Interesting Firearm Photos #68

 

I love the craftsmanship on display here. This started out as a Lienad/Cobray double derringer and he transformed it into this beauty. Bravo good sir!

The definition of putting lipstick on a pig

I don't know which is more 'merica, the hot girl holding the rifle, her Daisy Dukes or the Hummer

A blast from the past

Week 17 2023

 

This Week in Firearms History:

April 23: Lost Dog Awareness Day; In 1516 the German Beer Purity Law goes into effect; In 1941 the Greek Army surrenders to the NAZIs; In 1991 the USSR grants satellite republics the right to secede.

April 24: In 1184 B.C. the Greeks enter Troy via the Trojan Horse; In 1877 Russia declares war on the Ottoman Empire; In 1898 Spain declares war on US over Cuba; In 1997 Eugene Stoner dies

April 25: In 1507 the word America is 1st used on a map; In 1857 Winchester forms New Haven Arms after buying out Smith & Wesson; In 1898 US declares war on Spain. In 1945 the Red Army captures Berlin.

April 26: In 1607 Jamestown expedition makes 1st landfall; In 1865 John Wilkes Booth is killed by soldiers; In 1952 Gunsmoke debuts on TV; in 2013 trick shooter Tom Knapp dies.

April 27: In 1773 Britain passes Tea Act against the colonies; In 1822 Ulysses S Grant is born; In 1861 West Virginia secedes from Virginia, joining the North; In 1945 Mussolini is captured.

April 28: In 1789 The Mutiny on the Bounty; In 1916 Daniel B Wesson II is born; In 1917 John Pederson files for patent for "Pederson device"; In 1945 Benito Mussolini is executed.

April 29: In 1862 New Orleans falls to Union troops; In 1975 Saigon falls, ending the Vietnam War; in 1992 The LA Riots aka Roof Korean Day.

Gun of the Week: Ruger Blackhawk

The Ruger Blackhawk owes its existence to Hollywood. It was the Western movies that built the post WWII market for single action revolvers. 

At the time of its conception, the Colt Single Action Army was no longer in production and Bill Ruger saw an opportunity.

The original Blackhawk, introduced in 1955, was a copy of the Colt SAA, with adjustable sights and better internal lockwork. Originally chambered in .357 Magnum, it has since been chambered in dozens of cartridges and even sold as a "convertible model" containing two cylinders for different cartridges with similar diameters (like 45 Colt & 45 ACP or .357 & 9mm Luger).

In 1972 Ruger introduced the New Model Blackhawk that included a transfer bar safety, which allowed for carrying a fully loaded cylinder. 

In 1993 Ruger introduced a fixed sight version, like a Colt SAA, built on the 44 Blackhawk frame, called the Vaquero.

Ruger continues to sell the Blackhawk and Vaquero.

Cartridge of the Week: 32 ACP

The .32 ACP is just one of many cartridges developed in collaboration with John Moses Browning for use in his pistols he designed for Colt. This one was his first.

Developed in 1899 for the Colt model 1903 Pocket Hammerless, it is known as the 32 ACP, 32 Automatic and in Europe as the 7.65 Browning, 7.65 Browning Short or the 7.65 x 17mm. It was the cartridge that replaced the 25 ACP in 007's pistol and also, as legend has it, the cartridge that took Hitler's life.

Gun Quote of the Week:

"You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream the maximum of individual freedom consistent with law & order or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. Regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would sacrifice freedom for security have embarked on this downward path. Plutarch warned, "The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits."
- Ronald Wilson Reagan, from A Time for Choosing, October 27th, 1964

Bubba Gun of the Week:

Another also ran from our 1st Annual Golden Poop Awards was this "Toilet AKM" submitted by Enos Jefferson Davis Combs of Fifty-Six, Arkansas

Gun Sticker of the Week:

This week's gun sticker pays homage to what was once America's favorite mouse, buy them here

Gun T-shirt of the Week:

This weeks t-shirt is from the Pew Pew Jew, buy it here

Firearm Factory of the Month: N.R. Davis & Co

The story of N.R. Davis & Sons starts with the man who started the company. Mr. Nathan Russel Davis was born in Somerset, MA on August 18th, 1828. 

