On the hunt for an American SxS

[Mn Fats]

I've had the SxS bug for awhile now. Finally found a nice Stevens 311 at a pawn shop north of me for $200! Sold in the 30 mins it took me to grab some cash from home.

Now the bug is biting hard enough for me to just go on Gunbroker, even though I like to handle something like a SxS before I buy it.

Like the title says, I want an American made SxS. I've compiled a list of American doubles that I know of. (No Damuscus or Exposed Hammer Doubles)

•Stevens 311
•Stevens 511
•Springfield 530
•Fox Model B
•A. H. Fox Sterlingworth
•Lefever Nitro Special
•Ithaca NID
•Winchester 21 (not interested)

Can anyone add to that list? Do you have a personal favorite? Pics?

Thanks.

 

[Mn Fats]

Forgot to say L. C. Smith and Parker might be a bit over budget for me. Unless they had a budget "farmer type" shotgun back in the day?

 

[troy fairweather]

Do you have the ability to load black powder shells, and do you like hammer guns. I have a 1896 barker I may let go.

 

[Mn Fats]

Do you have the ability to load black powder shells, and do you like hammer guns. I have a 1896 barker I may let go.

Yes. And no on the hammers. No hate towards the hammers, my dad owns his Grandpa's and we shoot that as a group kind of.

I need an American hammerless in my collection that will fire modern 12ga rounds. Thanks for the offer though Troy!

I'm more curious if I've skipped any on my list that I should keep an eye out for. And curious on people's experiences with these shotguns and which they prefer. And of course, pics and stories are welcome.

The exposed hammer shotgun I mentioned belonged to my Great Grandfather, it was his bird gun. Mainly for pigeon control in his barns. He had cut off his thumb and index finger in a sawmill accident but could still wrap his remaining fingers around and would fire both barrels at once. He would tell my Dad when he was a boy that thats the best way. Haha.

 

[troy fairweather]

There a few new York made guns that are still adorable and can find them I good shape still. The bakers were Syracuse made I believe. I have a 1915 ish Hopkins and Allen that was pretty good, dad now owns that one.
Sxs are great fun and feel better to me over a o/u, but I'm not big shotgun guy.

 

[clang]

I’m partial to the Remington model 1894 and the value version model 1900.

The Lefever Nitro Special is probably the best of the economy guns.

Hunter Arms Fulton Special is another good one

 

[JShirley]

Forgot to say L. C. Smith and Parker might be a bit over budget for me. Unless they had a budget "farmer type" shotgun back in the day?

Like this?

 

[rust collector]

Ithaca made some nice doubles, and some were very affordable. My Mom shot a 20 ga Ithaca double, and Dad a 12 ga AH Fox Sterlingworth.

I have read that you could obtain an Ithaca double by redeeming coupons from cartons of cigarettes. I suspect there were many other lesser known brands made in the states. The LC Smith company eventually morphed into Smith Corona, the typewriter company.

 

[Mn Fats]

Hunter Arms Fulton Special is another good one

Like this?

View attachment 1010357

Oh now that is cool. I've never heard of the Hunter Arms Fulton until now.

 

[Mn Fats]

Sxs are great fun and feel better to me over a o/u, but I'm not big shotgun guy.

Same here. And I'm not much of a shotgunner either. But I love the Browning A-5. Remington 870 Wingmaster. And the American SxS.

Not to say I would turn down a beautiful European double, but I'd feel sick dragging one through my neck of the woods.

 

[DocRock]

If you can find and afford one of the Lefever, Ithaca, Parker, LC Smith, or original Fox guns, do try and stretch to one. The Stevens 311 and similar, especially with the vile pistol grip and beaver tail forend, do not handle well. People love 'em because they are cheap. They are cheap for a reason.

 

[Mn Fats]

If you can find and afford one of the Lefever, Ithaca, Parker, LC Smith, or original Fox guns, do try and stretch to one. The Stevens 311 and similar, especially with the vile pistol grip and beaver tail forend, do not handle well. People love 'em because they are cheap. They are cheap for a reason.

Hey. I love the "vile pistol grip". And cheap? Sure but that doesn't translate to a quality build. I'll take one over a Bob White, Stoeger, Tristar, Silver Reserve any day of the week. Now those are cheap for a reason.

 

[DocRock]

Hey. I love the "vile pistol grip". And cheap? Sure but that doesn't translate to a quality build. I'll take one over a Bob White, Stoeger, Tristar, Silver Reserve any day of the week. Now those are cheap for a reason.

I will stipulate without reservation to the quality of the 311 being superior to all of the above, though the Bobwhite doesn't really deserve to be in that group. But the handling is poor, really poor. Better than two pipes strapped to a 2x4? Just. As to preferring a pistol grip and beaver tail on a SxS, well, that's just freakishly unnatural and an offense against all that is decent and good in this world.

