The classic "Hardware" double barrel

[357smallbore]

Bought this 12ga Double Barrel 20 years ago, it is a classic hardware gun from the depression era.. It's an Eastern Arms 12ga with 26in barrels. I've been able to date it to the mid to late 1930's.
Has one minor 1in hairline crack in the stock, I've fixed that though. Most of the bluing has worn off. No rust on or in it. It locks up tighter than a virgin on her wedding night. There is no looseness at all. It is fairly heavy, yet solid. This ole gun is just a reliable solid piece of history.. Only shoot 3 boxes of bird shot out of it yearly. Occasionally take it pheasant hunting. The only thing I've done to it was put a new butt pad on it.

 

[Jimster]

NIce camouflage. I can’t even see it.

 

[mac66]

Eastern Arms shotguns were made by Stevens, H&R, Meridian or Iver Johnson for Sears

 

[chickasaw_hunter]

My cousin inherited our Grandfathers "farm" shotgun. It was a double barrel 12. All that could be determined was that it was made in Belgium. Back in those days lots of guns were made by individual "cottage" makers and imported. My cousin ended up working for NATO and stationed in Belgium. He took the old gun with him and went to the area where he'd been told a lot of those old craftsmen had lived and worked. The first place he tried the guy told him that he didn't make it, but the guy down the street Grandfather did make it. So, off my cousin goes to the guys place and the guy was elated to see a product that his Grandfather had made and had made its way to Indian Territory about the turn of the century. Not the last one, but the one before. One of the triggers had been broken off some time in the distant past. The guy took our Grandfathers shotgun and completely restored it. Made a new trigger, refinished the stock and the metal. When I saw it, it looked brand new. It had no collector's value, but it meant something to the guy to work on a shotgun his Grandfather had made and hear all the tales my cousin could tell him. It was a great adventure for my cousin while he was there being a contract officer for the NATO built F-16's.

 

[22250Rem]

Researching those old hardware store guns is interesting. Thumbs up to mac66 for that information. A lot of those old guns are still around simply because there were so many sold in the early to mid 20th century. Another brand name that Sears also used was their "J.C. Higgins" line of sporting goods, that included shotguns among other things. If memory serves, some models of those shotguns made for Sears were also made by High Standard. Back in the day; Sears got lots of guns from many different manufacturers. Mossberg also made a lot of guns for other retail stores but I don't recall the details.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

There is no looseness at all.

Be careful what you shoot in it. Some of the older guns will loosen right up with modern loads. Don't shoot any Turkey loads in it.

 

[chickasaw_hunter]

I have a "Ranger" shot gun (12ga) that was a Sears & Roebuck brand back in the day. It is an impressive work of machining. Everything in it is machined parts and there is no sheet metal like the elevator in the 870's. It took a while to learn it was built on a Browning patent and made by Stevens before they were swallowed up by Savage. Mine was made in 1941, it weighs a ton. It had a barrel that is as thick as a road culvert. I had screw in chokes put in it. I have a current production Browning pump and there are lot of similarities, but it's obvious where they've made changes to make it cheaper to build and not weigh a ton. The old one is not better than the new or vice a versa, both great quality. My old Ranger (Stevens 520) was made for the Army as a trench gun for use in the Great War. I got it from an estate and it didn't work. That took a few months to find the problem. Simple little thing about where the leg of a spring is supposed to rest. It can be in the wrong place and not look out of place. It was like a watch in there trying to figure things out. Once I got it up and running, it was slick. I'll be keeping this one.

 

[goon]

My cousin inherited our Grandfathers "farm" shotgun. It was a double barrel 12. All that could be determined was that it was made in Belgium. Back in those days lots of guns were made by individual "cottage" makers and imported. My cousin ended up working for NATO and stationed in Belgium. He took the old gun with him and went to the area where he'd been told a lot of those old craftsmen had lived and worked. The first place he tried the guy told him that he didn't make it, but the guy down the street Grandfather did make it. So, off my cousin goes to the guys place and the guy was elated to see a product that his Grandfather had made and had made its way to Indian Territory about the turn of the century. Not the last one, but the one before. One of the triggers had been broken off some time in the distant past. The guy took our Grandfathers shotgun and completely restored it. Made a new trigger, refinished the stock and the metal. When I saw it, it looked brand new. It had no collector's value, but it meant something to the guy to work on a shotgun his Grandfather had made and hear all the tales my cousin could tell him. It was a great adventure for my cousin while he was there being a contract officer for the NATO built F-16's.

