[coonan357]

I inherited a Newbridgeport 12ga. SxS boxlock , I cannot find any markings on the reciever or barrel (not damascus ) saying who built it or where it was built has anyone ever heard of this brand ?I tried the research section of the forum but have no real clues , other than it might be a Hardware brand . It's from the southern/central parts of Indiana . any other clues would help .

[Dave McCracken]

Chances are it's a cheap when new double,made here or in Belgium.

One thing, I wouldn't fire this even without Damascus barrels unless it was checked out by a smith I'd trust with my life, because I would be.

Most old doubles like this are chambered for shorter shells than we use now, and this probably wasn't that strong even when new.

[coonan357]

thanks dave,
the gun has been using winchester aa ammo for a period of time before I got it , it uses standard length2 3/4 shells , I took the gun down and sripped it and there is no proof marks on it anywhere only a 2 digit serial number on the reciever by the hinge point and on the barrel assy on the locking lug . I need to find a stock for it as the old one is cracked and was fixed rather hastely ( duct tape , nails and glue ) it has an English pull stock on it .

[Dave McCracken]

Here's the deal, Coonan.....

A 2 3/4" shell is that length when fired, same with 2 1/2",3",etc.

A 2 3/4" shell will fit fine in a shorter chamber and all's well until it's fired. Then, the crimp opens up into the forcing cone, but not fully. Pressures go sky high, and if you didn't know, grenades and shotguns have similar working pressures. When shotgun barrels fail, it's catastrophic failure occurring between your face and your leading hand.

Mayhap the thing does have a 2 3/4" chamber. It's still from days of yesteryear when BP and similar early smokeless loads were designed for less than 10K PSI. AAs run up to 13,000, SAAMI max for 2 3/4 shells.

PLEASE have a good smith check it out before firing. He/she can measure the chamber, look it over for signs that modern loads are not a good idea, and check for incipient failures. The fact that it's held together so far may be due to good karma, not design or materials.

The good news, some older shotguns can be returned to service with some modern low pressure loads. The Super Lites are one, most modern 7/8 oz loading data is down in the right range,and reloads can be made that are suitable.

Also, that 2 digit number is probably an assembly number rather than a serial number.

A new stock will be quite expensive, but marvelous things can be done by expert smiths with the old stock sometimes. I wish you luck, old family guns are really nice to return to service.

HTH....

[coonan357]

thanks dave, not to be insulting , the reason I know it uses the 2 3/4 AA's was I was with him the last time he shot the thing and that was the only rounds he used and if memory serves me correct it was the only thing he used for the 12's . thanks for the info I will have the chamber and throat area checked out , I more than likly will not be shooting it but making it a spacetaker in the cabinet , I can reload some BP shells for it if I would want to use it . you said superlights might work pretty good in it also ? how about a reducer sleeve ? like 16 or 20 ga?as for the stock it it would be a good deal as the memorys of a person who will be missed .

[Dave McCracken]

Sorry, I'm not making myself clear. Just because it handled X number of overlong modern loads does not mean it's safe with X+1. Please have it checked.

As far as the sleeves go, there's some choices. The Little Skeeters are the cheapest. Briley makes some full length tubes similar to skeet sets. Old Savage Four Tenners can sometimes be found, and Orvis used to install titanium liners and may still. This last is far from cheap, Orvis doesn't do cheap.

The Super Lights are probably of low enough pressure to be safe, but go with what the smith says.

My soft spot for family guns is well known. I sure hope you can put this into shooting shape and take it out in the field with appropriate ammo. Good luck.