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Picked Up My First Shotgun. A Few Questions.


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Got my PAL not too long ago and have acquired myself a shotgun. For all you old guys on the board, its a single shot 20 gauge Cooey. Pre-winchester buy out.

I know they aren't worth all that much, but its a bit rusty and dusty, and I plan on fixing it up a bit and using it for trap and eventually some small game. Everything I've read about these things says that they're rock solid reliable guns, and when I close the barrel it locks solidly with no play or wobbles anywhere in it. I still need to get a legitimate cleaning kit for it, but in the mean time, I figured I'd take it apart, use a wet rag on the wood, and some fine grade steel wool on the metal parts to get rid of the rust including in the bore. Is that a bad idea? I've looked in the bore with a flashlight and didn't see any rust pitting.

Looking around at the websites of some gunsmiths in my area, getting it blued would cost more than I paid for the thing. Now, thats not a big deal, since I plan on keeping it for a long time, but am I better off with a few thin coats of an appropriate flat black spray paint? Last thing, the chamber length All it says on the barrel is: 20 gauge proof tested. I've read that some are 3 inch and others are 2 3/4. It seems that most are 2 3/4 and I'm fine with shotting 2 3/4 inch shells for as long as they exist, but did they come in any shorter chamber lengths? For obvious reasons I don't want to shoot 2 3/4 shells if its only chambered for 2 1/2 inch.

Thanks.

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I used to own exactly the same shotgun in 16 gauge. It is a simple and reliable gun.

To repair the bluing, get an inexpensive cold bluing kit on line. Some sporting goods outlets will have them too.

For the wood, don't use water. A clean soft rag with a bit of linseed oil will do.

Cleaning kits are inexpensive too. Make sure the brushes are bronze and the rods are aluminum. Don't get a kit with the "pull-through" as the cord on the pull through can pick up grit and abrade your muzzle.

As for chamber size, play it safe and stay with the 2 3/4 until you've had a smith check it for you. I would guess you have the shorter chamber as it sounds like your gun might date from the 50's or early 60's. Does it have a legible serial number? Perhaps Googling Cooey serial #s will get you the info.

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It is almost certainly either a model 84 or a model 840, by the way. You can find lots of info on them on-line.

My 16 was an 840. I gave it to my brother when I moved here from Nova Scotia in 1987. He still has it and uses it. I found it great for upland game birds and rabbits. The 20 you have should serve you well.

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I agree with Coachman ! buy a bluing kit instead of painting it. back in the early sixties I owned the same 20 ga. as you bought. I remember that the shells were yellow in colour and I believe they were 2 3/4 inches in length. The cleaning kit will last forever so I would buy a good one as coachman suggested.

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agree with with coachman and staffman paint will not last and if you start sanding the barrel it will start to rust up on you again

better to get a bluing kit good luck on it put up pics when its finished

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My first shotgun was a Cooey 20 gauge , got it for Christmas in 1959 . I believe the shells cost more than 12 gauge and the gun was very simple and reliable . I used it for a few years until I got a 12 gauge Remington pump , also a good reliable gun . They had me fooled when I got the Cooey since it came in a short box disassembled . I used bluing on one of my guns ....probably my first moose gun , an army edition 303 (heavy sucker) and not all that accurate .( or I was a lousy shot) , and it improved the colour nicely .

Congrats on your first gun ...I know the feeling ....and good luck on your first hunt .....I got a rabbit first day out , about 300 meters from where I'm sitting right now !

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Hehe, Smerch. My first deer rifle was a P14 Enfield. The stock had been cut down, the barrel free-floated and the receiver glass bedded. I re-worked the trigger and mounted a 3x wide-angle scope. It was extremely accurate but like yours, weighed a ton. I didn't really notice it though because I was used to carrying the FN C1 which weighed about the same.

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I used to own exactly the same shotgun in 16 gauge. It is a simple and reliable gun.

To repair the bluing, get an inexpensive cold bluing kit on line. Some sporting goods outlets will have them too.

For the wood, don't use water. A clean soft rag with a bit of linseed oil will do.

Cleaning kits are inexpensive too. Make sure the brushes are bronze and the rods are aluminum. Don't get a kit with the "pull-through" as the cord on the pull through can pick up grit and abrade your muzzle.

As for chamber size, play it safe and stay with the 2 3/4 until you've had a smith check it for you. I would guess you have the shorter chamber as it sounds like your gun might date from the 50's or early 60's. Does it have a legible serial number? Perhaps Googling Cooey serial #s will get you the info.

Thanks for the replies here and below, Its definitely a model 84. It says it right on the side of the reciever, and the "0" that was added to most of the Cooeys was added after Winchester took over. The serial number is definitely legible, under the fore-stock, the side of the reciever and under the butt plate. Well, the first digit under the butt plate isn't legible, but the rest of the digits match the other spots where they are stamped. First two digits are 59 and I forget the others. I've looked online and according to Wikipedia and gunsopedia:

"The Cooey model 84/840 [shotguns] that were manufactured before 1961 are stamped "H. W. Cooey Machine & Arms Company" on the right side of the action and the guns made after the purchase from Winchester of Cooey are stamped "Winchester-Western (Canada) Limited." on the right side of the receiver. Written records of serial numbers are not generally available. Some have suggested that Cooey did not use serial numbers, but many pre-1961 model 84s are stamped with serial numbers on the receiver, barrel (under the fore stock) and under the butt plate/shoulder stock. Dating the serial numbers remains a challenge for Cooey gun collectors"

I'd still like to try and figure out what year it was made. Maybe 1959 since thats what the first two digits are......