Now that’s a cool story!

 

[22250Rem]

Goon ; That is indeed a cool story. I've seen a few of those old shotguns that have no recognizable brand name, but quite a few Belgian proof marks that will tell you where it came from. One of my late uncles picked one up in the latter 1950's as a wall hanger which adorned the mantel piece over his fireplace. I inherited it over 20 years ago and did some research which didn't turn up much more than it's a Belgian shotgun made for the U.S. retail market. I have heard that they were sold in places like sporting goods and hardware stores. Mine is well worn, including the firing, (1 firing pin broken) and cocking mechanism, trigger assemblies, and springs, among other stuff. A local gunsmith told me that they were made to a price point, which meant that the less expensive models wore out faster than the higher grade offerings. Some of the high grades were first class, quality pieces of craftsmanship, but sadly, mine's not one of them. I still have it as a decorative piece of interior design, which is now a fancy name for "wall hanger". At least it looks cool and reflects a bygone era in the firearms world. ..

 

[jmr40]

A lot of them were made by the Crescent Firearms Company and given many different names. A little history

The Legacy Of Crescent Firearms Shotguns | Shotgun Life

Exploring the Legacy of Crescent Firearms Shotguns

www.shotgunlife.com

I have one branded as the "Bridge" firearms company which was made by Crescent. Apparently made between 1903 and 1917 that belonged to my great grandfather who was born 1855.

What dates were shotguns from Bridge Gun Company? | [May Updated]

Contents What dates were shotguns from Bridge Gun Company shot? Shotguns from Bridge Gun Company were manufactured between 1903 and 1917. What types of shotguns did Bridge Gun Company produce? Bridge Gun Company produced side-by-side and single-barrel shotguns. Where were Bridge Gun Company...

thegunzone.com

 

[br549arkie]

I have a "Ranger" shot gun (12ga) that was a Sears & Roebuck brand back in the day. It is an impressive work of machining. Everything in it is machined parts and there is no sheet metal like the elevator in the 870's. It took a while to learn it was built on a Browning patent and made by Stevens before they were swallowed up by Savage. Mine was made in 1941, it weighs a ton. It had a barrel that is as thick as a road culvert. I had screw in chokes put in it. I have a current production Browning pump and there are lot of similarities, but it's obvious where they've made changes to make it cheaper to build and not weigh a ton. The old one is not better than the new or vice a versa, both great quality. My old Ranger (Stevens 520) was made for the Army as a trench gun for use in the Great War. I got it from an estate and it didn't work. That took a few months to find the problem. Simple little thing about where the leg of a spring is supposed to rest. It can be in the wrong place and not look out of place. It was like a watch in there trying to figure things out. Once I got it up and running, it was slick. I'll be keeping this one.

First shotgun I ever fired was one of these old Ranger pump 12 gauge it was my dad's and I was 10 years old (1965).

 

[Mosin77]

I have a "Ranger" shot gun (12ga) that was a Sears & Roebuck brand back in the day. It is an impressive work of machining. Everything in it is machined parts and there is no sheet metal like the elevator in the 870's. It took a while to learn it was built on a Browning patent and made by Stevens before they were swallowed up by Savage. Mine was made in 1941, it weighs a ton. It had a barrel that is as thick as a road culvert. I had screw in chokes put in it. I have a current production Browning pump and there are lot of similarities, but it's obvious where they've made changes to make it cheaper to build and not weigh a ton. The old one is not better than the new or vice a versa, both great quality. My old Ranger (Stevens 520) was made for the Army as a trench gun for use in the Great War. I got it from an estate and it didn't work. That took a few months to find the problem. Simple little thing about where the leg of a spring is supposed to rest. It can be in the wrong place and not look out of place. It was like a watch in there trying to figure things out. Once I got it up and running, it was slick. I'll be keeping this one.

I’ve seen a few of these and thought hard about bringing one home, just because. Last time I visited my friend’s gunshop he had a Stevens 520 20g for less than $300 and I swear, if my wife hadn’t been waiting in the car, I’d have pulled out the wallet.

