doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com W.H.Davenport gun

Hi guys anyone know this maker? its an 8 bore thats just come in to be browned its in good order and should come up nice,I will post pics when done, the owner paid £500 for it I have not seen the rest of the gun.

I have a single barrel 8 gauge made by Hopkins and Allen and they had some ties to Davenport.

William Hastings Davenport (1828-1904) owned several gun companies over the years: The Davenport Arms co. 1870's, Bay State Arms 1883, and finally W.H. Davenport Fire arms Co. 1890, He died in 1904 and 5 years later the company was purchased from his widow by Hopkins & Allen.

All Davenport shotguns have a patented key take-down on the right side of the frames. Pat. Dates are Dec. 15, 1891 - Aug. 11, 1896 - Aug 14, 1900 - May 27, 1902.

Hope this gets you started.

W.H.Davenport Firearms Co. Established 1880 at,79,Orange Street, Providence, R.I.Quit business in 1883 approx. Reorganised in 1890 at Norwich,Conn. Known mostly for single barrel,top lever,single barrel break action shotguns.Also made guns marked, Keystone Firearms Co; Phia, Pa; a private brand name of the E.K.Tyron Company. In addition they made cheap single barrels under many private brand names.

Davenport marked guns were made by three distinct companies --

1. W.H. Davenport & Co. - located in Providence, RI - 1878-79 - on Eddy Street.

2. Davenport Arms Company, a RI Corporation - 1880-1884 - located at 78-81 Orange Street in Providence, RI.

When the Arms Co. went bankrupt in 1884, W.H. Davenport became plant superintendent for Hopkins & Allen, in Norwich, Conn. In 1890, Davenport left H&A and formed

3. W.H. Davenport Arms Co., a Connecticut Corporation, with a factory in Norwich. William H. Davenport died in 1904 at the age of 78. The W.H. Davenport Arms Co. continued to operate into the 1909-10 time frame.

A fourth firm, the Hopkins & Allen Arms Co. bought the remains and made Davenport marked guns in their factory into the 1915-16 time frame.

A copy of Davenport’s 1902 catalogue, reproduced in The Shotgun Research Newsletter, Volume 2, No. 3, only shows single-barrel shot guns, ranging in price from $8 up to $20 for guns like the 8-gauge Goose Gun or the matted top rib 12-gauge with octagon breech.

Someone must have really wanted an 8-gauge to pay that much for a W.H. Davenport.

Davenport eight gauge guns in good to high condition sell for good prices lately.

Stuff like that will usually bring a bit more money in a country where they aren't illegal to use.

DLH

"ILLEGAL"......Destry, have you no pigeons?

Well I mean for real hunting, like geese dammit. Hah!

Destry

Davenport gun after browning it took just over a week to do thanks for the info on the maker

My 12 gauge single is marked:
The W.H.Davenport Fire Arms Co. Norwich, Conn. U.S.A. on the barrel and Colonial on the frame.

Patented Dec15,91 Aug1,96 Aug14,00 May21,02

Craig