Stevens 520-30 Authenticity and Value...Help Please

[Benny the Jet]

I made a bit of a hasty decision to buy this gun before doing all of my homework. My Canfield book is on the way so I took the seller's assessment at face value and made the purchase. The price seemed fair and it looked good to the untrained eye.

The receiver and barrel look good to me. It looks to me like the heatshield may be a WWII Winchester made to look like Stevens and the stock looks to be non-USGI. What are your thoughts? Is it worth the selling price? Is it worth keeping and correcting as I find parts over time? I still have time to notify the seller that I am no longer interested.

[scosgt]

The lug is correct, the fence appears to be replaced. The first clue is that the conditions don't match - the lug is pitted, the fence is bright shiny blue. DUH.

The stock is a correct stock, but you can take it off (only the one large screw on the tang if I recall) and see if it is numbered to the gun. It may be, however the fit at the receiver is not that great so you need to check it out.

The front and back halves should be matching, take off the barrel assembly and look.

The overall condition sucks. Missing finish and buggered screws. That's my opinion. But most of that you should have easily seen before you pulled the trigger. If it matches the photos, that is your fault.

[scosgt]

If the front and back are matching, it is an original trench. At least, the barrel assembly is original trench, but you need to see if they match.

[Scott Wilson]

Bruce, when you say "the fence" are you referring to the perforated heat shield? Shouldn't the hole pattern be completely different from the one shown? The whole thing looks humped up to me.

[Benny the Jet]

I am no expert on these and very few are. As with any potential purchase I wanted a qualified opinion and received a very informational and courteous one from Bruce Canfield:

"As I've discussed several times on my website blog, I am not able to evaluate a gun based on just photos. That being said, I think if you'll compare the gun in question with the genuine examples illustrated in my book you will note a couple of apparent differences, chiefly the configuration of the handguard/bayonet adapter (it appears to be the four row variety but should be six rows) and the fluting on the wrist (it should be smooth). "

He goes on to write:

"I saw no issues with the receiver or barrel markings. As I mentioned, I cannot evaluate a gun from photos. The two features I mentioned appear to vary from known original guns. The handguard/bayonet assembly appears to be a Winchester late WWII "Type W" with some attempt to anodize the front portion to mimic the Stevens adapters (or at least that it what it looks like from the photos)."

and finally:

"At the price paid you really didn't get hurt too badly. Except for the couple of features I pointed out, it looks like a pretty good gun"

Sooo...back to value: Is this a good 'novice collector' trench gun for the price???

Yep, It's been in a war and the overall condition sucks. Yep, there's a buggered screw. The adapter and stock are questionable at best. It's not going to a museum. I've potentially got 1500 in it. I cannot afford a correct gun at 4k. Is it worth keeping and correcting as I find parts over time? Or am I better off saving for something else?

[emmagee1917]

I have an " original " '97 trench I paid $1,000 for . I bought it after it had been restored . It looks new , but the markings were not recut . The serial numbers are half worn away from being carried through it's life . I think it was very worn overall , but not pitted badly due to the light polishing done . I have had a lot of fun shooting it because I can. Well worth the money paid over an import ( even though I have one of those , too ) .
So , if you bought it knowing what it was and you're happy with it , it's all that matters .
Now , as far as 520-30 trenches , I bought one in good ( not great ) shape at an estate sale for $150 . No adaptor and a recoil pad installed . Well , the pad was added without cutting the stock , so digging through a box of buttplates turned up one that fitted without having to be fitted . Put on a spare '97 shield and called it good . It was prob'ly 10 years before I found a loose , correct handguard with the correct wear to finish it out . Total cost , $475 .
Chris

[Tom Doniphon]

Anyone else notice that the stock is fluted? That's not correct for a 520 trench.

[Benny the Jet]

So , if you bought it knowing what it was and you're happy with it , it's all that matters .

Thanks Chris. I'll give you $475 for that gun right now!

I'm sort of getting informed as I go, which as others have pointed out, is totally my fault. I'm following advice given previously and having the seller check that the barrel assembly matches the receiver. If it's got 'good bones', I'm going to keep this and love it for what it is...a mixmaster with unknowable history. So many weapons of war fall into this category and I believe they still have value...the question is just how much. As a private collector I don't have the overhead that a business would to absorb a huge mistake. This appears to be a somewhat minor mistake but a good learning experience and a fascinating piece of history.

I'll keep my eye out for correct parts over time and maybe get as lucky as you did!

Thanks for your input.

[Benny the Jet]

Anyone else notice that the stock is fluted? That's not correct for a 520 trench.

Yep, the guy that wrote the book did...literally! (see #5)

"I think if you'll compare the gun in question with the genuine examples illustrated in my book you will note a couple of apparent differences, chiefly the configuration of the handguard/bayonet adapter (it appears to be the four row variety but should be six rows) and the fluting on the wrist (it should be smooth)."

Canfield is one heck of a nice guy. If you buy his books directly from him, he includes a personalized inscription. He's even going to include the serial number of this trench gun if I end up keeping it. How cool is that?!

[scosgt]

You can never get your money out of an incorrect gun. If you could buy it for $350, that's a deal. Othewise...