I agree with Coachman ! buy a bluing kit instead of painting it. back in the early sixties I owned the same 20 ga. as you bought. I remember that the shells were yellow in colour and I believe they were 2 3/4 inches in length. The cleaning kit will last forever so I would buy a good one as coachman suggested.

Thanks, I've got some time and Sail in Burlington is relatively close for me, I might go and look at a few things there. Any suggestions on a quality kit? I looked at a few a while back but never saw one that particularly stood out for me, not that I'm an expert.... If I recall correctly, most of them had a bunch of different sized brushes for various calibres and gauges, jags, and ummmm, whatever the things are that hold the patches, but I don't think any actually came with the consumables like patches and oil.

agree with with coachman and staffman paint will not last and if you start sanding the barrel it will start to rust up on you again

better to get a bluing kit good luck on it put up pics when its finished

Thanks, you guys have convinced me to blue the thing! I hope I don't screw it up too bad. I did use some fine steel wool on the barrel, receiver, trigger guard etc, and it looks like just surface rust. In fact, it looks like the receiver was colour case hardened, or whatever they do to them. That wavy sort of bluey purple looking stuff. Should I or shouldn't I be bluing that? It seems like I shouldn't be, but its still got a bit of rust on it, I didn't want to scrub too hard. If I don't blue it, how do I protect that from rust? Just clean it and keep it oiled?

My first shotgun was a Cooey 20 gauge , got it for Christmas in 1959 . I believe the shells cost more than 12 gauge and the gun was very simple and reliable . I used it for a few years until I got a 12 gauge Remington pump , also a good reliable gun . They had me fooled when I got the Cooey since it came in a short box disassembled . I used bluing on one of my guns ....probably my first moose gun , an army edition 303 (heavy sucker) and not all that accurate .( or I was a lousy shot) , and it improved the colour nicely .

Congrats on your first gun ...I know the feeling ....and good luck on your first hunt .....I got a rabbit first day out , about 300 meters from where I'm sitting right now !

Thanks Smerch, I'm looking forward to taking it out for some trap shooting (I know trap is a 12Ga sport), and hopefully by the winter I'll have done my hunter safety course and can get out next spring and put some meat on my table!

I went at it a bit yesterday. Like I mentioned, everything locks up tight and there is no wobble anywhere The hammer has a good snap to it (no dry firing, snap cap). The only thing is that the barrel release lever sticks a bit when I push it all the way to one side or another. Likely as a result of age and lack of use. Its supposed to have not been fired since the early 70s. I'm going to take the stock apart from the action tonight if I've got time and a long enough screw driver which hopefully will give me a better look at the internals and a chance to clean them. Should I use oil or grease on the barrel release? I know a bunch of pellet gun guys swear by using moly based grease, the more % of moly the better, but this isn't a pellet gun so......

The wood is in great shape, once I cleaned the dust off of it. It has a small crack in the forestock that was glued and a couple small chips at the bottom of the stock that I'll fix up eventually since they're a bit rough around the edges. I could probably use the edge of a swiss army knife blade to smooth that out, or I think I've got some 1500 grit sand paper. Were they originally finished with linseed oil?

When I get the time I'll post some pics. I didn't have my camera with me to post pics of the rust and dust, but I'll post some before I do some of the other work.

Again, thanks for the advice.

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Bluing is actually a form of controlled oxydation. So very fine steel wool won't hurt the bluing so long as you don't overdo it. Just make sure you keep it lightly oiled. Anything with the Hoppes or Browning brand is good. The varied colours you are noting are a result of the tempering and/or brazing process on adjacent components. You can blue right over it.

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I think the original stocks were just maple or cherry, stained and varnished. Of course varnish wears off over time. Linseed oil has the advantage of being near-neutral Ph and won't cause the wood to swell as much as other oils.

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Took it out trap shooting today. Didn't do that great but not terrible either I guess. First round got 7, second 12 third round 14. But hey, first time and its a 12 ga game and the sight at the end of the barrel is not there, so maybe all things considered I did ok. Gun worked great, especially the ejector. It was launching shells over my shoulder the whole time I was out. I still have to make sure to get the barrel release loosened up. If I have the time this weekend I was planning on removing the reciever from the stock, and bringing it in to the shop at work.

Tell me if this is a bad idea or not:

I want to soak it in either CLR or some mild degreaser to get rid of the rust which is only surface rust, followed by: water rinse (i know water + bare metal = bad) a liberal spray of WD40 to displace the water in the cracks, and then a generous soaking in brake cleaner to get rid of the WD 40. After that, depending on what someone with more knowledge on the subject thinks, I would put some grease around the springs and on the sear and trigger. Should I leave that part dry incase it makes the trigger too light?

