It is an ATI brand. Same one I had on the plastic stock. I just used wood screws.
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I thought about mounting one like that, it definitely looks better than the cheap elastic cuff I use, but then my little brain says, what if you need to shoot left handed or loan the gun out to a left handed friend?  Yeah, I tend to overthink things.  

@mic214

That shotgun looks familiar.  I love what you did to it.

Thanks! It was a lot of fun to work on this project with my gunsmithing buddy. I liked the way it turned out too!

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I found a 1969 H&R Topper 158 for $40.00 that was rusty and had a cracked forend (common with that model once the forend iron was allowed to get loose) that I had cut-down and a Poly-choke installed on. I fixed the forend and bedded the iron. The barrel with the silver soldered-on poly is 19.75" long. It's 5.5# as pictured.

I did not want just another one-trick pony cut-down SS and the poly was a solid option for me as I don't like screw-in chokes much. When disassembled it fits nicely in a Skinner take-down bag. The strap for the bag doubles as a sling for the shotgun.

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It handles shot and buck just fine. I killed a few squirrels with it to see how it would do in the field, I was pleased.

Interestingly the 158 was also offered with a .22 Hornet barrel but they are hard to find and expensive when you do.....The first "handi-rifle" if you will.

Ooooh, I like! Now I know what to do with my 158 Topper. Mine started life as a .30-30, but I found a 12ga barrel that fit perfectly, so it's now a switch-barrel. Does the Skinner bag have enough room for an extra barrel?

That Skinner bag looks great!

If you omit the buttstock shell carrier and use the same forend for both barrels I suspect so.

BTW....The bag does not come with a sling/strap, that's something you have to add but there are nylon cord loops already sewn on for the application....You order the bags by length.

It really is for me but if you like screw-in chokes there is more than enough "meat" there to have the barrel fitted with choke tubes and you most likely would be money ahead.

A 12 ga poly is going to cost around $50.00 used (I had one on hand) so given what a smith charges to turn-down and thread the barrel for it you could have choke tubes fitted for the same money. If you have tubes on-hand you will be even farther ahead. If you don't have tubes already you can get them for half the price of a poly.

My Father thought the Poly-Choke was the greatest shotgun accessory ever devised. He “ruined” the collector value of every factory gun he owned by adding one

Of course, he didn’t “collect” guns, he SHOT them. I still remember the look on his face when I explained to him what made my safe queen,  M1 Garand “correct”.

I have found the pattern can change unexpectedly as you cycle through bezel; tight, tighter, looser, then tighter again (as an example). I suspect, on at least one of my guns, it is because the OD threading, bore, petals and constrictor are all not quite perfectly concentric.

I used a scribe to make witness marks for my sweet spots.

Here's another H&R Topper 158, a 1966 model.  It was given to me by one of my wife's co-workers.  It was a wreck when I got it. (badly chopped barrel, rusted receiver, bent stock screw, missing butt plate)  I slowly rebuilt it over many years into a suedo-trench gun.  Bead sight, universal 1-1/4" sling swivels, unfinished wood, and butt plate parts are all from Numrich.  Universal metal heat shield from Cabelas (heavily modified).  Sling and bayonet from gun shows.  Bayonet mount/swivel base custom made by me.  I finished the wood, parkerized the big parts, and cold blued the small ones.  The hand guard snaps on, so it breaks down very quickly.

LOL, Love it!

I love it.

And the bayonet makes sense on a single shot, for if it ever needs to be pressed into service for defense.

Very nice!
Details on bayonet mount, please!

Nicely done…..

I picked up something like this recently on a whim.

Winchester red letter Model 37 12ga. Someone cut the barrel down to about 18.75", with a hacksaw, and the metal seems to have been 'refinished' with steel wool.  The good is that it locks up super tight, the bore is shiny and clean, the wood is used but not at all abused and it doesn't show any signs of cracks or repairs. Obviously the recoil pad is not original, but it's not recent either so I think it'll stay as is.  

I don't have much into it, but I haven't thought much about what I'm going to do to it, or with it. I have access to a lathe and a professional cerakote shop.  I plan on truing up the end of the barrel first. I haven't decided if I'll drill and tap it for a bead sight or just leave it smooth? And then I'll probably cerakote it.

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That actually looks pretty badass man!

Thanks to all who commented!

The bayonet mount is roughly a bar shaped piece of steel soldered to the underside of the barrel, with cutouts on the front to mimic the sight base of an AR, and the bottom rear is drilled and tapped for a sling swivel.

The end of the barrel is turned down to the diameter of an AR flash hider.

And, the bayonet grip panels have a cut out for clearance on the heat shield (sorry, no photo for that yet).

I’m currently on the hunt for a NEF single shot in 10 or 12 for a decent price. All the 12 gauge samples I’ve laid hands on recently have been $200+. No way I’m paying that much. Last NEF I bought was $75 from a pawn shop. I chopped it down to 18.5”, threw a snap on fiber optic front site and a sling. Perfect little critter gun. Have it strapped onto my tractor.

