The classic "Hardware" double barrel

357smallbore

Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2015
Messages
914
Location
Leavenworth KS
Bought this 12ga Double Barrel 20 years ago, it is a classic hardware gun from the depression era.. It's an Eastern Arms 12ga with 26in barrels. I've been able to date it to the mid to late 1930's.
Has one minor 1in hairline crack in the stock, I've fixed that though. Most of the bluing has worn off. No rust on or in it. It locks up tighter than a virgin on her wedding night. There is no looseness at all. It is fairly heavy, yet solid. This ole gun is just a reliable solid piece of history.. Only shoot 3 boxes of bird shot out of it yearly. Occasionally take it pheasant hunting. The only thing I've done to it was put a new butt pad on it.
 
My cousin inherited our Grandfathers "farm" shotgun. It was a double barrel 12. All that could be determined was that it was made in Belgium. Back in those days lots of guns were made by individual "cottage" makers and imported. My cousin ended up working for NATO and stationed in Belgium. He took the old gun with him and went to the area where he'd been told a lot of those old craftsmen had lived and worked. The first place he tried the guy told him that he didn't make it, but the guy down the street Grandfather did make it. So, off my cousin goes to the guys place and the guy was elated to see a product that his Grandfather had made and had made its way to Indian Territory about the turn of the century. Not the last one, but the one before. One of the triggers had been broken off some time in the distant past. The guy took our Grandfathers shotgun and completely restored it. Made a new trigger, refinished the stock and the metal. When I saw it, it looked brand new. It had no collector's value, but it meant something to the guy to work on a shotgun his Grandfather had made and hear all the tales my cousin could tell him. It was a great adventure for my cousin while he was there being a contract officer for the NATO built F-16's.
 
Back
Top