I stumbled on another NID .410, 28" Field grade, Ejector, apparently right under Walt's nose in NC.
I bought the first one from a dealer near Seattle a few years ago. I saw it for sale on the net at least 5 years prior to going into that store and started a rambling discussion with the owner that led to him telling me that he still had it but hadn't advertised it in a long time. I bought it on the spot.
I've been using that first NID as a quail gun, since the full/mod factory chokes had been altered to mod/cyl. Still, I took a rooster with the first shell I fired in it at a wally park hunt club.
When I stumbled on this new one, I was not looking for another, just killing brain cells on the net. I picked it up from my dealer yesterday and just now pulled it out to give it a good look.
The new gun turns out to be s/n 457298, just 3 number away from my first one, 457295! They may have been in the factory together at one time in 1929. Maybe even on the same bench together during machining. Maybe Walt can shed some light on this.
457295 has a slightly shorter LOP at 13 3/4", while 457298 is 14" even.
457295 weighs in at 6lbs 2 oz, while 457298 rolls on the scale at 6lbs 10 oz.
Per Walt's book, approximately 934 .410 NID guns were made between 1926 and 1948, 790 were field grade. It's unknown how many were 28" or were equipped with ejectors. I've only seen 2 28" NID .410's. I now own both. Every other .410 NID I've seen had 26" bbls
As you can see, there is a difference in the forend wood shape and length. 457295 is narrower and longer.