Those days are long gone unless you just happen to get really lucky.  After NEF quit making them they really jumped in price, especially the rifles and the rifles barrels.  Want to really blow your mind, try to find a .357 or .44 barrel for one of the shotguns.  

The cheapest way to go these days are the Turkish single shots.

Here are a couple of 12 gauge single shots I lucked into for cheap:

First is a "Ward Hercules" that I got for $50 because it was a rusted up mess.  It was made in the 30's according to the serial number. Cut to 20" and front bead installed.
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The next one I got was free because the dealer didn't want to bother with it because it did not have a stock and it would not fire. It is pre-68 and devoid of a serial
number. It is a Stevens Model 94.  I was able to get a stock for it from our very own Brownells (Blessed Be Their Name) for about $60,
and a firing pin from Numerich for $15, so I am in this $75. Interesting plastic forend.
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Next is getting some chamber adapters for them.  For a frame of reference, about a year ago I was able to pick up a Savage Model 24C (Camper Special). I paid $700 for it
and was glad to find one (serial number places it in 1975 about the time I bought my first one), so getting these fairly cheaply was fun.

If you get the rifle or pistol adapters get the longest that will work for your application and get the rifled version, the smoothbore isn't worth bothering with.

Thanks for the info.  I bought a smoothbore 9mm adapter for the Savage 24C and found that after a few feet accuracy was nothing to write home about.

Yeah, it's advice born of similar experience with a smoothbore .38 adapter- waste of money.  

Thinking about it, I honestly have no idea where the thing is right now.  I think I fired maybe a dozen rounds through it.

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NEF 12 ga. Barrel chopped to 19.something inches, semi pistol grill stock made straight. ATI plastic shell holder and fiber optic front sight. Its muddy since it's my 4 wheeling gun.

Need to see the damaged barrel that justified the chop. It’s been my experience that only a mentally handicapped person would chop a perfectly good Model 12. Save the chopping for some mossberg peasant pump.

Has anyone here had any luck in making a replacement trigger guard for a single-shot shotgun?  I have a single-shot Stevens 16 gauge, and the plastic trigger guard disintegrated when I disassembled the gun  I ordered a steel "replacement" from Numrich, but it didn't fit.  My MAP torch won't get it hot enough to bend/hammer into shape.  I don't have much in the line of metalworking capabilities, and I'm not going to spend the cash to have something machined.

Sorry to thread necromancer here, but figured I'd share my NEF 10ga single shot that I had modified into "Thumper" (IV8888 reference).



Turned down to 18 5/8" to keep the aye tree eff off my porch, but now I want to add a red dot site to it since I lost the bead (and because I have a diabolical .780 round ball load for it, and I want to be able to know where that thing goes). Anyone ever soldered / screwed a pic rail on one of these? Side wall of the main pipe is 0.200" thick, plenty of meat.

Also, this is a 3.5" shell length shotty, but I'm getting primer blowouts on winchester BBB 3.5 goose loads.

Often times the shotgun breaks open when fired. How to fix?

Since the other thread got archived- short video, the fun part starts about 1:40.  With a bit of practice you can can keep up a decent rate of fire as long as you have ammo on hand.  Protip- when using something like the H&R either cock your head or the gun to the side, they eject the shells with enough force to sting when they clock you in the forehead (the shells are bouncing off the brim of his hat in the video).  

I also have a Winchester Mod 37 20ga but I'm not cutting it down as it is still in great shape. I'm going to get a rifled .357/.38 adapter for it so my wife can keep it in her office.

Just test it well, my 357 adapter is actually pretty accurate out to 20-25 yards, minute of soup can anyways.

Look for a Weaver scope base.  This one is for a Topper 158, but may fit your gun.  If not, there should be one for your specific model.
Weaver 60A scope base.

I'll add to this thread with a more primitive version. I bought this "Canoe Gun" (really just a short version of the Northwest Trade Gun) at Dixon's Muzzleloading Shop last weekend. It's a 20 gauge percussion smoothbore. It was built by Jackie Brown. As a southpaw I could not pass it up.

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I made a sling for it from a cowhide shoulder I had.

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Some measurements I took:

• Overall length 40"
  
• Barrel: 24.5"
  
• Length of pull 13.5"
  
• Weight 6.5 lbs.
  
• Width of buttplate 2"
  

The barrel has a slight flare at the muzzle end. It may be slightly coned on the inside. The front and only sight is a trade gun-style turtle. It has a large Siler lock and the nipple is sized for No.11 caps. A .580" ball will drop freely down a clean barrel all the way to the breech.

I got a chance to shoot itthe next day over at a friend's place. He has some land and we can shoot safely in his yard. Unfortunately it was raining and the only place I could load while under overhead cover was his patio. I'd then step out to shoot and some tin cans we placed on a hillside.


My load of 1 oz. of #5 shot on top of 65 grains of Scheutzen 3Fg black powder penetrated both side of a #10 can from about 20 yards, so it's got enough power for hunting.


I also tried a couple varieties of ball loads. I shot a half dozen .570 balls loaded in paper cartridges on top of 65 grains of powder. I also tried a few shots with .575 balls loaded on top of a tow wad, with another tow wad over the ball to hold it in place. The balls loads shot high with how I was holding the gun.

