Robertson Trading Post – Double Barrel / Side-by-Side Shotguns Page

Winter 2008 - 2009

Coins Guns Collectibles

Robertson Trading Post 117 Front St PO Box 365 Henderson, Tennessee 38340-0365 john@robertsontradingpost.com 731-989-7641 Our internet phone hours are 8:30-4 CST, Monday – Sat. Answering machine is not reliable, but our e-mail is reliable.

In business since 1952 NRA Dealer of the Year 1993, 1995, 1997

 

Double Barrel Shotguns – ca. 1910 to Present

Thanks for looking over our inventory, and for those among our shoppers who have done business with us in the past. We use NRA grading terminology and percentages of the original finish remaining on the firearm in our descriptions. While firearm grading is subjective like coin grading, we have tried to give ample closeup photos of the firearms and tried to describe any detracting features of each firearm in such a way as seller and buyer can be as clear as possible on the merchandise’s condition. We include specific citations to Fjiestad’s Blue Book of Gun Values, published annually by Krause Publications.

Most of our firearms are listed on

Guns America         with a few on           Auction Arms

and a few more on Gun Broker. Our most comprehensive listings, and most of our new arrivals, are on Guns America. You don't have to join to view our listings, but it's easy to enroll.

 

For those kind enough to offer to sell us your guns or items, please bear in mind that internet marketing like we do it, single discreet items, is labor intensive and expensive. The biggest expense, perhaps, is gun cleaning. Nobody cleans their guns, and nobody evidently knows how. It costs us about $50 to process a firearm.

Format is our stock number & heading – then photos – then description and price on each item. Serial numbers are deliberately smudged.

 

Discount schedule: 2% discount for payment with USPS Money Orders. Shipping rates are at the bottom of the page.

 

LGJW2000

Century Arms 20 ga Cowboy Hammer Double NIB

            Manufactured in the world’s most populous nation by Zonghzou Machine Works, this JW-2000 model double barrel shotgun is imported by our old Vermont friends, Century International Arms. This is a Remington-type traditional Rabbit Ear or double hammer side-by-side, 3 inch chamber, 20 inch .620 Cylinder Bore both tubes. It is, of course, brand new in its original rice-paper box, complete with instruction manual. These are well fitted shotguns with strong actions. Buttstock and forend are dark-stained hardwood checkered and have a close appearance to walnut. Factory specs are 35.75 inches OAL, 20 inch barrels, and 6.5 pounds empty. Own this fine shotgun        for only                 $ 279.95

 

 LG410C

Century Arms .410 Ga Coach Gun Hammer Double NIB

            Manufactured in the world’s most populous nation by Jinn An Machine Works, this Centurion Coach Gun model double barrel shotgun is imported by our old Vermont friends, Century International Arms. This is a Remington-type traditional Rabbit Ear or double hammer side-by-side, 3 inch chamber, 20 inch .412 Modified and .416 Imp. Cyl. tubes. It is, of course, brand new in its original rice-paper box, complete with instruction manual. These are well fitted shotguns with strong actions. Buttstock and forend appear to be light, blondish American Walnut. Factory specs are 35.75 inches OAL, 20 inch barrels, and 6.5 pounds empty. Own this fine shotgun        for only                 $ 299.95

 

LG0777

Dbl: Brazil Kresge BR2 12 ga 28 in M/F 1970s w/cracks

            We have our now-97-year-old Proprietor Emeritus’s photo somewhere upstairs surrounded by some 300 specimens of the Boito / F.I.E. Shotgun, manufactured in Brazil, from the late 1970s. These decent quality doubles were imported en masse by several companies during that decade. The oldest were the Kresge Shotguns. F.I.E. became exclusive distributors in the mid-1970s. As many of these were wont to do, this one has hairline cracks in its hardwood buttstock directly behind the receiver. The cracks were a product of hasty assembly and poor fitting of the stocks. That is easily remedied with a little time and a bit of Acra Glass compound, or most any epoxy material. Otherwise, we estimate wear indications at about 20 percent; there is some weakness to the external bluing at carry positions on the barrel sides, and moderate scuffs and pecks on the wood. Bores and cylinder chambers are clean and excellent, and the mechanism functions properly – for firing, safety, and cocking on the breech break. Barrel length is 28 inches, with 2 ¾ inch only chambers. Right barrel is modified, .705 constriction, and the left, Full Choke tube measures .695. Own this solid, serviceable shotgun                   for only                       $ 199.95

