WesternField Shotgun Bolt clips

My pastor picked up this old WesternField 20 gauge model 4M 215A and it is missing the 2 clips that hold the shell onto the bolt. I tried locating them from Gun parts dealers but the gun is too old and nobody can locate them. I believe it's a Mossberg made for Montgomery Wards.

I have thought about making new clips but suspect that they should be made of a spring steel. The recesses in the bolt for the clips have a threaded hole at the back to screw the clip on and the recess deepens by the hole and tapers to a shallow slot maybe .05" deep at the head of the bolt. I suspect the clips were a type of spring that bent away from the shell when ejecting.

I've never machined spring steel. Don't know anything about different grades or how hard they are. Anybody out there made these before?

Steve

You're right about it being a Mossberg.My grandfater had a 12 ga. bolt action Mossberg and my father had a 16 ga. J.C. Higgins(which I now own).All of them where virtually identicle.If you are into smithing you can probably make the needed part/parts.I haven't taken mine off the rack in 20 years,other than to clean it,so I can't really say how difficult it would be to make.I saw a conversion done based on this action that was kinda neat.A smith I know put a rifled slug barrel on a 12 ga.,turned down the bolt handle,and mounted a scope on it.At a 100 yards I wouldn't have wanted to be a deer.It would print in a 9 inch circle all day long at that distance.I suppose for a shotgun that was pretty resectable 25 years ago.

I have only done one gun fix before, that on my SKS with a rotating pin in the bolt carrier that was supposed to be a press fit but was loose enough to allow the pin to rotate sending the tang on the end of the pin up and jamming the carrier into the reciever. I drilled through the carrier and pin, installed a dowel pin to stop the rotation and it hasn't jammed since. (a cheap Chinese SKS w/synthetic stock but it's fun).

I would like to fix this gun, my pastor wanted to use it for deer hunting, and those clips can't be too difficult, buy I've never messed with spring steel (correct term?). I have my own machine shop in the garage that includes a Bridgeport.

Steve

The shotgun in question was a Mossberg model 185 or one of it's variants. 185D, 185D-A, 185D-B, 185D-C, 185K, 185K-A, 185K-B. Information from Numrich Gun Parts Corp. Catalog #23. Unfortunatly they do not list any parts for this gun. Perhaps a newer catalog may help.

Did a Google search for Mossberg parts and found Havlin Sales & Service in Fetsus, MO. They claim to have extractors available for the 185's. Is "extractor" the correct term for those clips on the bolt?

Steve

I beleive that extractor is the correct term.Also,If I'm not mistaken Westernfield was the Western Auto brand as I have a Westernfield 12 ga. pump that came from Western Auto.It too is a Mossburg,however it has only one slide arm instead of the two furnished on the Mossburg guns.

Extractor is the correct term. Havlin does have them at $12.00 each, not including the screws, which are missing. Call the pastor and see if he wants to buy them. The O4M-215A crosses over to the 85B or 85D, same bolt assembly. So I won't be making them after all.

Steve