Stevens 58 bolt action 12ga.

[gamekeeper]

Anyone have one? Opinions please...
I have seen a couple for sale over here that look OK and not too expensive.
I've only used Mossberg B/Actions in the past, still have a Spanish copy of the model 183 .410.

[Old No7]

Anyone have one? Opinions please...

Cheers to you John.

I've never owned one, but I took a few minutes and found this info for you. Remember, these are just various internet poster's "opinions", but you might find it interesting.

So while "Google is your friend" -- I am too.

Good luck!

Old No7

* Your gun was made by Stevens from 1933 until 1981. It sold for $25.75 in 1955. Stevens bolt action guns were known as utilitarian,solid guns. Many of us oldtimers first guns were Stevens.

* I don't know precisely which model you have, but the folks at Gun Parts Corporation can help. Here's the page for the Savage/Stevens(the same company) 58b shotgun magazines.
http://www.e-gunparts.com/DisplayAd.asp ... erSKU=&MC=

* I own a Stevens Model 58B .410 with clip. I am 59 years of age and I have been hunting with this gun since I was 13 years of age. For most of the early years, I had beagle dogs and I hunted rabbits with it. Now, I have squirrel dogs, and I use it to shoot squirrels. I have other guns, but I like it because it is light weight and easy to maneuver. I use 3" shells 6 shot. I don't particularly like the clip and I use it as a single shot. I carry extra shells in my pocket to reload. I have never had any problems with the gun.

* While it's possible to shoot doubles with a bolt action, it takes someone who is very experienced with them to do it. I saw my dad do it a few times with his Mossberg 20 gauge bolt action, but then it was the only shottgun he had ever owned. For most folks a bolt action is pretty much just a single shot with a couple of extra shells carried on-board so the lack of a magazine isn't that big of a problem. I'd just use it as is until a magazine turned up. A .410 will take most small game effectively out to 20-25 yards but you need to pass on longer shots or risk just wounding the animal. That means that waterfowl and pheasants in open terrain are going to be mostly out of range. Also most of them are unfortunately choked "full" which makes them pattern pretty tight. Modified is a much better choice but hard to find. Hunting with a .410 is a lot of fun as long as you recognize the limitations and don't try to exceed them.

* Steven's bolt actions, like Mossberg's, are enduring products, and frequently encountered today on auction sites. Stevens also made many private-label guns. Most of them are variants of the Model 58 or 59. In 1971 I was stationed at Andrews AFB, where a weekly newsletter advertised stuff for sale. There was an ad in it for a "Shotgun, brand new, no stock, $10.00." That one turned out to be a near-new Stevens 58H 12-gauge, minus the stock, as advertised. The seller's brother-in-law had backed a truck over the gun and broken the stock clean across the wrist. All the metal parts were intact and in perfect shape, but the stock had been discarded; I could have the metal parts for $10 cash. I am not a fool and I have never passed up a ten-dollar gun in my life: I bought it and promptly ordered a brand-new stock from the factory for $15. It also has a Polychoke, a feature that makes a lot of sense on single-barrel guns. I still have that Stevens. It has accounted for quite a bit of game. I used to hunt in a shotgun-only area of New York, so I had it fitted with rifle sights to use as a deer gun, and killed my first two deer with it. It shoots Foster slugs into 4" at 100 yards or so, more than good enough for my purposes. The stock has been refinished and looks much better than it did when Stevens sent it to me. I'll never sell it.

* Though part of the appeal of bolt action shotguns is their homely looks, some are less homely than others. If any of them can be said to be "attractive" it has to be the Stevens series with box magazines. In the past few years my affection for my 12 gauge Model 58, coupled with my liking for the 20 as the perfect gauge for the squirrel hunter, led me to buy two Model 58's in that gauge. Both were going begging at low prices on Auction Arms, so I took the bait.

[gamekeeper]

Thanks Darryl,
I have had a few Savage/Stevens guns in the past, still have a Stevens 94 16ga, however I've never had or handled one of their bolt action shotguns.
It seems a lot of folks diss the humble B/A shotgun but I enjoyed using the Mossbergs and even the British gun writer Gough Thomas states that they are amongst the best balanced shotguns made.
I have just purchased a AYA side by side, which looks right for more formal days, when other uninformed Brits look down on you if you dare turn up with a "repeater".
Not being the usual Brit gun owner (hence being a Levergunner) I like American made firearms and now I'm buying 12ga ammo for my SxS might as well buy another 12ga "repeater".

[t.r.]

My Uncle Larry hunted rabbits with us quite often. He had an older bolt action 20 gauge that featured a twist adjustable choke. He always did OK with this outfit. But I'm not sure of make and model. Stevens has always built good quality into their firearms and I would not be wary of buying one of their bolt action shotguns.

Good hunting to you.

TR

[M. M. Wright]

Many, way too many, years ago I duck hunted with a friend of mine who used a Stevens bolt action in 16 gauge. It was equipped with a variable choke and did a fine job on Mallards.

[Les Staley]

I bought my oldest grandson a 16 ga JCHiggins bolt action shotgun with a poly choke for $65 about 16 years ago. It was like new. He was four at the time and wanted to shoot it, so we drove out on a logging road and stopped at a landing, no one around. Put out a soda can, let him crawl up the stock which I held the recoil pad against my thigh, let him aim at the can and he rolled it off the landing. He made me go get it to show dad.. He's 20 now and used it for a few years to kill turkey's.

[gamekeeper]

Thanks guys, it seems they do what's on the box, can't ask more than that
The only problem with the one I'm interested in, is due to STUPID UK gun laws the mag has been welded to the action, this allows it to be sold as a shotgun, if the mag is removable it's classed as a firearm
I haven't seen the gun, so do not know if a welder or bubba did the job. I'm hoping the seller will send me a photo of the offending abomination. I really wanted one with the removable mag. even though I have to jump through more hoops to get one...

[Sixgun]

Gamekeeper,
I can't speak for the Stevens but I can for the Mossberg, which ain't a whole lot different. A buddy gave me this gun. A model 185D 20 ga. if that means anything. It's very reliable as I keep it near the back door for things that need to be shot.------6

[gamekeeper]

Six, I'm glad you have the back door covered, I bet your Yorkie early warning system let's you know when evils about
Bolt action 20 gauges are rarer than rocking horse poop over here..

[Ysabel Kid]

Bolt action 20 gauges are rarer than rocking horse poop over here..

Rocking horse poop! There goes another keyboard!!!