 

LG0783

Dbl: Oxford Arms Belgium Hammer Gun Steel Bbl Fair ca. 1910

            A remnant of some of the most sought after and distinctive shotguns of the early twentieth century, a then-state-of-the-art steel barrel double made for the new higher pressure smokeless powder shotguns. Barrel rib is marked Belgium Steel, and the side plate reads Oxford Arms, the U.S. Importer. This one is, of course, a double hammer model with breech lever, with substantial steel locking lugs and an interesting conical top lock. This old gun is not a shooter, perhaps an occasional shooter at best if judged safe by a competent gunsmith. We are neither competent nor gunsmiths. External surface is Good, perhaps even very good. On the buttstock, checkering is weakened from an old refinish, and there is a substantial amount of pecking and scratching, as the photos show. Buttstock is the full, original 14 inches, but the lower portion of the buttplate is pulled about ¼ inch gap, with some wear to the bottom point of the buttstock. Steel buttplate is intact and the screws show only mild stress. Forend is intact, but has a visible crack running from the lock plate to the receiver end. Otherwise, there are moderate pecks on its edge, and the checkering is very faint. Mechanically, this shotgun has some positives, since the parts appear to be all intact. Right hammer has no spring feel, but will stand. Left hammer stands fine and works fine. The firing pins appear intact. The major detraction is a substantial amount of looseness, slack, when breeched. Both barrels and chambers have substantial light to moderate pitting. Extractor mechanism is intact and appears operable. Exterior of barrels is a brown patina with 15 to 20 percent light external pitting. The receiver, hammer, and triggers all have similar condition as to their external finishes.

            This is a respectable wall hanger, but is not collectable or notable for collectors of higher grade guns. It is nostalgic and, as we remarked above, important as one of the first steel barrel Belgian shotguns. The U.S. brand, Oxford Arms, is one of several importers of this type shotgun, and a seldom seen marking. This shotgun also has enough solidness to be valuable for its parts. We’re offering it                     for only                       $ 169.95

 

LG0634

Double: N.R. Davis 20 ga Ajax 28 in F & M Good Solid 1920s

Fjiestad has only recently, in the past decade or so, added N.R. Davis to his Blue Book index. N.R. Davis was an independent company until 1929, when it merged with Crescent Firearms, and then shortly thereafter merged with Savage and Stevens. The fact that the gunmaker considered itself, or at least this Ajax variant 20 gauge, significant is attested by the fact that this shotgun is serialized on its water table, forend, and barrel, # E2xx. While we have from time to time had Davis shotguns float through our store since our inception, what made this one stand out is its gauge and mechanical condition. Apart from butchering a Pachmayr 660 pad, this little old shotgun has not been tampered with. Walnut buttstock still has 14 inches of length from the forward, right-barrel trigger. The buttstock is only slightly loose, and has 2-3 mm detectable wobble. There is an inconspicuous double hairline crack from the top tang extending about an inch back from the center of the tang with no separation. As the photos should show, there is about a 1 mm gap between tang and wood all the way around. We detect no other cracks in the wood. We believe that the retaining studs visible behind the receiver in the lateral sides of the pistol grip are original to the shotgun. Another strong suite is that there are no dimples anywhere visible in the barrels. True, the original bead is quite flat; and true, the barrels have a gunmetal gray patina with about 30 percent splotchy brown and several small short shallow scratches and scuffs – the metal, however, is quite even and attractive. There is even some original finish still visible on the upper edges of the receiver. Underside forward screw has only very mild stress, and there is a brass head replacement old screw directly behind the trigger guard. 

            Barrels are reasonably thick at the muzzle, as the photos show; right barrel muzzle constriction is .592 and its mate’s is .588. Safety is tight, and the shotgun cocks and fires as it is supposed to. Receiver left side is marked:

N.R. Davis & Sons

AJAX

Davis Warner Arms Corp

Norwich, Conn U.S.A.

