marlin 24 12 ga

[magill91]

Hi i just acquired a marlin 24 12 ga 20 in . Its not in to bad of shape and has a good patenia I have been reading that these are not safe to shot unless everything is in good order. I would just relay like to shoot it once or twice because it is a pretty neet gun. so is there a way this can be done safely. i got this from my wife's dad and it has ben in the family since at least his dad. the last patent date on the barrel is 1908. and sais a215 where the production number goes. any idea on value?
Thank you

[Regnier (gunrunner)]

Magill91;

Yes, they can be made safe to shoot so long as you use low pressure and velocity loads. Go the the Shotgun Section on this message board and check the very first post there about taking the shotgun apart and "fixing" everything.
There is also a website that details how to go about doing the safety checks to see if your shotgun needs "fixing". I cannot lay my hands on the information right now, but I am sure it will be listed in one of the posts in the Shotgun Section. You might try a SEARCH here to look for it. Try searching the terms Shotgun Safety Checks to see if it can lead you to it.