Scored a cheap 77c at auction, with the rare red Vietnam rubber butt pad so I'm converting it to a 77e replica. I will not be altering the stamps or markings but I am trying to get it as close as possible otherwise. I cut the barrel down to 19" and re finished the furniture. Next up is a brass bead and then I'm going to look at options to get it parkerized. Very happy with how it cycles and shoots.
I'm going to make a new bead. If you look at the picture where the whole barreled action is in the shot, you can see a crazy break / adjustable choke thing on the front with a little fibre optic bead.
Honestly surprised to see there isnt more recognition amongst shoutgun connoisseurs for the stevens 77e. It was one of the most widely issued shotguns in vietnam and from accounts i can find the soldiers actually trusted them more than the m16 (which admittedly isnt hard but still). Even magvsoc loved them
I've heard the exact opposite. They were common sure, but because they were cheap. Complex internally and they didn't do well in the harsh jungle conditions. The military police liked them tho they worked well for lighter duty applications. That being said, I think it's one of the coolest shotguns on earth and I'm head over heels in love with mine. I'm shocked at how nice the action feels after just a thorough cleaning.
i feel like that might just be a cleaning issue. I know a lot of vietnam grunts basically put zero effort in weapon maintenance. I feel like specialists who were more experienced and knew to keep their guns clean probably had better experiences
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u/HackDartBreakHeart 21d ago
Nice! I just chopped the barrel on my 820b and it has the same rubber pad. Were you able to remove your bead?