pump and single shot .22's, because they don't leave the mess in the receiver that .22 auto's do. I'll do the same with shotguns! Well, maybe I'd shoot a sidelock!!! [;)]
Thanks for your input!
The nicest of the bunch is a Model 50 Winchester 12ga. shotgun, 30" plain barrel, choked full. Serial # 92XX - anyone know the year? It has the butt plate with the round Winchester logo.
I spent more than 9 hours cleaning off the crap and petrified grease. I took it down all the way, well almost. The outside of the barrel has about a billion pock marks from rust, but the rest of the shotgun is pretty good, considering the neglect.
I got a good first hand look at all of the powder residue and other crap inside the receiver ...... it was about as filthy as a .22 auto after firing 5 or 6 bricks of ammunition!
What I want to know is are the Model 50 and 59 Winchester autos filthy firing autos??? I went back to shooting pump and single shot .22's, because they don't leave the mess in the receiver that .22 auto's do. I'll do the same with shotguns! Well, maybe I'd shoot a sidelock!!! [;)]
Thanks for your input!
Comments
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
Former Member U.S. Navy Shooting Team
Former NSSA All American
Navy Distinguished Pistol Shot
MO, CT, VA.
S/Ns started at 1000. So in reality your gun is 82xx into production. Since there is not much surviving information on this "late" Winchester, Maddis took the entire production run of "aproximately" 196,402 and divided it by the number of years it was in production (1954-1961) or 8 years to give an average of 24,550 per year, less the 1000 so the first year production was estimated at 23,550.
With a four digit S/N I don't think any Md 50 lover will argue with you that you have a first year gun. The Md 50 being a "recoil operated vs gas system" it is a fairly clean shooter. Meaning the amount of powder residue found in the receiver will be simalar to what you find in your pump guns. But as Bobski pointed out the floating chamber needs to be cleaned after every shooting. The front of the chamber on the outside will rust up on you if you don't.
Remember that this gun was made in the era of lead shot, so don't shoot steel through it. If you need to shoot non-toxic shot, use a Tungsten product, if you can find it, Bismuth, or the new "HD" Remington ammo that has come out.
The Md 50 was the first Winchester shotgun that had interchangeable barrels that required no fitting. On the used parts market you can find Mod. and Imp/Cyl choked barrels to give it a little more versatality in the field.
While a little heavier than a pump, they do have a good balance. Shoot it and enjoy it!
Regards Dave
I'm letting the Hoppe's do its magic for a couple of more days before I do one final scrubbing and put it back together.
What is extremely odd is that the floating chamber was clean and showed no signs of rust!!! Can't figure that one out!
Maybe I'll put on the barrel and stock from the Pigeon grade trap gun I bought a few months back for parts. [;)]