 

[JShirley]

Oh now that is cool. I've never heard of the Hunter Arms Fulton until now.

Hunter Arms = L.C. Smith.

 

[huntsman]

Over the years I’ve owned and hunted with Fultons, they were dependable with classic looks but with a lot of drop in stock they can be a challenge, as are most pre-war guns.

After the war Marlin bought out Hunter arms and made a post war LC Smith that was updated a bit.

I’d also look for Winchester md 24, though it lacks traditional looks it had a reputation as a solid shooter.

 

[eastbank]

for light hunting the older sxs maybe ok, but i have found that if a part breaks you are in trouble. i have owned and hunted many older hammer and hammer less double barrels. the only double barrel i hunt and shoot alot now is a browning BSS sporter in 20 ga, that has been used for several generations since it was bought new in the late 70,s and after firing thousands of factory-reloads is as tight as when new with no repairs needed.

 

[rust collector]

The BSS was a great little gun, made by Miroku. I just learned that after 1977, they were assembled in Korea with parts made in Japan.

 

[earlthegoat2]

The Ithaca NID is one of the best bargains in the American double gun world.

 

[George P]

As long as you are content with limited parts availability, any of the above will do.

As to another maker, CSMC makes several types. The original RBL when it came out was a preorder price of less than $2K or so; no longer the case; Galazan is proud of his stuff.

 

[entropy]

Forgot to say L. C. Smith and Parker might be a bit over budget for me. Unless they had a budget "farmer type" shotgun back in the day?

I've found LC Smith Field Grades in the Cities for @$500.

Same here. And I'm not much of a shotgunner either. But I love the Browning A-5. Remington 870 Wingmaster. And the American SxS.

Not to say I would turn down a beautiful European double, but I'd feel sick dragging one through my neck of the woods.

I have a Sauer 16 ga. for pheasant hunting.

 

[Mn Fats]

I seen Numrich has parts for some of these listed.

the only double barrel i hunt and shoot alot now is a browning BSS sporter in 20 ga, that has been used for several generations

BSS is another I haven't heard of before. Very nice.

As to another maker, CSMC makes several types. The original RBL when it came out was a preorder price of less than $2K or so; no longer the case; Galazan is proud of his stuff.

Just checked them out, pretty but yikes! The Fatman would be killed if he came home with one of those.

I’d also look for Winchester md 24, though it lacks traditional looks it had a reputation as a solid shooter.

24 was the Winchester I meant to list in my OP as not interested. That's the one where the barrels are flush with receiver? And the Winchester 21 has the traditional look I believe. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Mn Fats]

Man those Winchester 21's are getting some high figures.

 

[huntsman]

The 24 looks like two md37 welded together but IIRC stock is more modern dimensions, yeah the 21 is mucho money that’s why I bought a BSS.

 

[Mn Fats]

The 24 looks like two md37 welded together

Haha, perfect description.

A couple mentions now for the BSS. While not the "American SxS" that I'm after, I'd have no complaints owning a Miroku Browning. I've had nothing but excellent experiences with the Japanese Brownings.

 

[bangswitch]

I've had the SxS bug for awhile now. Finally found a nice Stevens 311 at a pawn shop north of me for $200! Sold in the 30 mins it took me to grab some cash from home.

Now the bug is biting hard enough for me to just go on Gunbroker, even though I like to handle something like a SxS before I buy it.

Like the title says, I want an American made SxS. I've compiled a list of American doubles that I know of. (No Damuscus or Exposed Hammer Doubles)

•Fox Model B
Do you have a personal favorite? Pics?

Thanks.

My first side-by-side was a 20 gauge Savage Fox Model B, I won it off a punch board at work one night when I worked for DOC back in the early 1980's I kept it a long time, and sold it to a guy I worked with around 2005. I always regretted selling it. I bought a Savage/Stevens 311 at a pawn shop a couple years later, kept it a year or so, then traded it for a Savage Fox Model B 12 gauge. Now I have three Fox B's, a 20 gauge made in 1950, a 16 gauge made in 1966, and a 12 gauge from 1972. I shoot the 20 and 16 every now and then, but until a year ago, the 12 gauge was my skeet and clays gun. I bought a CZ Hammer Classic 12 gauge and use it mostly now, but still like the 12 ga. Fox B. It's a bit of a challenge shooting skeet with modified and full chokes, but when you get a good hit, it's just a puff of smoke.

They're solid guns, nothing too fancy, but I think they shoot pretty well. Parts are hard to come by, though. I had to replace a firing pin on the 20 gauge and a hammer on the 16. The right barrel parts wear out faster than the left, Numrich has had what I needed, but it's getting harder, which is why I don't shoot the 20 much. I've put as many as 200 rounds through the 12 gauge in a single day of shooting sporting clays and 5-stand, it's still very tight.