I absolutely need to put both shot and ball loads on paper.



Everything went mostly well until the gun fell over onto the brick patio, landing on the hammer which was set to half cock. That broke the half cock notch on the tumbler. (Insert vast amounts of profanity here.)


When I was done I used tow wrapped around a worm to scrub the bore. This was the first time I've tried using tow for cleaning and it works pretty well, much like a bore brush. I'll be using it at least for my smoothbores in the future. This is what tow looks like when wrapped around the worm. There's no reason you can't use it in a modern shotgun. It can even be washed and reused. Once it's worn out you can use it as tinder. You can make the equivalent by cutting a 4" to 6" length of hemp, sisal, or jute rope and unraveling it.


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The primitive worm I use is just a coil of wire that winds onto the end of my ramrod. It works like a Chinese finger trap and doesn't easily come off.

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After getting home I ordered a replacement tumbler from Track of the Wolf and I paid extra for 2 day delivery. My order arrived today and I repaired the lock after work. It took about a half hour with some needle files to fit the new tumbler to the hammer. I also cleaned up the side of the tumbler that rubs against the lock plate, using a stone. The hammer now clicks solidly into both the half and full cock notches.


I may be going upstate next weekend and if so I should be able to pattern shot loads and figure out how to hold it when shooting ball.

For a long term/TEOTWAWKI survival gun a muzzleloader has some advantages, IMO:

• No paperwork in most states.
• You can make your own black powder and projectiles.
  
• You can shoot birdshot, buckshot, ball, or buck and ball in it. In extremis you can shoot rocks or sticks.
• It can use modern plastic shot cups for better shot patterns, or traditional materials for wads like felt, tow (flax or hemp fiber), or wasp's nest.
  
• You can make percussion caps if you have the correct tool, thin sheet aluminum, copper, or brass, and the chemicals which are freely available now.
  
• If it's a flintlock, each flint should be good for at least 30 shots and it's possible to make your own if you live in the right area and know how to do it. (For me, making caps is actually easier.)
  
• If the gun is constructed like mine with a nipple and drum, the gun can easily be converted to a flintlock by replacing the drum with a vent liner and the lock with a large Siler flint lock.
  

Of course it's nowhere near as good as even a single shot breech loader for defense but it still beats a sharp stick or harsh language.

Great piece.  As a fellow southpaw I have some, not inconsequential, feelings of envy.

@aswrg7

I have a Stevens 9473 with the plastic trigger guard that had the button to open the action integrated into it. Mine also one day just disintegrated as I opened the action.

What I did was simply remove the rest of the trigger guard, plug the screw holes (for looks) and remove the plastic “button” covering the open-action lever and just use it without any of the plastic. Normally I would consider a missing trigger guard to be a safety issue but with the exposed hammer, it’s perfectly safe to carry with the hammer down and cock it when I am ready to shoot.

Not sure if you have the same problem but maybe my solution helps you too.

That isn't a bad idea; maybe I'll do that and get the gun back out in the field.

I still love my single shot, handy in so many ways!!

Here is my $80 version.  I have a few of these single shot guns in rifle calibers and shotgun.  Picked this up from a friend and decided to shorten it.

18.5 inch barrel and OAL of 34 inches.  It makes a great beat around the farm gun.

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Very nice! I need to dust mine off and shoot it this year, very handy indeed.

For that matter a single barrel break action shotgun makes an excellent muzzleloader. Several youtube vids on the subject. Just cut the plastic hull off of a high brass shell, and re-prime. Pop it in and muzzle-load with black powder and appropriate shot/bb's.

You can also just cut the crimp off the end and load a shell with black powder and bb's, sealing with beeswax.

Agree, shtf weapon par-excellence. Along with home made black powder for subsistence hunting in the future.

This seems like the appropriate thread to ask about the clip/clamp on front sights. I have a 12g NEF single I'm thinking about cutting down around 19" and I will lose the front bead

Is there a specific brand or attachment style that you guys would recommend? I am open to DIY alternatives aswell.

Thanks in advance

There are several kits out there that come with a tap/new bead. Just have to measure 3 times and drill straight but easy after that and like new!

Shotgun bead kit brownelled

Honestly, unless you just want it for short distances, I'd send it off to be chopped, crowned and threaded for choke tubes.  Mine was near worthless until I had it threaded; I keep an improved tube in it and it works well for shooting things from the tractor seat or rabbit hunting which are two of the main reasons I have it.  That said, depending on which type of front sight you buy, some of them index off the bead, some epoxy onto the bead or you silver solder or epoxy the sight on.  There are some styles that use a band/clamp style but I've never messed with any of them.

I like this I will definitely keep it in mind. Thanks




I had considered making this a more capable shotgun but it simply isn't worth the cost of having the work done when I have a decent pump gun to fill that role. This thing is a beater with a bad finish. I hadn't planned to do anything with it at all until I was inspired by this thread. Thanks for the reply

very nice shotgun.I  just acquired a Stoegar coach gun double in 12ga.