Or should I use oil?

I picked up a small cleaning kit at Lebaron yesterday with some gun oil and a cleaning rod, brushes, patches etc... After scrubbing the bore with the bronze brush, and running a few patches through it, should I put a light coat of oil in the bore?

Thanks again, I'm still meaning to put up some pics of it. Maybe when I've got it at work.

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Unless you have very hot (ie: boiling) water, stick with solvents. Look for Hoppes # 9. Its a bore solvent but will penetrate well. It should free up the sticky lever. As for the surface rust, just oil it for now until you can get a cold bluing kit to do it right.

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Took the receiver off the stock this morning and brought it to the shop at work. Got a few pics, but I'm stupid and forgot to bring a real camera, so its Phlip fone fotos today.

First thing I did was put it in the parts washer and give it a good soaking and brushing with degreaser.

I boiled (as suggested to use) some water with the tea kettle in the lunch room and doused it. Followed by a good soak in WD40 to displace the water. It sat for a while and I worked the barrel release back and forth. It only sticks now if I push it hard all the way to the left, but to the right its fine. Maybe now that its going to be used and oiled on a regular basis, it'll loosen up.

After that I sprayed it with brake cleaner and then some penetrating oil on the moving parts. working the varoius things back and forth. Soaked it with brake cleaner again.

I've been thinking of giving the receiver a light polish instead of bluing it, but haven't decided yet. The polish will be more maintenance than the bluing probably.

After the brake cleaner dried I took the trigger guard off and put it to a wire wheel. It cleaned up the rust good and I nearly lost the tiny screw that holds it on the receiver. Then I put the receiver on the wire wheel and cleaned up the rust. Got every spot that I was able to, while avoiding hitting the springs with the wheel. I even chased the threads on the bolt hole that holds the stock to the receiver. After another soak with brake cleaner, I let it dry and got out the oil. I wasn't sure what exactly to oil but I tried to be intuitive. I put one or two drops anywhere there was a moving part and metal-metal contact. Springs, the sear and trigger. The rod the hammer pivots on I wish I had a long needle to put on the nipple on the gun oil bottle it would have been way easier than trying to drop oil from a distance.

Again, crappy camera phone pics so its hard to really see what it looked like. The first two are after I degreased it but before the wire wheel work.

2s1sytf.jpg

kbf1pv.jpg

The next ones are after I wire wheeled it.

2dugpzt.jpg

Oh yeah, the serial number starts with 52 not 59 like I mentioned above.

2dui4j6.jpg

14c911x.jpg

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Looking good so far scapulataf big difference with a little work that gun will look sweet just take your time with it don't loose parts lol

and after you are done and you are satisfied you will definitely have something to be proud of good luck

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks gunner.

Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been busy for a while and am going to get even busier in the next few months, so I haven't done much besides take it out shooting when I get the chance. For the time being I've just decided to keep it as is. When things quiet down for me and I get another gun, I'll start working on it again. In the mean time that'll give me time to decide whether I want to blue the reciever or just polish it. The barrel I'll be bluing, but again, not for a while yet. I just don't want to take the thing apart only for a couple hours before I have to put it back together again and so on, so once I've got another gun, maybe around christmas time or so, I'll be able to take it apart and leave it in pieces for long enough to really do something to it, and when I do I'll resurrect this thread and keep any interested parties up to date.

I have to say that aside from a few small nicks, and the two cracks that I mentioned, the wood is in great shape, to the point where I don't think I'll do anything to it except a few minor touchups.

I do have a question or two though, are all these fancy bore cleaners worth the money? I can get a bigger can of brake cleaner for less than the price of a smaller can of the various bore cleaners, and if brake cleaner isn't "solventy" enough, throttle body and carburetor cleaner probably is. Is it really worth it for the bore cleaner?

Thanks again, and until I have more time to work on this thing, here is some gun pornography, though for some reason I just couldn't take a good picture last night.

Breech_chamber_b.jpg

Broken_left.jpg

Cooey_rec_mod_84.jpg

Gun_left.jpg

gun_right.jpg

Receiver_stock.jpg

Rec_right.jpg

Rec_stock_right.jpg

Stock_left.jpg

Stock_left_2.jpg

Stock_right.jpg

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There is no substitute for a good bore solvent. It will dissolve powder residue and penetrate the steel to protect it. I'd spend the $$ for some Hoppe's. A can lasts a long time so it is well worth it.

Don't leave the receiver bare. It should be blued and oiled to prevent corrosion. Even fingerprints can start corrosion on unprotected steel.

If the crack in the forestock isn't to bad, you can open it into a "V" groove with a dremel bit then fill the groove with epoxy or fiberglass resin. That will actually leave it stronger than it was before.

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100% accurate Coachman it's amazing what your finger prints on steel will do and i agree spend the money and get some hoppe's gun oil and solvent's it is worth it

and blue all the steel parts don't cut corners like i said take your time and do the job right the first time you'l be glad you did get another gun for the up coming

hunting season and finish the other one as you can good luck

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