Stevens 311d

[Deadguy]

I've acquired a Stevens 311D 12 ga side by side.  Are these considered to be good guns?  Mine appears to be in nearly new condition.

[fourfingersofdeath]

All of the Stevens shotguns I have seen were as rough as bags, hell for stout and aimed directly at the working class hunter, farmer and rancher and they worked a treat. I came very close to buying a good one a few years ago, but changed my mind at the last minute. I can't remember what the model was now.

[Dick Dastardly]

The Stevens 311 is a great gun.  It has some issues with fast SASS style loading and unloading that can be smithed out.  I have one each in 20ga, 16ga & 12ga.  I wish they had made a 10ga 311 cuz I'd have one.  The Stevens 311 is about the toughest SxS out there.  Your grand kids will enjoy shooting it.

DD-DLoS

[Deadguy]

Thanks.  Glad to hear I did good. 

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Thanks.  Glad to hear I did good. 

Indeed!

[hellgate]

I have one and now use it as my backup but they are rugged. The only problem with them is some will not open all the way up to allow quick unloads/reloads. The barrels will drop so far and then need a little more effort against the spring action to fully bend open the action. The bulge on the tip of the cocking lever can be ground flat and that will often gain enough clearance of the chambers over the top of the frame. I have done that on both the 311s I have owned (311Hs I believe). The protruding latch on the back of the barrels bothers some shooters as it sometimes gets in the way of fast reloads. It doesn't bother me though.

[Paladin UK]

I bought mine in a real sorry state `bout 2yrs ago, As you can see its a lot happier looking now!!
Its had a haircut!! down ta 24ins and shoots CAS distances Brill!! 

Annie `O ` says that it would look even better as a Coach Gun Soooooo... I think that we might have ta got to the barbers agin!! 18in sounds good!!


Original cut ta 24 ins


Looks nice eh!!


I lurv that gun dog!!


Paladin (What`s findin it hard ta sleep thinkin `bout Santa  ) UK

[hellgate]

I had mine cut to 20" but if I was to do it again I'd probably go to 22-24". We used to shoot more around wagons and from inside stage coaches but not so much any more. With the cut down 311 I use different wad combinations to give me different choke patterns. With 18" barrels you will probably lose a fair amount of velocity so you might want to load with FFFg so the powder is consumed faster. If you have a tight patten the velocity and shot charge is less important for knockdowns. With an open cylinder bore the wide, slower pattern can give you trouble dropping fallers.

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I have two of them. A 16 gauge that I bought way back around 1970, and a 12 that I bought a couple of years ago. The 16 was the shotgun I brought to my first CAS match a whole bunch of years ago. They do have issues with the barrels staying open because of the cocking lever spring. But if you are not a speed demon they are fine. And they will last forever.

Hint: Do not cut down the barrels. The longer the barrels are, the more their weight will help in keeping the gun open for reloading. Both of mine have their original 28" length barrels. As far as coach guns being more handy in CAS, I think that is a lot of hooey. The stages where long barrels will bang into props are pretty rare, at least around here. Long barrels are no problem at all in CAS. I love Stevens shotguns, my current Main Match shotgun is a really old Stevens hammered double. I have another old Stevens with a pair of 30" full choke barrels. Never had a problem moving around stages with it, or knocking down knock down targets, even though the patterns are only about as big as a dinner plate at CAS distances.

By the way, most 311s have one full choke and one modified choke barrel. Never had any problems with knockdowns or fliers with that configuration either.

[44caliberkid]

In the early part of this decade I used to get these at auctions for about $175 or less, then resold them to CAS shooters for a bit more.  Went through 4 or 5 of them that way.   They were all 12 gauge, full/ mod choke.   They all seemed like good, sound weapons.

[fourfingersofdeath]

Yep! Thats the sucker I almost bought, barrels musta been 30"+++. Timber looked like it was scrounged off a fence paling, but it was thicker than the average fence pailing . Ended upgetting a Urtechnea or however you spell it, a lot dearer, but also a stout farmer's gun. Seen a lot of rounds since, never missed a beat. I rang my mate, he is still using the Savage around his property shooting foxes, rabbits and dog tucker.

[sundance44`s]

They are good solid American made SXS shotguns ...I wouldn`t trade one for 2 made in China ...