            This shotgun needs $50 - $75 worth of work on the buttstock and bead, which we may have performed when our only area gunsmith gets caught up on his workload. In the meantime, we’re offering this solid old American Double        for only           $ 369.95

 

LG0448

Double: Hunter Arms / LC Smith Co. Fulton 16 ga 28 M/F VG 1936

            According to Fjiestad’s serialization, this was one of the first shotguns manufactured in the relatively encouraging year of 1936, # F1516xx. This is a very solid, very serviceable and respectably preserved specimen of the utility grade Fulton made by Hunter Arms, the L.C. Smith producers. Lockup and mechanism are excellent, even with the replacement breech lever. Buttstock retains 13 inch length of pull, just a touch shorter than original; and the generic replacement buttplate is age appropriate. Buttstock has spot refinishing conducted some time after WWII, and the main detraction is an inconspicuous, repaired hairline crack about 1 inch long directly behind the top safety tang. There is minor edge-only chipping visible on the sides behind receiver, but most of what the photos show is flaking to the too-heavy varnish spot-refinish. Sides of pistol grip have some unoriginal but neatly executed teardrop checkering. Receiver screws show only light stress indications, the most stressed is the trigger guard screw. Receiver finish is combination gun metal gray and buffed brown patina, with light surface pitting affecting perhaps 10-15 percent of the surface area, mostly – and naturally – on the underside. Water table retains almost all its original casehardening.

            Similarly, the interior forend iron has strong finish that stands out from the not-too-detracting brass head screws. Forend has suffered under the varnish much less than the buttstock; its re-checkering is even better than the pistol grip’s teardrop motif. There is a well executed, inconspicuous walnut plug piece in the center of the underside forend, center of the checkering. It is visible from inside the forend. The forend is tight and well fitting, both iron and wood.

            Barrel exterior is mostly brown patina, with substantial gun metal gray on its sides and a fair amount of original bluing, or perhaps early rebluing, remaining toward the muzzle. Pecks and light external pitting affect perhaps 10 percent of the barrel exteriors by our estimate. Rib pattern is complete, somewhat weak. Lettering is strong, as the photos show; so if the metal has ever been buffed, it was done judiciously. The only visible dimple is on the left side of the left barrel 12 inches forward of the breech, and this only upon close scrutiny. Bore and chambers are very nice, only occasional light streaking, and the chambers show no pitting. Left barrel muzzle constriction is .615, and the right tube is .635.

            While this shotgun has received some alteration, it has not been damaged from it. The breech lever is functional if misfitting, and the varnish to the buttstock is easily correctable. We consider this old shotgun to be a strong Good, perhaps Very Good, finishwise; and mechanically and bore-wise it is a respectable Very Good. We’re offering it                    for only                       $ 579.95

 

LG0531

Double: Wards Hercules Model 50 16 ga 30 in VG

            Fjiestad identifies this very nice shotgun as a Montgomery Ward – contracted Stevens Model 5100. Since his information is only partial for Stevens-produced better grade doubles, and since this one’s serial number is A25xx, we hazard that it is in the range of some of the early Savage Fox models, perhaps as early as 1942. Construction and finish are certainly superior in some respects to the Fox shotguns produced in the 1970s.

            The receiver finish retains most of its original casehardening. The trigger guard appears appropriate, with some roughness to the fit at its rear where it joins the tang, and the inletting is rough at that point. Lower surface of the receiver has extensive spotty toning with some rough texture, as the photos show. A similar situation prevails with the breech lever surface.

            Buttstock’s chief detraction is a hairline crack, visible only upon close scrutiny, that runs from the left side of receiver toward the left side pistol grip checkering. There is a similar mated crack on the right side that is not as long, perhaps less than an inch. Neither of these exhibit separation. The buttstock has been, at some early point, refinished since the checkering is somewhat weakened and gummed in. The refinish is even, however, and does not eclipse the striking burly grain of the walnut. Forend is similar, with more extensive scuffing, some of which penetrates the refinish. The buttpad is a recent replacement, professionally done, that we ordered back last summer; and it is appropriate brown rubber with white liner. Length of pull is 13 inches, down only one inch from the original.

            Original bluing is visible over the entire barrel external surface; it is, however, weak toward the chambers and there is some very light spotting forward of the forend. Sides of the barrels from the forend tip backward are blue-brown patina. Narrow but visible solder residue is visible on both sides of the rib for the full length. Chambers are quite clean and Very Good; there is, however, some light to moderate pitting visible inside both tubes, more pronounced in the left tube than in the right, concentrated at points roughly even with the second, middle bead – 12 to 16 inches forward of the breech. The effect of the internal blems is no more than 10 to 15 percent, however, and our photographer has attempted to show them.