At the age of 19 he began an apprenticeship as a machinist in Taunton, MA. He then went to work for Gunsmith George Foster in Taunton, making rifles by hand. This would have been around 1850 or so.
Some texts list Davis as working for Colt in Hartford in 1852, but that might not be correct as Colt's Armory in Hartford didn't open until 1855.
On July 1st, 1853, Davis moved to Assonet, MA to enter into a partnership with local businessman David C. Thresher.
They set up a forge along the Assonet River to make muzzle loading rifles.
The river provided the machine power, and the local bogs and swamps provided the iron ore.
In the Fall of 1854, they moved operations to a building owned by Thresher on Water Street.
In 1858 they began making a muzzle loading shotgun.

In 1861 they closed up shop due to the outbreak of the Civil War. They reopened the following year after being awarded a contract to produce sights for the Springfield Rifle. Soon more employees were added (near 100 employees) and work went on around the clock.

In 1862, due to his failing health, Thresher sold his interest in the business to a Dr. Thomas Nichols.

On May 19th, 1864 the Davis gun factory was burned to the ground. It is believed that the fire was set by a Democrat or Confederate sympathizer. The fire occurred just two months after the Colt Armory in Hartford was destroyed by fire which was also suspected to have been set by a Democrat.

The company, though not insured, rebuilt by buying new, modern machinery and moving to the second floor of the Nichols & Sampson building on Main Street in Assonet. It is not known if the partner in the company, Dr. Thomas Nichols, was connected to the owner of the building Capt. John Nichols.
By the end of the Civil War N.R. Davis and Co had made some 600,000 rear leaf sights for the Springfield Rifle.

Shortly after the war, breech loading shotguns were being produced by the company.
In the winter of 1873/1874, the company relocated once more to the empty building once occupied by the Assonet Machine Company. The building sat on Water Street, not far from their original forge and the Thresher building.

In 1883 Dr. Nichols passed away and his shares were purchased by Davis. The following February Davis' two sons W.A. and N.W. were admitted as partners and the company re-incorporated as N.R. Davis and Sons.

Nathan Russell Davis passed away on Aug 14th, 1907, just 4 days short of his 79th birthday.

At some point after that the company was renamed Davis-Warner Company.

In 1929 the Davis-Warner Co. merged with the Crescent Firearms Company to form the Crescent-Davis Corporation.

A year later the new corporation was purchased by Savage-Stevens. In 1932 operations were moved to the Stevens plant in Springfield, MA. The Crescent-Davis guns remained in the catalog until 1941. 

None of the old factory buildings exist today.

I believe the site of the Thresher building on Water Street is now Hathaway Park

and the Nichols-Sampson building, which is also gone, was probably on Main Street where it crosses the river, they would have needed the water for power.

Sources:

Multiple Authors (1902) A History of the Town of Freetown Massechusates with an Account of the Old Home Festival, Fall River, MA: J.H. Franklin & Co.

CRESCENT F. A. CO. Model Photos :: Gun Values by Gun Digest

Crescent Fire Arms Co. (american-firearms.com)


https://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/Warner/warner.html

http://www.scottcreative.net/Default.asp?ID=33&pg=Short+History+of+N%2ER%2E+Davis+%26+Sons+Shotguns

https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=198973

https://www.heraldnews.com/article/20080723/NEWS/307238908

http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13035
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/23181554

https://books.google.com/books?id=3SsWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA231&lpg=PA231&dq=NR+Davis+factory+assonet+MA&source=bl&ots=96k1BcwS9E&sig=ACfU3U2ceP3G4pGEpXavRKZSdKn5HPfAjQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjQ54XHp5fmAhWVv54KHSIACgIQ6AEwCHoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=NR%20Davis%20factory%20assonet%20MA&f=false

Week 16 2023

 This Week in Firearms History:

April 16: In 1777, US Revolutionary War, the Battle of Bennington; in 1789 George Washington inaugurated as 1st President

April 17: In 1861 Viginia is the 8th state to secede; 1900 US Submarine division is founded; in 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba; in 1975 Khmer Rouge begin reign of terror

April 18: in 1775 the ride by Paul Revere, Samuel Prescott and William Dawes; in 1861, US Civil War; the Confederates capture Harper's Ferry Arsenal; in 1942, the Doolittle Raid strikes Tokyo; in 1983 US Embassy in Beirut bombed

