FYI, here's an answer about the Model 916 from another forum:
I'd probably start by having a good gunsmith look it over and which parts you need and if they are still available from e-gunparts. I just did a quick check and most of the springs for that model are in stock and very inexpensive.There were three S&W shotguns.
The first was the ill-fated Model 916A and 916T.
The 916 was supposedly made for S&W by Howa of Japan.
This was a copy of the old Nobel shotgun, and was an absolute disaster for S&W.
The 916 suffered from poor quality control, and just a plain BAD design. It did serious damage to S&W's reputation, and was quickly discontinued.
A later gun was made by Howa, and this was the S&W Model 3000 pump. This was a "clone" of the Remington 870 pump gun.
At the time, S&W was attempting to corner the Police market.
They already were the major police pistol maker, and they were offering lines of ammunition, holsters, handcuffs, and other police supplies.
They thought they could take the police market away from Remington's 870 with the Model 3000.
For a brief time, the 3000 did have somewhat of a "cult" following among individual police officers, but Remington had, (and still has) the police shotgun market sewed up, with 95% PLUS of the market.
Few departments bought the Model 3000, mostly because they trusted the Remington 870, and had been badly burned by the infamous Winchester Model 1200/1300 fiasco.
Mostly, the Model 3000 just didn't have anything "extra" to offer over the time-tested Remington.
Within a few years, S&W dropped the ammo, and holsters to "Get back to their Core business of making pistols".
S&W also dropped the S&W/Howa Model 3000, which Mossberg picked up for a year or so, eventually dropping it also.
The third S&W shotgun was the Howa-made Model 1000 auto shotgun.
It too failed to gain a market over the Remington Model 1100, and when S&W dropped the 3000, the 1000 went with it.
Again, Mossberg picked it up for a year or so, then dropped both, and the Howa Model 1000/3000 faded into oblivion.
Parts for the S&W models, 916, 1000, and 3000 can still be bought from Gun Parts Corporation, including some Police accessories like folding stocks, magazine extenders, and barrels for the 3000.
http://www.e-gunparts.com
Since the Model 3000 is a clone of the Remington 870, a Remington manual can be used to strip it.
A Remington manual can be found here:
http://www.stevespages.com/page7b.htm
If the gun you saw was the 916.....PASS.
If it was a 3000, these make fine shotguns.
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As a followup, the 916 was one of S&W's few mistakes, and the company reputation took a major hit.
This is not to say that EVERY 916 sold gave trouble, but enough of them did, to the point that S&W seriously considered recalling ALL of them to restore their reputation.
