scout26
Member
Long story short.
Talking to a guy at my new job about my up-coming hunting trips (Deer camp next week, Pheasant hunt 1st week of Dec, etc.), and a third guy tells me he's got some old shotguns he's had down in the basement since his grandfather died about 22 years ago. He says he's not a hunter, hasn't touched them since a couple of days after the funeral when the guns (and some of other stuff) left his grandfathers house as they got it ready to sell.
He tells me that since I'm a bird hunter like his Grampa he'll let me have them both for $100.
I immediately accepted his offer. Granted at this point I have no idea what they are, his precise description is "a couple of shotguns". I had ask him about make/model, he had no idea, as he had never took them out of their cases or even looked at them. They went down into a corner of the basement 22 years ago. We arrange to do the transfer by me picking them up from his house. (he, surprise, has no FOID card).
I figure at worst, if they're both wall-hangers, I'm out only a C-note, he can buy me a beer sometime, and the wife can yell at me some more about my lack of interior decorating talent.
Get to his house and what do we have but:
An Iver-Johnson Arms and Cycle Works Hercules Smokeless SxS 12 ga. 30" (Full and Mod) with auto-ejectors Ser# 56xx and a 32" King Nitro SxS 12 ga. ser# 13xxx. (no other marks or info).
First the bad news. Neither is in very good condition. Grampa must have used the stocks to pound nails, when he wasn't low crawling with them. They looked like they hadn't been cleaned after the last time they were fired (which was ????). The soft cases/sleeves they were in had rotted/disolved. The I-J looks like it had sat in water at some point, as it there's water damage near the heel of the stock (about .5"). There's zero finish left on the barrels, (if there ever was any on them to begin with). The King has some play in it after lock-up, but the I-J's is nice and tight. Both guns have an auto-on safety switch, but neither works.
The good news is, there only a couple a small surface rust spots on only the King Nitro, near the muzzle. I cleaned out the barrels with Hoppes and a bore mop and both (all four ??) came out nice and shiny, I don't see any pitting or signs of pitting. They seem mechically sound, and after a little Breakfree, smooth to open and close, except aforementioned non-working safeties.
I looked up the I-J in the Blue Book and figure it's worth maybe $300-400 if it's a shooter, but I couldn't find any thing on King Nitro. Does anyone know or have heard of "King Nitro" ???? Given that they have a VERY similar actions/parts, I'm guessing that I-J made it (as they put out a lot of guns under other names).
I offered to pay him more once I found out what they're truly worth, be he refused, saying that "a deal's, a deal" and now he doesn't have to worry about them falling into the wrong hands, getting stolen, getting in trouble for not having a FOID card, etc.
I'm taking them to a smith tomorrow to get them checked out (Please Please Please let them be shooters) and I'll let everyone know whether they're shooters or hangers. But either way I've got my "projects" for the winter !!!!!
Talking to a guy at my new job about my up-coming hunting trips (Deer camp next week, Pheasant hunt 1st week of Dec, etc.), and a third guy tells me he's got some old shotguns he's had down in the basement since his grandfather died about 22 years ago. He says he's not a hunter, hasn't touched them since a couple of days after the funeral when the guns (and some of other stuff) left his grandfathers house as they got it ready to sell.
He tells me that since I'm a bird hunter like his Grampa he'll let me have them both for $100.
I immediately accepted his offer. Granted at this point I have no idea what they are, his precise description is "a couple of shotguns". I had ask him about make/model, he had no idea, as he had never took them out of their cases or even looked at them. They went down into a corner of the basement 22 years ago. We arrange to do the transfer by me picking them up from his house. (he, surprise, has no FOID card).
I figure at worst, if they're both wall-hangers, I'm out only a C-note, he can buy me a beer sometime, and the wife can yell at me some more about my lack of interior decorating talent.
Get to his house and what do we have but:
An Iver-Johnson Arms and Cycle Works Hercules Smokeless SxS 12 ga. 30" (Full and Mod) with auto-ejectors Ser# 56xx and a 32" King Nitro SxS 12 ga. ser# 13xxx. (no other marks or info).
First the bad news. Neither is in very good condition. Grampa must have used the stocks to pound nails, when he wasn't low crawling with them. They looked like they hadn't been cleaned after the last time they were fired (which was ????). The soft cases/sleeves they were in had rotted/disolved. The I-J looks like it had sat in water at some point, as it there's water damage near the heel of the stock (about .5"). There's zero finish left on the barrels, (if there ever was any on them to begin with). The King has some play in it after lock-up, but the I-J's is nice and tight. Both guns have an auto-on safety switch, but neither works.
The good news is, there only a couple a small surface rust spots on only the King Nitro, near the muzzle. I cleaned out the barrels with Hoppes and a bore mop and both (all four ??) came out nice and shiny, I don't see any pitting or signs of pitting. They seem mechically sound, and after a little Breakfree, smooth to open and close, except aforementioned non-working safeties.
I looked up the I-J in the Blue Book and figure it's worth maybe $300-400 if it's a shooter, but I couldn't find any thing on King Nitro. Does anyone know or have heard of "King Nitro" ???? Given that they have a VERY similar actions/parts, I'm guessing that I-J made it (as they put out a lot of guns under other names).
I offered to pay him more once I found out what they're truly worth, be he refused, saying that "a deal's, a deal" and now he doesn't have to worry about them falling into the wrong hands, getting stolen, getting in trouble for not having a FOID card, etc.
I'm taking them to a smith tomorrow to get them checked out (Please Please Please let them be shooters) and I'll let everyone know whether they're shooters or hangers. But either way I've got my "projects" for the winter !!!!!