[Deadguy]

They are good solid American made SXS shotguns ...I wouldn`t trade one for 2 made in China ...

Ironically, I traded two made in China to get mine!

[Paladin UK]

Ho Hellgate    ya say...........

With 18" barrels you will probably lose a fair amount of velocity so you might want to load with FFFg so the powder is consumed faster.

Do you think it would be wiser just to go 20in rather than 18in it seems most coach guns run at about 20in, are these barrels tapered more to make them `right`at the business end?

Paladin (Whats kinda curious  ) UK

[hellgate]

I have read that the velocity is at it's peak at around 18" for smokeless powder shotshell loads (I'm sure some of the magnum, heavy load slower powders are an exception) where the shot charge is no longer accelerating as it traverses the barrel. The longer barrels aid in aiming and allow the BP to be completely consumed. 18" is awfully short and any shorter in the US can get you in big trouble with the law. I've had problems with fallers when I started out CAS in 1993 with some hard to go down targets but in all honesty the targets are now more standardized and set to fall easier so it may just be my own baggage I am dealing with.

I am not sure what you mean by "right at the business end". On the 5 coach guns I've had, two were cut downs and two came from the factory that way. The factory ones are new made guns with very thin steel at the muzzle (two IGAs and  TTN hammered double). The 311s had much more metal where the barrel was sawed off. One of the IGAs was not regulated and "walleyed" (left barrel shot low left and right barrel shot high right). All were 20" barrels. If you cut off at 18" you sure as heck cant go to 20". So, I'd try 20" first as you can always shorten it later.

[Paladin UK]

Ho Hellgate, Thanks fer yer reply......

Business end....`the muzzles` (PUK speak ),  What I was trying to find out was ...that when your barrels were cut to 20ins did it cause a drastic loss in acurracy/pellet spread? I will take on board your suggestion ....... try 20 then 18.

Thanks again pard, you `n` yours  have a really great and safe Xmas

Paladin (Whats countin thehrs ta Santa comin  ) UK

[hellgate]

Paladin,
When I cut them I then patterned them with a 69cal ball loaded in to a plastic one piece wad and found they hit POA which is good. I also found that now I am getting 20" wide patterns at 10 yds. A full choke will get 10" patterns @ 10yds. With AA wads or other soft wads i get 18" wide patterns @ 10yds. With LBC-30 (slit twice from Ballistics products) steel shot wad and 80grs FFg + 1 1/8oz shot I get 12" patterns (approx modified choke). So my usual load is ANY wad combination that gives me an even pattern with 55grs FFg and 7/8 oz shot. For targets that MUST fall, I use the steel shot wad in the 3 dram 1 1/8 oz heavy load. A tight pattern will make up for a light charge but once you chop barrels you have to contend with open  patterns so I have solved mine with various wads. The 1 1/4 ozpower piston is slit partially and gives an improved cylinder pattern which is pretty workable.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Paladin;  Unless you do sumpin about it your gun is now choked Cyl/Cyl.  I know you use the Holy Black so barrel length is a bit of an issue. 

The trouble with shortening a shottie is not only the chokes, but it will now shoot high.  Churchill learned that a long time ago, and developed his higher, tapered rib on the XXV models for that very reason.

I'm sorry we missed shooting together at the Pickett's Hill Badlands this last summer.  Maybe sometime soon I can test fire your emasculated Savage and the Ten Pounder. 

[Paladin UK]

Fer Hellgate.........

The BIG problem we have is that we are Felt `n` Fibre` ONLY at our ranges, at the moment I use a home made card cup which seems to keep the shot together OK fer my 2 16g scatter guns (Both have 24 in tubes) They shoot reeeel nice!!

Fer My good pard Sir Charles.........

Yup I`m reeel sad we didnt get a chance to lay down some fire `n` brimstone` together this year. However, next year things will be back to normal and you will be more than welcome pard. I hope you `n` yours have a Brill and safe Xmas!!

Paladin (What missed SC this year ) UK

[Dick Dastardly]

Howdy PUK,

Will they allow a mylar wrap in your load?  How about buffer.  I've found that those two items will really help to tighten up the patterns with my card and fiber wad BP loads.

DD-DLoS