What are your thoughts on this Rem 58 Sportsman?

[pertnear]

IIRC….

My wife’s uncle, who passed away 25 years back, gave me this Remington shotgun to fix for him. I had a reputation in the family back then of tinkering with stuff. Supposedly a fella had owed him money but gave him this shotgun as the best he could do. The bolt won’t lock back or cock when pulled back empty. At the time, in my mind, the rough old shotgun wasn’t worth much & a trip to a real gunsmith would cost more than it’s worth. Are there any ideas on what to look for to fix it myself? Was my original assumption correct now, i.e. not worth the cost to get it fixed? Kind of an odd old shotgun since you have to adjust the gas depending on the shells you’re using. Code on barrel U-C-J-Q. Actually, the exterior is not overly rusty & barrel & magazine tube look pretty good!

What are your thoughts on this? TIA….

325283 325284 325285

[racepres]

Most old "semi"'s dont lock open when empty...
the Cocking part??? Guess it don't need cocked if empty anyway...long as it cocks when loading!!!!!
My Conclusion??? Not Broken!!!

[HWooldridge]

Wiki is your friend. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_Model_58

Sounds like may be more trouble than it's worth but you can always tinker with it.

[JDHasty]

My grandfather had one. It handled and pointed very well. My dad considered it to be temperamental, he had a Model 11 Remington that also pointed very well. I started shooting trap with both and was shooting 96-97 with them, but was stuck and went to a pair of Beretta A-303 Trap guns. Any field guns that I could shoot targets with that well is a good gun in my book. I really didn't have any functional issues with either.

As an aside, the Park County Rod and Gun Club (Livingston Mt) was more or less started by my grandfather and a couple friends. He and friends bought a couple traps and sunk them in concrete and stored them in his Texaco service station would transport them down to the Yellowstone River one or two nights/week using his wrecker and throw targets across the river for anyone who showed up. He also bought shells by the pallet and sold them at his cost. I still have a bunch of the Winchester and Remington wooden cases the shells were shipped in.

https://www.facebook.com/p/Livingston-Montana-gas-stations-of-the-past-100063448098905/

[35 Rem]

Have you tried to fire it? Not clear from what you wrote.

[405grain]

Boy, that's a weird shotgun. It's a gas operated semi-automatic that uses the front of the magazine tube for the gas piston. The magazine only holds two shells. That model had some mechanical issues, and was later replaced with the model 1100. It isn't a "bad" shotgun, and because you got it for free it is worth fixing. Last year I repaired a J. C. Higgins 12 gauge pump action for a friend. It only needed one part to get it working again. In my (limited) experience with repairing shotguns I have seen the same thing over and over again: The shotgun could be 30, 40, or even 50 years old, and it would have never been cleaned. More often than not, just stripping one of these older shotguns down and giving it a through cleaning will solve 90% of any issues that the gun is experiencing.

First things first: whip out the Google-Fu and look up whatever information you can on the make/model of firearm that you want to work on. Then check to see if there are any Youtube videos about it. Then type in the make & model of the firearm with the word "parts" into your search engine and see what's available. It's entirely up to you if the shotgun in question is worth repairing. The value of lots of these older shotguns is in the enjoyment that you would have shooting them, not in the dollar amount that someone would be willing to pay for one. Here's a website that has an exploded view of your shotgun. https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/remington/shotguns-rem/spt-58

Having the bolt not lock back may, or may not be an issue. There might not be a mechanism that holds the bolt back after the last shell is discharged. However, the trigger group not cocking when the bolt is drawn back IS an issue. There may be a problem with the interrupter or the sear. Do not try to live fire the gun until you find out what's going on with the trigger group. If the sear is not engaging the hammer properly the shotgun could discharge all the rounds in it "full-auto" style. From what very little that I've looked at, the trigger group on the model 58 is very similar to the one on the model 870, and the interweb says that there's only one part in it that's different. On practically all shotguns the rearward travel of the bolt is what cocks the hammer, and this happens if the gun is loaded or not. If the hammer is not staying back, not only could the shotgun discharge when you release the bolt on a live round, but it might reload itself and discharge the rounds in the magazine too. (this might also be caused by a worn or broken cocking notch on the hammer) Pulling out and inspecting the trigger group is what I'd recommend that you do first if you intend to repair this shotgun.

