doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Model 1894 Remington Year of production and grade

Thanks Dave and that grading system is very similar to what LC Smith used. We may come to a dead end trying to put specific names on gunmaker's damascus patterns. As the 76' AR article makes clear, there were many grades of Bernard, Boston, Oxford, 'Crolle', etc. AND different barrel makers, with different patterns, using the same name ('Bernard', etc.)

...when your looking at at serial no 132790 and it has separate firing pins (improved lock), there is no conjecture there...as opposed to some windbag saying he saw one a few years ago at a gunshow but can't remember who had it...
So what did Shapleigh Hardware do with those guns? My guess is they spilled them on the market as regular Remington guns...
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reb87,
My highest standard '94 is 125283
... lowest improved '94 is 132790
.......(7500 numbers apart)
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My highest standard 1900 is 324925
....lowest improved 1900 is 367479
....... (42500 numbers apart)
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Perhaps you or someone else will have examples that fall between this starting point

OK...I just got Remington's unofficial view on what brought about the decision to cease their SxS shotgun production...I asked the question out of context so that there would be no chance of imparting my views first. The answer givin was "Because of the competition from Ithaca"...
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You can reject the whole notion that the Flues model had any effect on the US double shotgun market, but now that I've let the improved lock 94's out of the bottle, you may never get them back in.
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Perhaps factory drawings will shed some light on the improved lock system...names..dates...increased lock speeds..I'll try to look into it
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There is so much uncharted information on Remington doubles out there that someone could specialize in researching them...starting with German Flatts (near Ilion)

Robert,
I have an 1894 BE #132102 and it is the standard action as pictured. According to Semmer's book, my gun and your lowest improved gun(#132790) were both built in 1905. Hope this is of interest to you. I'd just like to add that Semmer's book is worth every penny to Remington double addicts as are his DGJ articles. I don't own any 1900's to compare, but your guns date as 1902 and 1907 according to Charles.

That's interesting, considering Remington didn't leave the double barrel market for long, introducing the M32 down the road, but how did adding the spacing creat a lock time equal to Ithaca's formidable Flues.
All the best

R.R....excellent...let me see if I have this correct...132102 is a standard lock, while 132790 has the improved lock..that's only 688 numbers apart...Reb87 has one in the 132,000 range, maybe he will be able to close the gap if his is between 132102 & 132790..But thanks to RR, we can assume for the moment that the improved lock was incorporated somwhere in the 132,000 range...It will be interesting to see if the 1900 switched over in the same year as the '94
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t1958...Remington was still patenting SxS items in the 1970's...and...Remington never came close to achieving the Flues lock time of 1/625 of a second, in fact the Flues line wasn't operational at that moment...Remington was still facing stiff competition from the Ithaca's transitional models, the Lewis and the Manier. Since the very first days of wing shooting, lock time was on the tongues of shooters, starting with matchlocks. Matchlocks and flintlocks have more hang time than lock time and it became very ingrained in the minds of the shooting sportsman. It may not have completely left yet.
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Thanks to all for contributing to the further understanding of this venerable shotgun.

Here is P132280 with the "improved lock."



In Model 1900s I have Q359662 which has the "improved lock."

Thanks Researcher..you and R.R. have really narrowed down the the 94 serials to within 178 numbers apart...I wonder if there will be any subtle differences in the earliest improved lock guns....transitional guns maybe...or unusual action flats and barrel markings maybe...does 132280 have unusual or extra markings?
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R.R....Does Semmers book say what serial range was used on the 1900 model during 1905? (assuming that 1905 is correct for the 132,000 range for the 1894)...
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OK...I'll try to recap this for the readers to know if their Remingtons are within these serial ranges
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Lowest improved lock 1894 is 132280
Highest standard lock 1894 is 132102
................numbers apart........178
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Lowest improved lock 1900 is 359662
Highest standard lock 1900 is 324925
...............numbers apart......34737

Robert,
Semmer's has 1894(1905) as 131264-133042,
1900(1905) as 350208-354620.
I glanced around at some 1900's online and found a 352K and a 353K serial numbered gun, both with improved locks. Also found a 350K gun with standard locks... which would seem to prove a mid-1905 changeover as well as Researcher's and my gun.
Of course, I did find an oddity.
Gun #132037 is a CEO Pigeon Trap and has the improved lock.
Perhaps the higher graded guns started getting the new frames first while the lower grades used up the standard.
It will be interesting to hear where Ross' 132k gun falls if he checks back in.

What month was that issue?

Pete