Stevens 520-30 heat shield restore?

[dogfoot]

I have a 520-30 trench gun that lost it's heat shield before it found me.
I picked an East Taylor shield some time back. I need to get this project completed, but this delim is holding me up.
Is there any way to replicate the plum color on the clamp and blue on heat shield?
Is there anyone you know that could do the plum/blue job.
Then the other problem is the bluing is thinning on the gun. I don't want to do the whole gun. I'm thinking I could thin the new blue on the shield with something like 500 grit sandpaper.
thanks for any help --- Kent

[Cactuskid]

Some years ago I aquired a 520-30 trench gun that was missing its heat shield and had an adjustable choke sweated onto the muzzle. The gun sat in my safe for over ten years until I finally obtained an original Stevens heat shield from someone on this forum. The muzzle was professionally repaired where the choke was installed, and the project turned out beautiful. It was worth the wait to find an original heat shield. I had also considered a replica heat shield before I found the original, but I have seen attempts to make replicas look like originals, and I've never seen one that comes close. I've seen some pretty sorry attempts to replicate the plum color on the clamp. The blue on the heat shield wouldn't be too hard to replicate, but the plum anodizing on the clamp is another story. The replica clamps are not made of the same alloy that the WWII ones were.

[scosgt]

It is because they were two separate parts and the heat treat was different.

[Keydet92]

I've thought about this same problem. You can anodize the bayonet lug the appropriate color, protecting the heat shield and then vice versa when you blue the shield. There are several anodizeing websites that offer colors that are very close. Even if you're successful you've still got a repro heat shield that looks new on a gun with wear. I had a very nice 620 trench missing its shield as I thought through this. A few months later I found a Wards 520A that had been made into a faux trench using an original Stevens shield and picked it up to complete my 620. They're out there you just have to spend some time (and money) looking. An original shield will add significantly to the value of the gun, even a nice repro will not.

[Dave L]

Tthere is one for sale on the for sale board.

[dogfoot]

Buying Dave L's handguard --- Thanks for saving a WWII trench gun.
Dog