April 19: In 1775 the Battles of Lexington & Concord; in 1993 Waco siege ends with a fire; in 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing

April 20: in 1897 Browning awarded patent for 1st design of the 1911 pistol; in 1915 Stevens is awarded patent for the model 311 hammerless shotgun; in 1945, WWII, US 7th Amry captured Nuremberg 

April 21: In 1836, the Battle of San Jacinto, securing Texas Independence; in 1897 Arthur Savage files for a patent on his lever action design, which becomes the 1899 model; In 1918 the Red Baron is shot down by RAF Capt Roy Brown.

April 22: In 1914 Mexico severs diplomatic relations with the U.S.; in 1915, WWI; Germany is the 1st to use poison gas in war; in 2004 Pat Tillman is killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan.

Gun of the Week: Winchester model 74

The Winchester model 74 was a semi-automatic .22 rifle introduced in 1939.

Originally only chambered in .22 Short, Long Rifle was added a year later and after a short hiatus during the war, production resumed in 1944. The rifle featured a 24" barrel and a 14 round tube magazine located in the butt stock. Sources say that more than 400,000 model 74s were built by the time production ended in 1955, which is curious as you don't see examples very often (although I do own two of them). Read more here

Cartridge of the Week: 45 Colt

The 45 Colt (often mislabeled .45 Long Colt) is a revolver cartridge developed by Colt in 1871 for their Single Action Army revolver.

Working with the Union Metallic Cartridge Company, Colt made a slightly larger and longer version of the .44 Colt with an internally lubricated non-healed bullet. The original loading called for 40 grains of black powder under a 255 grain flat nose lead bullet. In 1873 the Colt Single Action Army chambered in 45 Colt was adopted by the U.S. Army and remained in service for 14 years. The Colt Single Action Army was discontinued in 1941 but brought back in 1956 due to the popularity of Western films. The 45 Colt is nearly as popular today as it was in the late 1800s, thanks to Cowboy Action Shooting and nostalgic gun collectors. 

Gun Quote of the Week:

"Owning a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician" - Col Jeff Cooper

Bubba Gun of the Week:

This Marlin 336 was submitted too late for the judging in our 1st Annual Golden Poop Awards, but we did give in honorable mention. It was submitted by Houston Delacroix of Conneries Bayou Louisiana

Gun Sticker of the Week:

This week's gun sticker is another sticker pack from Wicked Grips

Gun T-shirt of the Week:

Here is this week's gun T-shirt, I have no idea where you can buy it, perhaps do some searching?

Evaluating a Remington model 11-48

A short while back I acquired a Remington Semi-auto shotgun as part of a package deal.

The gun was advertised as a Remington 1100 12 gauge. Instead, it was a 3rd year production model 11-48. The mistake was an honest one, the seller was not much of a gun guy and had not cleaned any of the guns he sold me. Also the two guns look nearly identical from the outside.

The 11-48 was a streamlined version of the model 11, being designed in 1948 and introduced in 1949.

 

Mechanically the gun was sound. Disassembly is fairly simple, you lock the bolt open, remove the threaded magazine cap and slide the barrel forward out of the receiver.

Then release the bolt slowly, remove the bolt handle by pulling it out of the bolt, then push the bolt out of the front of the receiver.

Below is the parts diagram, by the way, Remington still has all their owner's manuals on file for free download, click here.

After a thorough cleaning and inspection, I determined everything worked as it should, and the bore was shiny and smooth.

Establishing a Remington shotgun's date of birth is easy, assuming the barrel is original. Many times, barrels got swapped out or were replaced due to damage.

The barrel date code is located on the left side of the barrel near the receiver. More info here

Here are the codes

My barrel was dated LXX which is February of 1951, which I believe is correct. The barrel may have been changed do get a different choke, but it is unlikely that it was replaced due to damage, as it would have most likely been a newer date code. Also, the age of the bluing matches. In addition, the serial # on the receiver is 5042XXX, which is on the lower end of the sequence.

We can say with confidence that this is a 1951 production 11-48.

