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Mossberg Model 185D, 20 Gauge

Dshai

Copper BB
This came to me thru a trade, the stock was refinished when the previous owner worked at a casket company, it didn't have a bolt knob so I talked to one of the toolmakers at work, what you see is what he came up with for me.
 

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What a beauty! Congratulations on a nice find. Thanks for sharing.
 
I picked up a old 185 D model, 20 ga that is in rough shape. Apparently it was dropped from a goodly height and hit butt first. The trigger guard and butt plate are completely missing, the stock is cracked all the way through just before the pistol grip on the stock and the bolt from the bottom to the lug on the underside of the barrel is bent.

My question though is "where is the serial number on this shotgun?' Since the 1934 Firearms Act requires serial numbers on firearms made after that date and the model 185 D was made between 1947 and 1950, it SHOULD have a number somewhere. I can't find it nor can I find any indication that it was removed (no file marks in strange places etc). It's got the roll mark for O.F. Mossberg & Sons, New Haven Conn with model# and gauge on it. It's got a 'P' in a circle on the top of the barrel where it joins the receiver but that's it. I cannot find a serial number. Any ideas?
 
Your 185D likely doesn't have a serial number at all.

Serial numbers weren't first required until the Gun Control Act of 1968. The '34 NFA dealt mostly with regulation of machine guns, short barreled rifles/shotguns, AOWs, suppressors, destructive devices, and the transportation of these items across state lines.
 
Thanks LES! I suspected that was the case but I wasn't sure about the 1934/1968 GCAs.

I got the new stock adapted, inletted and installed today. It shoots hard and accurate. I wanted to see if it would shoot before I invested any more time on it. I'm trying to decide if I want to inlet the plate where the gun-stock bolt is and the clip hardware. Part of me wants to but anything I do increases the chance of screwing it up.
 
Yes Sir, glad to help.

I know what you mean as far as additional mods, I'm the same way. We've got several old firearms including my Grandad's old hunt'n gun, a 12ga Marlin Model 19 breach-action pump made somewhere between 1906-1907. One of the mag tube retainer rings is cracked and would likely be a relatively easy fix/replacement, but I can't bring myself to fool with it. I kinda like lookin at it just the way he left it...
 
Boy do those fotos bring back memories...central Texas dove hunting in the fifties...My buddies all had Browning SA's and I was workin that bolt. I did get by on a lot less ammo than their three shot vollies at each bird. At the end of season, the local gunsmith would repair the ejector. I think he brazed another tang(?) on where I had worn the old one off. Gun is long gone, but well remembered
 
,,,,,ya gotta love them old mossberg's.

welcome from NY old Aggie.
 
I picked up an 85D that some Bubba had cut off the choke threads from the end of the barrel, in front of the bead, luckily. So now it's a cylinder bore, but that's OK since it's a barnyard gun.
85D's were officially made between 1940-1946, and since during the war production was switched to military weapons, I figure it's a '40 or '41.
There's no blue left, but the stock is in great shape.
I traded an Ithaca M66 Super Single 20 ga that cost me $20 for it, so I'm happy. :mrgreen:
 
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