            Despite its wear and relatively minor faults, this is a quite classy shotgun, probably one of the best grades that Montgomery Wards offered after the Great Depression began. It is a distinctive shotgun with great aesthetics, and its forte, on our view, is its 30 inch barrels whose muzzle constrictions are matching .637, roughly Modified or Improved Modified, for both tubes. We’re offering it           for only                       $ 469.95

 

Sales policy: We accept Mastercard or Visa on a phone- or fax-in basis; and USPS Money Orders for immediate shipment. Personal checks, company checks, and in some instances Cashier’s Checks may involve a delay of no more than 8 business days for clearance. We offer a 7 day return privilege, lay-aways and NIB guns excluded. We offer 90 day lay-away with 20 percent down, balance in 90 days, but will levy a 6% per month service charge on the unpaid balance if the lay-away runs past 90 days. We accept trade-ins at agreed-upon prices, delivered to us. We cannot be responsible for the freight on returns unless we have made some sort of glaring mistake.

 

Walk-in customers from Tennessee may buy firearms of any type we have. Tennessee Sales Tax is 9 ¾%, and there is a $10 TBI Tennessee Instant Check Fee on all firearms purchases. Customers from many other states may buy long guns, but that depends on your state's laws. Buyers from Connecticut, Florida, Texas, or California, for example, cannot walk in to our store and buy a firearm; buyers from Indiana, Montana, or Oklahama, for example, can. They are subject to the same sales tax and TICS fees as Tennessee Residents.

 

Shipping rates and information: We must have a signed copy of the purchaser’s Federal Firearms License in order to ship firearms interstate, and that licensee must check out with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as a current, bona fide licensee. Legible faxed and scanned copies are permissible. Individuals commonly use Licensees to act as transfer agents. We always include a gun lock and a copy of the Federal Youth Firearms Safety Act brochure with handguns, shipped or over-the-counter; and we always furnish a copy of our FFL to the receiving dealer.

     

      First handgun is $15.00, $7.50 each for add-ons, insured, USPS Priority Mail. $20 for First Hand Gun to Alaska, California, or Hawaii. California approved gun lock is included at this rate.

      First long gun is $25.00, $10.00 each for add-ons in one order. Insurance is included. $35 for First Long Gun to Alaska, California, or Hawaii.

 

Interstate Shipments of Firearms can go to Federally Licensed Dealers Only. Anyone who undertakes to purchase a firearm must first of all be eligible to own one under State and Federal Law. Disabilities from owning firearms include being under 21 for a handgun (or pistol grip rifle or shotgun) or under 18 for a long gun; conviction, indictment or information of a misdemeanor domestic violence or felony (it does not matter if the person served jail time or not, the conviction or information suffices); adjudication of a nervous disorder or disability; and non-citizenship in the United States. If anyone who is not eligible to own a firearm attempts to purchase one from us, we will assist law enforcement in that person’s prosecution. If anyone attempts to aid and abet the acquisition of a firearm from us for an ineligible person, we will assist in all involved parties’ prosecution. We have no intention of violating any laws. That is why we cannot ship some firearms and/or magazines to jurisdictions that include California, Maryland, New Jersey, and the New York City vicinity.

One of the most common and persistent violations of Federal Law is the straw purchase. Never attempt to buy a gun for someone else under any circumstances. Even spouses buying for each other is tricky. We will not accept third party payment for firearms purchases. If you want to buy someone a present, buy something besides a firearm.

If an unlicensed individual wishes to purchase a firearm that we have advertised on a mail order, interstate basis, he or she must do so legally through an FFL, a federally licensed dealer. Dealers normally charge transfer fees. In our experience, the most readily available transferors are Pawnbrokers and Gunsmiths. Please have transfer logistics worked out before contacting us for a purchase. Thanks for your interest. Law Enforcement officers may purchase a firearm through their department only if it will be used on duty, and Department Letters and paperwork from the Chief Law Enforcement Officer in the jurisdiction are required.

 

Robertson Trading Post listings on Guns America.

 

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