The bluing on the gun is in good to very good condition, according to the NRA scale. The finish on the wood has been redone, and rather poorly. The varnish was applied heavy which has filled the checkering. The checkering is worn and will need to be recut. Overall, the gun is in NRA Good condition.

I would put the value of this gun somewhere in the $400-$600 range. This is based on past experience as well as a dozen or so closed online auctions. Calibers other than 12 gauge get more money as do the premier grades.

 

Sources:

Remington Model 11-48, Model 11-48, Remington Model 11-48 serial numbers, 1148, semi-auto, 12 guage, 20 guage, values, prices, shotgun (guncollectionsonline.com)

Manufacture Dates – Remington Society of America

Owner's Manuals | Remington (remarms.com)

Week 15 2023

  This Week in Firearms History:

April 9: In 1865 General Lee agrees to the terms of surrender, ending the American Civil War

April 10: in 1878 Ed Masterson (brother of Bat) is killed in Dodge City; in 1926 Hugh Hefner is born; in 1919 Mexican Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata is murdered in an ambush

April 11: in 1898 President McKinley asks Congress for a Declaration of War against Spain; in 1899 Treaty of Paris: Spain cedes Guam, Philippines & Puerto Rico to the U.S. ; In 1917 the New York State Police is formed.

April 12: In 1861, first battle of Civil War at Fort Sumter; In 1911 Theodore Ellyson becomes the 1st US Naval Aviator; In 1925 trick shooter Joe Bowman is born; in 1945 President FDR dies in office

April 13: In 1570 Guy Fawkes is born; 1743 Thomas Jefferson is born; in 1953 Casino Royale, the 1st Bond film is released in theaters; in 1970 Dan Wesson ships his 1st batch of revolvers; in 2013 The Boston Marathon Bombings

April 14: In 1818 the US Army Medical Corps is created; in 1865 President Lincoln is mortally wounded in Ford's Theater; in 1881 in El Paso, TX, the 4 dead in 5 seconds gun fight takes place

April 15: In 1865 President Lincoln dies; in 1912 the Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic; in 2018 Gunnery Sgt R. Lee Ermy dies at the age of 74

Gun of the Week: Ruger "Standard" Pistol

It should be called "the gun that launched a company" as that is exactly what the Ruger Standard did. Based on a small 22 rimfire copy of the Type B Japanese Nambu, the Ruger Standard hit the market in 1949.

The Ruger was not given the name "Standard" by Ruger, rather that nickname was given to it by gun enthusiasts when Ruger introduced an improved version called the Mark I (in 1951) and then sold the two pistols side by side for 30 years. In 1981 both the Mark 1 and the standard were replaced by the Mark II. Today Ruger is selling the Mark IV version of this gun. Read more here

Cartridge of the Week: 12 Gauge

Before discussing the history of the 12 Gauge shotgun shell, we should probably discuss the terminology. Shotguns do not follow the same naming conventions as pistol and rifle cartridges (with the one exception of the .410 Shotshell). The term gauge actually refers to a measurement of weight. In the case of the 12-gauge, it would take 12 round balls that fit the bore of a 12-gauge shotgun to weigh 1 pound. 

The 12 gauge, which has a bore diameter of nearly 3/4", became the most popular size probably because when muzzle loading shotguns were converted to breech loading, the 12 gauge was powerful enough to take down any waterfowl, but also still be "comfortable" to shoot. The 12 gauge is also a devastating self-defense round. Today you can get a 12 gauge in the traditional 2 3/4" as well as 3" magnum and 3 1/2" Magnum.

Gun Quote of the Week:

"If you can't trust people with freedom, how can you trust people with power? - Anonymous

Bubba Gun of the Week:

John Wayne Dankworth submitted his custom scope installation. After not being able to find the correct height scope rings at his local Walmart, he did what any good gunsmith would do, he broke out his grinder and made clearance. He was a finalist for "Optics Installation" in our Second semi-biannual Golden Poop Awards

Gun Sticker of the Week:

Promoting both gun ownership and making fun of woke culture, Black Guns Matter, get them here

Gun T-shirt of the Week:

Sticking with the theme, this shirt is available from this Etsy seller 

Theme Guns XXXIX

 Another round of theme guns, we never seem to run out of new material for this segment, anyway, here they are in no particular order. As always if you own the rights to any of these and want them removed or credited, just let me know