Belt Feeder,

What you have is a Stevens Model 620 (actually a 620A) made in early 1942 for the US Military in WWII. Your shotgun is one of the first batch of Model 620s for the government, they all had the US property, ordnance bomb, Col Gilbert H Stewart (GHS) stamp and proof "P" on the left side of the receiver. Your shotgun was originally a long barreled training gun (for training aerial gunners) because of the Imp Cyl Choke marks (***), but has been cut down to simulate the appearance of a riot gun. The smooth wood is correct for later military production and is probably a replacement during the war or during an arsenal rebuild later (the 620 and 520-30 shotguns remained in the inventory until the Vietnam War). This early batch of 620s have mostly left over checkered wood if original, they were still using up on hand civilian stocks at this time.

This shotgun is the final evolution of the John Browning designed Model 520 and all of them share the same basic layout and functions (take-down barrel, locking lug, etc) including no disconnector, so yes they're all slam fire.

The Model 520 was designed by JMB in 1903, the patents were approved in 1905 and 1907 and he sold the design to Stevens around 1908, shortly after Joshua Stevens had died. Stevens put it into production around 1909 (it first appears in sales literature in that year). They streamlined the double hump design to create the Model 620 in 1927 and made that gun until 1939 when they modified the design to create the Model 620A. The basic difference is the stock connection (a single long draw bolt vice a cross bolt through receiver and trigger tangs). There is some confusion as Stevens continued to call this model a 620 at times on the guns and in the literature.

The condition limits the collector value in this gun as it stands but it has lots of great shooter value and history.

 

One common occupancies with this modle....trash, stick, leaves oiled coated will stick back in the left of reciever.
And will cause the action not to lock.
Noticed or unnoticed by shooter holding gun in lock position with forearm....
Evently straining the forearm holding back recoil....can cause cracks in the wood and additional play in movenment In that area.
Worked on more than a few not locking up....cleaned every where but bening bolt.

 

Actually, it is an original riot gun barrel, not a cut-down barrel. On Stevens shotgun barrels, three asterisks indicates a cylinder bore.

 

Tom,
I thought the Savage/Stevens marking for cylinder was four asterisks. I have several long barreled 520A and 620A shotguns with three asterisk markings that I had thought was improved cylinder.

There is a reference post in the FAQ forum of the Savage Shooter page: http://www.savageshooters.com/content.php?288-Vintage-Shotgun-Choke-Markings

If you have counter information I'd love to learn it and correct any misinformation I have.

EDIT: I just went back to Canfield on the Savage 720 shotguns and he says 3 = cylinder and 4 = improved cylinder. Now I'm going to have to go and measure my long barreled guns with 3 astrisks.

 

Are your long barreled guns Military or commercial shotguns?

 

Commercial guns. The use of asterisks to denote choke on Model 520/620 shotguns starts around 1940. Previously they were written out.

 

Thanks for the info keydet92 and Tom D. This is just a cool old shotty. It is not cracked on top either. Looks like war shotgun collecting is a little tougher than other weapons, due to the scarcity.

Beltfeeder

 

Tom and keydet92, did we ever decide whether this 620A was a long barreled trainer cut down, or a original riot barrel. I am a little confused over the discourse about the 3 asterisks.... is it cylinder or improved..?

 

I believe it's a riot gun. Some of the early riots I've seen have three asterisks. I seem to recall that the Military Savage 720 riot shotguns are similarly marked, and the long barrel Savages have 4 asterisk marks.

 

Thanks Tom D. I missed the 720 info earlier. The front bead looks good, and the crown looked too good to be a hack job. I thought it could have had depot level work if they ever shortened them.

Belt Feeder