[lightload]

I had one until recently. The bolt does lock back. Remove trigger group and soak it in Kroil. That might fix this. Piston must be kept dry. They come with a message printed on tube to keep solvent out of mechanism.

[pertnear]

I had one until recently. The bolt does lock back. Remove trigger group and soak it in Kroil. That might fix this. Piston must be kept dry. They come with a message printed on tube to keep solvent out of mechanism.

I need to put together a couple dummy shells to test with. Soaking the trigger group seems like an easy thing to try.

[Mk42gunner]

I've never been around a Model 58; but going by the engraving, that one is not a low grade field gun. I would put some effort into making it work again.

Is it as good as a Model 11 or Model 1100? Probably not, but it should be useable.

Robert

[Jeff Michel]

Clean thoroughly, lube it up and use it. Decent gun for it's time, just supplanted by improved models. I like 1148's and if they get dirty, they don't always lock back.

[elmacgyver0]

That shotgun should lock back and cock when empty.
It probably needs a good cleaning and lubrication.
I have one that is in very good condition, used very little, I got it brand new with a leather case from my uncle who won it from the co-op where he worked for good performance.
It seems to be a semi-auto 870, at least the barrels are very similar.
It would be very easy to adapt 870 barrels to it.

[toallmy]

I currently have 3 Remington model 58 sportsman shotguns , 2 in 12 and 1 in 20 although they are a bit finicky they point and fit me nicely . I good cleaning and some tinkering will probably get the old 58 working just fine .
As mentioned a few times the trigger group cleaning will probably take care of it , but just take your time and clean up everything to start with would be best . I have come to the conclusion that the old shotguns like to not be ran to fast and the old load of 1-1/8 or up seam to function just fine .
Enjoy

[Rich/WIS]

The NRA Firearms Assembly book has instructions and a schematic for the Rem 58. PM me your address and I will copy and mail them to you.

[fecmech]

Shot my first 25 straight in skeet with a Model 58. They point well and handle very much like the 1100 they preceded.

[stubshaft]

I have my Dads Model 58, 20 Ga.. It was the only shotgun he hunted with, and he shot pillowcases full of doves with it. I have shot it but, truth be told it just doesn't fit me as well as it did him. I just cleaned the carbon out periodically and have not had any problems with it.

[pertnear]

With the help of the detailed schematic, graciously sent to me by Rich/WIS, I think I have determined the problem. Two tiny parts are totally missing called the "carrier dog follower & spring". I found both parts at Numrich's so I got them on order. I'll keep ya'll posted....

Thanks to everyone for the advice & a special thank-you to Rich!

Dave

[farmbif]

when I was a helping hand in gunsmith shop. when one of the Remington auto shotguns came in the first thing Marvin would do is remove the stock, forend and barrel and trigger group then soak and brush out everything in solvent tank. then blow dry with compressed air. then try to function it. quite often the cleaning and maybe a slight adjustment was all that was needed.

[elmacgyver0]

I paid $100.00 to my uncle for my Sportsman 58 in my early 20s.
The leather gun case was probably worth that even when I bought it, way back when.
The three-shell limitation wasn't that big of a deal.
It is the only semi-auto shotgun I own except for the .410 AR-15 contraption that I have never fired yet.

[lightload]

The 58 and 870 barrel are the same except for the 58's gas ports. I got my 58 in 1963. Soon after Rem introduced the 1100.

[JDHasty]

My inclination is that some gun scribe dissed on the 58 shortly after it came out and then others followed their lead. I think my experience with my grandfather’s 58 and a few other firearms that had an undeserved reputation for being problematic or poor designs cured me of taking much of what more than a couple of them had to say all that seriously.

Thoroughly cleaning the trigger group is something I agree with as a good place to start.

[koger]

The 58 gas system, is practically the same one, that Winchester used when they made the 1400, I have had them both apart for cleaning side by side. Usually a good cleaning of the gas system and the internals, is all they need to work. No one ever took the time to maintain these fine old guns correctly. The 48 was recoil operated and did not require much upkeep, and I think a lot of folks thought the same of the 58, just my two cents.