Help from a gun expert...

Cryozombie

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I inherited a Shotgun from my father, and Im looking at it, and it appears to me that its an OLD gun, but I am far from an expert in these matters.

Can anyone suggest a way I can find more information about the Date of manufacture and other details of the firearm?

It is stamped "American Gun Co, New York" but a quick Google search really only turned up a few random dealers who had some guns or parts...

Any suggestions?
 

Tgace

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Can you post a photo along with ANY markings on the weapon. Serial#/ Model/Gauge/stamps etc.
 

Tgace

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Something I found for ya....

Q. I have an old double with hammers I'm interested in selling.
All it says on it is American Gun Co., New York. Value? - Ken Q.
via e-mail

A. American Gun Company was one of the 100+ "house brands" of
Crescent Firearms. House brands were names under which several
million low- to medium-priced utilitarian guns have been made in
the US. Such guns are generally not regarded as highly
collectable. Many such remaining specimens are no longer in good
enough shape to be safe shooters.

House brand guns were stamped with the brand name of retailers
for which they were destined, such as department stores, hardware
stores, distributors, and mail order houses. Crescent Firearms
was perhaps the most important of these manufacturers. The H&R
Folsom Company distributed their guns. Through a variety of
mergers and sales, these companies, along with Davis and Warner,
were eventually brought under the Savage-Stevens umbrella.

Your gun could have been of made between 1888 to 1893, or
possibly as late as 1910. Whether it has Damascus or steel
barrels, chances are it was designed for black powder loads, and
cannot safely handle modern smokeless powder loads. In any case,
a competent gunsmith who can determine the degree of function
(and dangerous pitting) should definitely check it for safety. It
may not be safe to fire at all - and a potential buyer should be
aware of this!

Guns of this type in 60% to 100% condition - percentage of
remaining finish, pitting, damage, completeness, etc. - might
sell in the range of $75 to $240. Guns with hammers must be in
80% or better condition before they can equal the values of the
hammerless types. Smaller gauges or steel barreled models will
bring about 15% more. Don't forget - they do make mighty fine
wall-hangers!

and...

QUESTION:
I've looked in every gun and trader's book I can find and can't run down any information about a Victor 12-gauge shotgun, made by the American Gun Co., out of New York, with numbers 437xxx on it. I'm not sure but the inside of the barrel looks like Damascus steel, though the barrel's stamped "forged steel." It's in near mint condition, and I was wondering if you could provide some idea when it was made and the value. --G.D.


ANSWER: "The American Gun Co. appears to be more of a distributing company rather than a manufacturer. Their guns were actually made by the Crescent Firearms Co. of Norwich, Connecticut, a well-known maker of low- to mid-priced shotguns that started operations in about 1892 and was eventually sold to the Stevens division of Savage in about 1930. Crescent, like many other manufacturers of ""affordable"" firearms, made a great many guns that were stamped with trade names for various hardware, sporting-goods, and mail-order retailers. Ned Schwing's Standard Catalog of Firearms (Krause Publications) lists well over 100 Crescent trade names, including Victor, made for Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. of Chicago. Your barrels probably are forged, not Damascus. You shouldn't be able to tell if something's Damascus from the inside; instead of the typical spiral Damascus pattern, you're probably looking at tool marks that may have corroded slightly. It's hard to tell from your description exactly which model it is. The highest-price Crescent-manufactured guns go for $800 to $900 in good condition, but many models only go for $400 to $500. I'd suspect the latter in your case. "
 

Tgace

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Closet gun nut.....(well maybe not so "closet") ;)
 

Rynocerous

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Tgace said:
Can you post a photo along with ANY markings on the weapon. Serial#/ Model/Gauge/stamps etc.
Tgace is on the right track... You can use the serial number to track back to see when and where it was made.

Cheers,

Ryan
 

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