SXS Shotguns

The "CZ Hammer" thread kind of prompted me on this. I don't have a shot of my Rossi Coach gun with exposed hammers, just picked this up at the Reno Gun show this weekend.



A Stevens Model 5100 with 20" barrels. Tenite stock and forend. Looks pretty much as it left the factory.

Any other shorter barreled side by side fans out there?

In the early 2000's I had a Norinco SxS Hammer 12 gauge. It was on the heavy side with wall thickness around 1/8" thick! It was a nitch gun for SASS shooting. By the time I traded it off, I had between one and two thousand rounds through it. No problems!

When I wanted a SxS in SASS shoots I found 30" guns were a little easier to keep the reloading speed up with.

My normal SASS shotgun is a Model 97 made in 1904 with the barrel cut to 18.125" and the magazine spring and follower modified to hold SIX 2.75" shells for Wild Bunch!

SASS shooting doesn't really need much shot, so I load a 7/8 ounce 1300 fps load. I sometimes use that load for Sporting Clays too.

Ivan

Back when I was participating in CAS one of the more unusual shotguns I saw was SXS, hammerless sidelock 12ga marked Stevens. The owner said he picked it up used at a gunshow simply as an inexpensive CAS shotgun.

Now everyone KNOWS that Stevens never made a sidelock hammerless SXS shotgun. I looked it over pretty closely and the markings all looked correct. I'm also sure that the parts were actually Crescent brand parts, a company Stevens purchased.

My theory is that sometime during WW2 a Stevens plant or warehouse needed a guard gun. All their production was committed to the war effort so they made up a few shotguns using on hand Crescent parts. OR, a Stevens worker wanted/needed a shotgun when none were available and made up a shotgun using the obsolete Crescent parts and stamped it Stevens.

My first SxS I bought off Walnutred! It too was a Crescent hammer gun someone had shortened to 22". about two years later I sold it at a local gun show to a guy that wanted it for SASS events. I paid $100 and got $125. I was really making money big time.

Ivan

I have a Rossi "Overland" I bought some years back from a local shop that took it in trade. Always wanted one back in the late'70s-early '80s but never bought one. This one was as new and cheap so I bought it. Have a couple other SXS guns as well, a Stevens 311A in 20GA and a n LC Smith also in 20GA. The single pic is a "Western Arms Long Range" in .410 made by Ithaca. It is tiny!

My aunt gave me a couple old shotguns that had been in the family for many decades. One was a old Triumph marked 12ga single shot and the other is a Stevens 311 16ga. They had both been sitting in a old garage in far South Texas when it flooded. The buttstocks showed high water marks about 8 inches up the wood. I was able to take them apart, clean up the rust from the water that seeped up the buttstock screws and refinish the wood. I sold the single shot several years back but the Stevens is still in my safe. It needs some work in the fire control area to get it working proper again. Possibly just some shims between the triggers to tighten things up a bit.

I have a few.

Nothing says go away better than the business end of a two barreled shotgun.

Anyone interested in reasonably priced used SXS shotguns should consider Savage/Stevens 311s and Ithaca Lefever Nitro Specials.

walnutred said:

Back when I was participating in CAS one of the more unusual shotguns I saw was SXS, hammerless sidelock 12ga marked Stevens. The owner said he picked it up used at a gunshow simply as an inexpensive CAS shotgun.

Now everyone KNOWS that Stevens never made a sidelock hammerless SXS shotgun. I looked it over pretty closely and the markings all looked correct. I'm also sure that the parts were actually Crescent brand parts, a company Stevens purchased.

My theory is that sometime during WW2 a Stevens plant or warehouse needed a guard gun. All their production was committed to the war effort so they made up a few shotguns using on hand Crescent parts. OR, a Stevens worker wanted/needed a shotgun when none were available and made up a shotgun using the obsolete Crescent parts and stamped it Stevens.

Click to expand...

Those Spingfield/Stevens marked sidelock hammerless SxS shotguns come around once in a while. Like you almost never see one.

I don't think they were ever cataloged. The make up from Crescent parts is a good theory as nothing was wasted in that era.

Here's some pics of one that was sold a while back.
The few that are out there may vary a bit gun to gun depending on what was available to Stevens in the lot they recv'd from Crescent Arms, If that is what Stevens did build these on. Most have never heard or seen of one.






I believe Stevens Arms was acquired by Savage in 1920.
Stevens was bankrupt coming out of WW1. They had been under the management for War Time needs of the New England Westinghouse Corp. A monster that was actually the US Gov't's hand.
They moved in and took over several plants incl H&A and Meriden F/A.

Crescent is shown as in biz till 1935 and then acquired by Stevens.
I would say that Savage was the actual buyer of Crescent Arms but it really doesn't matter . Savage having bought out AH Fox as well.
Confusing time

Love the SxS shotguns, bought a Ranger 20 ga in September from a local gun auction. Made 1940-46 by Stevens for Sears. Have owned many SxS’s over the years. The Ranger is a backup for a 20 ga Victor Sarasqueta in case a repaired V spring breaks.

Your short barrel SxS looks in nice shape, enjoy it. Larry

Other companies also made SXS shotguns for Sears and marked them Ranger. The only 16ga SXS I kept from my collection is a Ranger arms marked box lock that was made by Hunter Arms. It is a 26" barreled version of the Hunter Arms Fulton.

