Western Field Model SB-100B
Question
I recently got my dads old shotgun. I am currently in the process of trying to restore it to what it use to look like. I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about it. what year it was made? how Many were made ect. i could not find a lot on the Internet about it. It is a (Montgomery ward and company) western field model SB-100B.
Answer
Dwayne,
Thanks for your question. Western Field was the house brand name for firearms sold by Montgomery Ward. It was pretty common practice in the 50s and 60s for the large department stores to have house brand names that were actually made by another company. In your case, Savage made the Western Field SB-100B. The model number of the Savage gun was the same as the Western Field model number.
There were literally tens of thousands of these made during the period between 1950 and 1970. Unfortunately there is very little accurate information on theses 'utility grade' shotguns. They were inexpensive and utilitarian and have no collectable value, so no one really keeps track of the history.
They were inexpensive shotgun at the time they were made and while they are still very inexpensive ($50-$75) for a specimen in good condition, they were fairly well made and are still excellent shooters.
You can find some spare parts for these at www.gunpartscorp.com
Go to the Savage page and scroll way down to the bottom for the shotguns. These were made in .410, 20 and 12 gauge. Don't know which one you have since you didn't say. Sometimes you can find them online at places like Gunbroker.com for $50-$75 if you need a stock or something. Unfortunately in this case, the value of the gun is primarily sentimental...
Sorry I can't be of more assistance...there just isn't much information.
Regards,
Doug Little
1923 Winchester Model 12 stock
dating?