Who made this "SPECIAL" shotgun??

[policerevolvercollector]

There are no markings other than the serial number (A261xxx),"12 GA CHOKE" and "SPECIAL". It does have a Winchester buttplate. However, I ruled that out pretty quickly.







...and yes it is actually held together with baling wire.

Best,
Charles

[poordevil]

It looks like an Iver Johnson

[gwpercle]

Crescent Fire Arms Co. made inexpensive single and double barrel shotguns for vendors and would mark them with whatever name was wanted. Looks like one of their's .
1888 to 1931 they made guns for small hardware stores and general stores to sell.
I have one in 410 , bailing wire on the wrist , no buttplate whatsoever just the open wood stock and "rust brown " patina finish . Was my grand dad's .
Gary
Search Crescent Fire Arms Co. ( they spelled it fire arms, two words)

[tops]

Originally Posted by policerevolvercollector

There are no markings other than the serial number (A261xxx),"12 GA CHOKE" and "SPECIAL". It does have a Winchester buttplate. However, i ruled that out pretty quickly. ;


Best,
Charles

Maybe the people that made the .38 and .44. Larry

[policerevolvercollector]

Originally Posted by tops

Maybe the people that made the .38 and .44. Larry

Soooo......it's a S&W??!!

[2152hq]

I'd guess Crescent, but only because the '12ga Choke' marking looks like it my be '12ga Choke Bored' which was their common markings (but not exclusive to them I'm sure)
I don't find any model being a plain 'Special' but I do find a 'Special Service' brand made by Crescent for Shapleigh (sp?)Hardware Co.

Several other 'XXXX Service' models from Crescent for other Hardware and such outlets.
Crescents will sometimes/often have a 'G' in a diamond stamped on the action flat or the bbl somewhere as an identifier. Unkn if it's a proof or inspection mark,,and it may not be there at all on every gun they made,,and they made a ton of them!

Does kinda look IvoryJohnston'ish though don't it. Maybe Stevens, looks like my Meriden hammer single too. ,,,they all kinda look the same!!

Love the grenade launcher reinforcement at the wrist. Betcha that guy brought home a lot of meat.

[policerevolvercollector]

Originally Posted by 2152hq

Does kinda look IvoryJohnston'ish though don't it. Maybe Stevens, looks like my Meriden hammer single too. ,,,they all kinda look the same!!

Love the grenade launcher reinforcement at the wrist. Betcha that guy brought home a lot of meat.

My money was on H&R.

That is real baling wire BTW.

[mauser9]

Yeah I'd stay away from elephant loads in this baby!! Better yet swap it for an old Wingmaster.

[30-30remchester]

Old single shot guns have recently been a study of mine. The vast majority were cheaply made are of suspicious quality. Then there were some that were inexpensive but of good design and decent quality. Older Harrington & Richardson's were good guns. The pre wars especially. My guess is this shotgun if a H&R for several reasons. Nearly all cheap guns whether rifle or shotgun had what I call a strap trigger guard. This guard was a flat piece of stamped steel that has a bolt thread at the front of the strap that screwed into a hole just north of the trigger and a wood screw that secured the back of the strap. H&R had a unique well built and neat designed trigger guard that was a separate unit and fit into a milled slot into the bottom of the receiver. This shotgun has such a trigger guard. The only other manufacturer that had a similar, and even better guard, was the Winchester model 20, and it was a single piece guard milled into the receiver itself. The next step in identifying old single shots is the pins in the receiver. The subject gun has 2 pins as does older H&R's and they are in the same place. These are the reasons I feel it is of H&R manufacture. Current manufacture H&R's have the same trigger guard but made of plastic instead of milled steel and have many more pins in the receiver.

[30-30remchester]

Forgot to mention that Cresent Arms shotguns had the cheap strap trigger guards. As always I am interested in others opinions. This is how I learn.

[Old Corp]

Hopkins & Allen also produced a bunch of hardware store 'farm guns'. I've encountered many of them with various names placed on them.

[ACP230]

Looks like an old ACME that my grandpa had.
I got it much later and hunted deer, grouse and squirrels
with it for a few years.

The markings are different but the lines are very similar.

[SPEEDGUNNER]

My dad had one of those, and I'll tell you what was "SPECIAL" about it. When you fired it, whether standing, sitting or prone, the recoil was so extreme the barrel latch cut the web of your hand open, at which point the barrel opened and ejected the hot shell directly into your eye. So, whether you were shooting a ground hog, muskrat, crow or snapping turtle it was a "SPECIAL" event that you would long remember.

[Drm50]

Originally Posted by SPEEDGUNNER

My dad had one of those, and I'll tell you what was "SPECIAL" about it. When you fired it, whether standing, sitting or prone, the recoil was so extreme the barrel latch cut the web of your hand open, at which point the barrel opened and ejected the hot shell directly into your eye. So, whether you were shooting a ground hog, muskrat, crow or snapping turtle it was a "SPECIAL" event that you would long remember.

I know what you mean, my uncle had a old 16g IJ that was a
"Semi Auto". I can still feel the pain on a frosty morning when
you touched of on a rabbit and latch split the web of your thumb.
Uncle had 1/2 dozen singles in hall closet for visiting nephew
use. There was always a mad dash and some pushing and shoving to avoid getting stuck with the crowbar.

[Sixgun100]

I have an old H&R that looks just like that which belonged to my Great Grandfather.