1894 Remington

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whughett

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Bought this some thirty odd years ago at a gun show for $225. It’s hung on a wall in the basement loading/ hobby room ever since. Always intended to restore it. Some previous owner cut the stock down, length of pull is around 12 inches. Too short for me. Both barrels, one ordnance steel, 26 inches, one Damascus, 30 inches, have bright shiny bores, no rust or pitting. The Damacus is missing both beads. The ejectors work and there are no visible cracks in the stock. Lock up is tight nothings loose. The splinter forearm is worn but has a fair amount of checkering and no cracks or chipped wood. all matching numbers, barrels, lock works, fore arm steel and stocks.

I think its a candidate for some upland game hunting with black powder shells.
Just ordered a recoil pad and some spacers from Midway to bring the LOP back to around 14 inches

Would like to replace the beads on the Damascus barrel, don't know what kit to order from Brownells, suggestions anyone.

I know it’s a “B” grade and the “E” means ejectors, aside from that anyone know what the rest of the markings are.
 

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The expert on the old Rem SxSs was Charlie Semmer, but he passed away about 5 years ago. He wrote a book about Rem doubles, but used mostly existing examples for his documentation because none of the original production paperwork survives to the day (I think there was a fire).

Most info about the markings are speculation. The numbers on the bottom of the lug may indicate the number of pellets inside a circle at a specified distance for a specified shot. What the circle size, distance, shot size and load are is not known. The barrels with 245 and 177 on them are probably Mod and Full. Interestingly, One of your your lugs says MOD on one side and 50 on the other. The MOD may have been stamped over something else.

Are the Damascus barrels cut down? What are the length and do they have any choke in them? Do both sets of barrels have the same serial number as the frame, the SN is fuzzy on one set of barrels?
 
All Numbers match. Both barrels, the iron work for the forearm the frame, the serial numbers seem to be on most of the major parts.

The Damascus barrel isn’t cut as far as I can tell. It’s 30 inches, the steel 26 inches.
This old brass choke gage indicates both barrel modified on the Damascus. The steel one, left barrel Modified, right barrel Improved modified.

The over stamped MOD is over numbers 157. Read on another forum two digits would indicate a 3 before. So a 350 pellet count would indicate a full choke even if this gage doesn’t indicate it.
Thanks for the reply
 

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I owned one with steel 30" barrels in 12ga and shot trap with it, it had a lot of drop and I had to shoot it with no cheek weld and had to learn to hold my head just right to get good scores at trap with it. I did shoot one 25-25 with it after many-many tries.
 
I got the barrels backwards, I thought the Damascus barrels were the short ones.

I guess if you could afford a BE grade back then, you could afford an extra set of barrels. I wonder if the gun was sent back to Remington to have shorter barrels added after the stock was cut down to return the center of balance.
 
I got the barrels backwards, I thought the Damascus barrels were the short ones.

I guess if you could afford a BE grade back then, you could afford an extra set of barrels. I wonder if the gun was sent back to Remington to have shorter barrels added after the stock was cut down to return the center of balance.
Mystery of old guns.
Waiting on an order from Midway for recoil pad and spacers to add a least an 1 1/2 inch to the LOP. I shoot a lot of black powder so going to spend some time loading Black powder shot shells, heck I might even try a little cowboy action shooting.

I owned one with steel 30" barrels in 12ga and shot trap with it, it had a lot of drop and I had to shoot it with no cheek weld and had to learn to hold my head just right to get good scores at trap with it. I did shoot one 25-25 with it after many-many tries.
That was my original idea when I purchased it. My club had trap ranges then and I had started trying my hand at it.
 
Depending on how much money you want to spend and how much you would like to shoot them, you could have them sent to Kolar or Briley and have titanium 20 gauge tubes installed and shoot as much modern 20 gauge through them as you wanted. Weight would be about a pound or so added.
 
Enticing as that sounds, there are only so many spare dollars to spend on the shooting sports. Not a shot gunner at heart, more a hand gun enthusiasts and there are any number if those I don’t have. :).
Thanks for the thought though.
Hoping #3 son,43, who does a little muzzle loading hunting can use it for some upland game hunting. I’ll get it set up, load up some rounds and see where it goes.
 
For any interested I’ve moved forward on this project The rather ugly recoil pad is installed, LOP is now 14 inches. I discovered I have a copy of the “Remington Double Shotguns, by Charles G Semmer. I had completely forgotten I had it. A Christmas gift I think in 1997. Most if not all my questions are answered This particular shotgun left the factory in 1910 It most likely left with one barrel and was returned at some point to have the additional barrel fitted 668CE2CE-5329-4CC7-80C6-99C9FD943AB8.jpeg
I have loaded and shot a couple of dozen lighter #8 shots shells. The Damascus barrel, right one, has a small dent about three inches in from the muzzle, depending on who one asks this may or may not be a problem. It hasn’t been for the six rounds of the lighter blackpowder loads, but I’m looking for a smith that offers dent removal.

Waiting on an order of paper shells from Grafs. The book list some original loads of black powder I’d like to try. Author states all the 1894 and 1899s were proof tested with nitro, Remington steel and Damascus as well as the ordinance steel available on special order.
 
Tell me more, I’d like to try it.
There commercially made tool is a little more complicated but. You can simply take a brass or steel rod, just smaller then the bore. Cut the rod at a 45° long ways. Then drill and tap a smaller for on both ends. Just slide the two halfs over the debt and lightly tape one end. This will start to raise the dent. As it raises use a flat based hammer on the outside of the dent to even it out.

The other way is using a strong magnet and a just under bore size ball bearing. With some tape on the barrel, you just work the magnet back and forth, this will slowly raise the dent.
 
I'm not sure if chamber length is an issue or not with black powder but it is with smokeless. 2 1/2" and 2 5/8" chambers were common up until about 1925 in the US. Most available hulls are 2 3/4".

I've done some reloading using smokeless powder for 2 1/2" chambers. With 2 1/2" cases, old style roll crimps and certain powders it can be done. BP may be more desirable as less pressure is produced, but the smoke that it emits is going to be a problem tracking your birds after your shot. I don't shoot it but I was at the range a few days ago where somebody was.

I hope you have a dog. ;)
 
I can’t find any statement in the book, “Remington Double Shotguns “by Charles Semmer in the sections on the 1894 and 1899 doubles that list the chamber lengths. In a section dealing with letters and numbers on all the doubles, several “hanging tags” indicate shells as being 2 5/8 for 12 gage guns. So I will assume this double has the same chambering.

Modern shells are 2 3/4 fired, 2 1/4 unfired. Any idea if 2 5/8 chambers pertains to shells being fired or unfired. With a roll crimp, which until 1925 was probably the only method used for crimping (?) there isn’t much more than an eighth inch difference in fired and unfired.

Confusing, but so far I have loaded and fired both crimp styles, in modern lengths with no apparent ill effects. Low velocity black powder only however.

The books author does state all 1894’s were proof tested with nitro powders. The early ones were only supplied with Damascus barrels, production years 1895 thru 1910 one had a choice of Damascus, Remington Steel or Ordnance steel.


Dog, only the one pictured in my Avatar and he’s only my “grand dog”. LOl in terms of years he’s older than me and Im 78.
Reference to hunting earlier was for the 43 year old 3rd son. He has a black lab also who lives for the game of fetch. As a black powder revolver enthusiast I catch your drift though.
 
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