doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Clark & Sneider 16g, check 'er out....

Here are some pics of a 16g Clark & Sneider from around 1880 or so. Neat gun, fully of innovative features.

I'll post more pics on my blog with some info on what you're seeing. Should be up in a few days.

Thanks

OWD


Side of action


Top of action


Bottom of action


Action open, barrel stop disengaged


Toplever & safety

Very nice!! I have two of their catalogues, 1878 and 1883. The 1883 has Clark crossed out on the cover

Are there any models for the hammerless guns pictured in either catalog? Any mention of different models or grades?

I think this is a middle-grade gun. I've seen pics of fancier ones.

Thanks

OWD

This is the only gun pictured in the 1883 catalogue, but they list hammerless guns at $100, $130, $175, $225, and $300.

Beautiful gun OWD!!!
Take a look at that direct slap in the face of Dan Lefever’s ‘Automatic Hammerless’ with the phrase on their brochure saying, ‘The Original American Hammerless’!!

Thanks for posting that page in the catalog! Jeff

Jeff-

The Baltimore Historical Society has a file on Sneider, including an old catalog.

I'm going to check it out when I'm down there.

OWD

Good luck!! That was the poorest place I ever tried to do research. Their attitude was they owned the information and were going to charge for any use of it. I wanted to get color slides of their 1903 Baltimore Arms Co. catalogue, for use in my Double Gun Journal article on Baltimore Arms Co. They wanted to charge more then Cote' pays for articles for the slides and then some kind of royalty for every issue of the magazine sold!!!

Trebling, when was the hammerless Lefever introduced?

Sneider & Lefever both had hammerless patents issued in 1880, Sneider's was a little earlier. Am currently away from home so don't have my list with me.
I have an interesting photo-copy of an article written by "Curtis" (I forget for sure which one) & stated to have appeared in the Rifleman back in the 40's I believe it was. From his research at that time his conclusion was the Lefever was first made in 1878, prior to its patent, & did precede the Sneider. He stated the Sneider had been credited with being earlier than the Lefever based on its addition in an earlier dated catalog, but examination of the catalog revealed the hammerless gun listing had actually been pasted in over a hammer model. This was not done as fraud, but was done by Sneider at issuance as an update, thus the catalog did not actually reflect the proper date for the hammerless gun.
Sneider did of course build the first Self-Cocking hammerless double in the US. As to which one actually sold the very first hammerless may always remain up for question.