 

[DeepSouth]

I have a double barrel Hanover arms, 12ga. that my great, great grandfather bought in 1892, he was 16. It has “laminated” barrels that are worn pretty thin. Story is my great grandfather pretty well wore it out during the depression feeding the family.

My grandfather used it for a bird gun, my dad killed his first deer with it in the late 60’s. Me, I’m to scared to shoot it, the slack between the barrels and the receiver is significant, and laminated barrels probably shouldn’t be used with modern ammo anyway.

It’s probably a ~$200 hardware store shotgun but I wouldn’t sell it for 20k.

 

[luv2safari]

My old American Gun Company 12ga double is still as tight as an old miser and weighs about nine pounds. It says "armory steel" and "choke bore". The barrels shine inside and the two locks are in great shape with hard-to-pull-back triggers. It still has a lot nice color case on the receiver.

The quail here love the gun. I can't get it to my shoulder before they've landed several hundred yards away in my neighbor's equipment yard, and on cold days I can't get the hammers cocked with cold hands. I did sluice a goose with it years ago.

I'd love to know all the gun's history.

 

[DM~]

My old double is a Remington my dad bought in the 40's for ten dollars...

It's put tons of meat in our freezer since then!

DM

 

[22250Rem]

This thread reminded me that years ago some of those hardware / sporting goods/ farm supply companies also sold guns that weren't "house brand" or "private label" firearms. In other words; they also sold things like Iver Johnson shotguns that were marked as such. Case in point; the Iver Johnson Champion 16 ga. shotgun in my safe was purchased around 1940 ( give or take a year) from a Western Auto store. The Western Auto chain stores also used the "Revelation" name on some of the firearms they sold but I'm not sure of what years they used that brand name. The Iver Johnson corporation made a lot of guns for the retail trade that didn't say "Iver Johnson" on them, just as many other gun makers catered to that sector of the market back then. Back in my teens, to mid 20's one of my buddies main hunting shotguns was a "J. C. Higgins" 12 ga. pump that was a Sears, Roebuck brand name that was made by High Standard, to the best of my hazy memory. He eventually sold it to another friend of ours who still owns it.

 

[chickasaw_hunter]

One more remembrance of my Grandfather. He was a highly successful Oklahoma farmer,starting before statehood. Being so highly successful as a farmer gave him the spare time to work as a prison guard on the night shift, that paid a more frequently than being a successful farmer. During his tenure at the prison there was a attempted prison escape. My Grandfather stopped it with a 12 ga double. He killed one of the escapees. He was messed up over that for a long while according to my Uncle. I wasn't around back then. I would guess that the prison supplied their own shot guns, but I can't be sure of that. I don't think the shotgun my cousin took to Belgium is the shotgun he used, but I can't rule that out either.

 

[mac66]

A lot of them were made by the Crescent Firearms Company and given many different names. A little history

The Legacy Of Crescent Firearms Shotguns | Shotgun Life

Exploring the Legacy of Crescent Firearms Shotguns

www.shotgunlife.com

I have one branded as the "Bridge" firearms company which was made by Crescent. Apparently made between 1903 and 1917 that belonged to my great grandfather who was born 1855.

What dates were shotguns from Bridge Gun Company? | [May Updated]

Contents What dates were shotguns from Bridge Gun Company shot? Shotguns from Bridge Gun Company were manufactured between 1903 and 1917. What types of shotguns did Bridge Gun Company produce? Bridge Gun Company produced side-by-side and single-barrel shotguns. Where were Bridge Gun Company...

thegunzone.com

View attachment 1209394

Thanks for bringing up Crescent Firearms. They made milliions of shotguns under hundreds of different name from the 1880s well into the 20th century. I actually have two Crescent made SGs. One is a single shot called a Nitro King. It was my dad's first shotgun and was probably made in the 1920s. The other is a double barrel 12 gauge called Hercules which he bought at a farm auction in the 1970s. Again probably a 20s or 30s era shotgun.

 

[luv2safari]

My old double is a Remington my dad bought in the 40's for ten dollars...

It's put tons of meat in our freezer since then!

DM

Oh Man!!

I have looked for a Remington for years that wasn't loose as a goose and all beat up.

I wish I owned it, and you had a better one.