This is my first SxS. All of my other doublew barrels have been Over/Unders

This little Coach Gun started off life as a Bounty Hunter II from EAA. The front of the barrels were crushed when a safe door was pried open in a failed robbery attempt. The owner of the shop sold off the gun so cheap, I can not mention it in public. He never fired it himself since it was Inventory

I filed my Form 1 and it was approved in 4 weeks and a day



Since Bounty Hunter II has two triggers, it is possible to fire both chambers simultaneously. I just have not summoned up the courage to do that with full power 12 gauge ammunition. I did do it with Less Lethal rubber buckshot, but that is extremely low recoil ammunition



Now that I have played with it for a total a couple of years, I am thinking of doing another one with a birds head pistol grip to make it even shorter. I just need to find a wood worker that can do the stock (that is not me)

2152hq said:

Those Spingfield/Stevens marked sidelock hammerless SxS shotguns come around once in a while. Like you almost never see one.

Crescent is shown as in biz till 1935 and then acquired by Stevens.
I would say that Savage was the actual buyer of Crescent Arms but it really doesn't matter . Savage having bought out AH Fox as well.
Confusing time

Click to expand...

Thanks for posting the picture. I've always regretted not taking a picture of the one at the match because most have never heard of this version.

2152hq said:

Those Spingfield/Stevens marked sidelock hammerless SxS shotguns come around once in a while. Like you almost never see one.

I don't think they were ever cataloged. The make up from Crescent parts is a good theory as nothing was wasted in that era.

Here's some pics of one that was sold a while back.
The few that are out there may vary a bit gun to gun depending on what was available to Stevens in the lot they recv'd from Crescent Arms, If that is what Stevens did build these on. Most have never heard or seen of one.






I believe Stevens Arms was acquired by Savage in 1920.
Stevens was bankrupt coming out of WW1. They had been under the management for War Time needs of the New England Westinghouse Corp. A monster that was actually the US Gov't's hand.
They moved in and took over several plants incl H&A and Meriden F/A.

Crescent is shown as in biz till 1935 and then acquired by Stevens.
I would say that Savage was the actual buyer of Crescent Arms but it really doesn't matter . Savage having bought out AH Fox as well.
Confusing time

Click to expand...

And speaking of AH Fox shotguns, may I present my 1923 AE with English stock and auto ejectors.

I've had a thing for SXS's since I rescued my grandfather's Sterlingworth from a closet where it had been for over 20 years. Nothing is a classy as a quality SXS IMHO.

I've always loved SxS shotguns. My first was a 12 ga W. Richards (Belgian made) hammer gun. I've owned or own a few others, including a newer 12 ga Fox Model B (Savage), a 12 ga Hopkins & Allen, a Chinese .410 hammer gun, a second .410 hammer gun, a 12 ga TNN hammer gun and my favorite, a Darne copy 12 ga.

The Darne is a sliding breech double. I first read about this firearm in an old Gun Digest and had to have one. Took 25+ years to find one I could afford.

Charlie Foxtrott said:

Nothing says go away better than the business end of a two barreled shotgun.

Click to expand...

I'll say. (see below)

erikpolcrack said:

Anyone interested in reasonably priced used SXS shotguns should consider Savage/Stevens 311s and Ithaca Lefever Nitro Specials.

Click to expand...

Savage made an upscale version of the 311, using better quality wood (black walnut instead of beech and poplar). They borrowed the Fox name from AH Fox to give these upscale guns a bit of provenance, although they are nothing like an AH Fox gun. These new shotguns were called Fox Model B and were started in 1940. Early models had a nice wetlands game etching on the underside of the receiver, later ones have a stamped fox's head and a small scroll on either side of the receiver. Internally, the gun is identical to the 311, and parts will interchange depending on the years of the guns being swapped. They, like the 311 are box-lock designs, unlike the AH Fox side lock.

Much as I would love a genuine AH Fox shotgun, I can't afford one, much less a group of them. I have three Fox B SxS, a 1950 model in 20 gauge, a 1964 model in 16 gauge, and a 1968 12 gauge. The 12 gauge is in the best shape and gets a lot of use; I don't shoot the 16 much because ammo is too expensive. The 20 has an intermittent failure to fire on the right barrel, the firing pin is worn out and I've never looked to replace it. I've been on the lookout for a .410 Fox B; I found one a number of years ago and the seller wanted almost as much as I'd paid for the other three. Not many were made and they are hard to find, and expensive when you do find one. Over the years, Fox B models could be double or single trigger, and single ejector was also available. Mine are all double trigger (the way a double should be, IMO) and only lift the shells, not eject them. All the Fox B's have 2-3/4" chambers. All three guns are choked (R) modified, (L) full.

I wanted a hammer gun, so I bought a CZ Hammer Classic a few years ago, a nicely made (by Turkish company Huglu) side lock with 30" barrels, 3" chambers and screw-in chokes. I've started using it more for clays and skeet, as full choke can be a challenge on a double in skeet. I keep the CZ choked cylinder and improved cylinder.

My 16 gauge has a beautiful tiger walnut stock; it does have some old marks, but it just adds character to the package.

I've got a couple short-barreled side-by-sides. The top one is a 1916 A.H. Fox Sterlingworth. The bottom one is a CZ hammer coach gun. Both great guns.

My first s/s was a Spesco I bought at Walmart in 1974 I thought how neat I can put one finger on the front trigger and the other finger on the back trigger and have instant selection between barrels, it does not work that way I pulled the front trigger and both fired you can not do this I never tried this again. Jeff

Double barrels point better for me...