shotgun gunsmith in south jersey

Josh Schwenger

Josh Schwenger

Active member
I am looking for a shotgun gunsmith to work on an older gun I have. The gun has no real monetary Value it is just a model 37 winchester single barrel I was given as a gift. The gun predates serial numbers but it has a 30 inch barrel and a full choke. The problem is i believe the guns chamber to be cut for paper 2 3/4 inch shells and want to cut it slightly deeper to accommodate star crimped shells. I am looking for a real gunsmith as i drove over to a local "gunsmith'' bringing my gun to him and talking to him about this he had zero experience and stated he would not do any barrel or fitting work. I love this gun because it can shoot it very well on a trap range. All that to say does anyone know a real gunsmith within driving distance of south jersey who might take on such a project or should i just order a chamber reamer from brownells.
 

Just a suggestion.

Not in driving distance to you, yet could be helpful.

Give Turnbull Restoration a call at (585) 412 - 4630. They know Winchesters very well.


VP
 
Josh:

For many years, I have used Joe Winters, Winters' Gun Specialties, 66 W. White Horse Pike, Berlin, NJ 08009, for my shotgun work. He's done trigger work on all my shotguns and I've been pleased with him. Hopefully he can be of assistance to you.

The shop phone number is (856) 767-0349.

Regards,

Dave
 
Josh, the 37 should be cut for 2 3/4" shells. Turnbull does really nice work, but a tad on the high side. If it does need to be cut, it should be done on a lathe. Call M&M in pennsville, NJ. Anthony will know of a competent gunsmith in the area. You may try Bruce Nye in magnolia Del.
 
Thank you guys for the suggestions tomorrow I will make some phone calls it's $100 gun but a sweet old lady gave me it as a tip for a job I completed for her. I am not positive the chamber is to shallow but certain brands of shells fit quite well. A shorter OAL when I measure them with calipers. The shorter shells function 100% of the time but shells that are a tad bit longer give me light primer strikes. I have even went as far to reload shells with various primers (Winchester Remington federal Rio) and no change. It seems to be the shell OAL because when I remove the ejector and place a "longer" shell in it doesn't head space correctly unless I physically push it into the chamber if this makes sense. So my belief is as the hammer strike the primer on the longer shells it takes energy away as it "seats" the shell deeper in the chamber. Sorry I might be down a rabbit hole here but I would like to drop it at the gunsmith and hope he can correct my problem. This is a favorite gun of mine to carry jump shooting. In the world of 3.5 inch cannons to shoot bufflehead I love to bring this gun out and watch my friends heads shake.
 
Just a thought but have you tried polishing chamber area to forcing cone with some good solvent , brass bore brush and then triple 000 steel wool. May just be build up from firing over the years causing some shells to not seat fully. Lots of folks have trouble with foreign hulls hanging up in some autos from what i,ve read. All do to o.a,l. issues.
 

When ya get a gun that you shoot very well, and it becomes yer "Meat Wand". That gun is priceless.

I hope your problem gets solved, and you can enjoy using it for what it was made for.


VP
 
It's a 12 gauge I will clean her thoroughly and ordering a chamber gauge. It's very possible it has a build up. I drove a shallow well for the lady she was in her mid 80s and that was 15 years ago. She said her husband bought the gun in his 20s and taken it deer hunting and killed a ten point buck with it first time out. She had it under the bed in a canvas case since he passed away. I cleaned it up with 0000 steel wool but it still has some bluing left.
 
I'm pretty sure I understand your description of the mechanism that you think is causing you the problem, but I don't know how likely that is. I'd guess far more likely would be excessive headspace (headspacing off the rim allowing the the shell to be too deep within the chamber to get a good primer strike) or weak firing pin (weak pin or gunked up spring). Since you tried different primers I'd look at the headspacing. This should be straightforward to figure out.
 
A buddy had what I am 99% sure was a Winchester model 37 when we were kids. It misfired sometimes, it had a multi-piece firing pin that would gunk up. Remove the stock and clean the action/trigger assembly thoroughly, and blow it out with compressed air. It's amazing how much junk can hide in what appears to be a clean gun. Give it another try before taking to the smith. Look over both ends of the firing pin under a magnifying glass, if it's pitted or broken it may need to be replaced. If, as Tod suggested it has excessive headspace, that's gunsmith work for sure.
 
Yeah I will do so and I got a free can of "durablue" at a 3 gun completion i shot in I think I found the gun to try it out on maybe bring this old girl back to her formal glory.
 
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