doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Remington 1894 and 1900 popularity

I'm surprised 1894's and 1900's aren't collected more fervently, given the short period of time they were produced and the fact that they are stout, well made guns. The barrels on some of the damascus guns are flat out gorgeous. Why do you suppose they aren't held in higher regard?

Remington Arms Co. built 139202 hammerless doubles from 1894 to 1910, and 134200 hammer doubles from 1889 to 1910. That is more double guns than Parker Bros./Parker built from 1866 to 1945.

The Remington hammerless doubles got the job done too --



This from the March 2, 1907, American Field.

Remington clearly decided that the Browning Patent Model 11 they were ready to introduce was going to be the future of shotguns. And from a commercial standpoint, they were right.

Thank you Researcher. I wasn't aware there were that many made. That certainly puts it in perspective.

I find it interesting that I have never seen a Remington 1894 or 1900 in a gunshop around here in all the years I have been visiting them. Lots of Parkers, Smiths, Fox Sterlingworhs, but never a Remington. I never realized this before now! I wonder why that is? I have always heard the Remingtons were sturdy guns, but never had one in my hands and therefore never owned one. Oh-boy, that sounds like an excuse!

I currently own two Remington 1900's, and have previously owned two others. The two I currenly own have both been restored. Remember that any Remington 1894 or 1900 you see is at least a century old.

These Remington SxS's are well made, and relatively underpriced in today's marketplace. Usually a bargain! For whatever reason, perhaps "the name", they are not as treasured as Parker's or Fox's. Most that I see are field grade guns -- maybe Remington didn't sell as many "graded models" as did Parker or Fox.

While many/most of the SxS 12 gauges have 2-9/16" chambers, there is ample metal for a competent gunsmith to open them up to the now standard 2-3/4" chamber. Most seem to have been shipped from the N.Y. factory choked FULL & FULL. Again, it is easy for a competent gunsmith to open the chokes to something more usable.

I hunt upland game with my Remington 1900's. The 30" barrel has been rechambered to 2-3/4" and the right choke opened to IC; the left barrel is still FULL. That makes a nice hunting combination for both phesant and quail.

JERRY

Over 98000 of the Remington Arms Co. hammerless doubles were the Model 1900s, and the great bulk of the Model 1894s seem to be A-/AE-/AR-/AER-grades. The higher grades seem to be fairly scarce. From the introduction of the Remington Hammerless Double in the October 1894 Remington Arms Co. catalogue, through the 1901 RAC catalogues they only pictured the A- and AE-Grades, and listed the higher grades. Beginning with the 1902 catalogue they pictured all the grades, and introduced the extremely elaborate Remington Special at a list price of $750, well above Parker Bros. top-of-the-line AAH Pigeon Gun at $400. There are several B-/BE-Grades on Gunsinternational right now, with Jay Schacter having a real screamer.

My Father had a Remington KED-Grade when my folks got married and headed west in 1935. Right near the end of WW-II he picked up a nearly new 1896-vintage AE-Grade which became his go to shotgun until he quit hunting after the 1988 season. It is still in good shape in my gunroom, but doesn't have much case color any more. He gave the KED-Grade to his younger brother when he returned from WW-II. It finally got damaged in the early days of steel shot when my cousins using it Goose hunting bulged the choke and broke the rib solder.

My Father also had a 16-gauge AE-Grade, P136036, that was stolen from his house in the 1970s.

The model 1894 is quite a nice gun. I have been surprised over the years at the relatively few guns from C and up I have seen. D, E, and Special Grades are quite scarce considering over 30,000 1894s made.

I've only seen one graded Remington, an 1894 BE. Part of my curiosity stems from the fact there is an 1894 field grade 12 available to me right now in tight, solid shootable condition, good dimensions, choked m/f, with fantastic chain damascus pattern, 10% finish, for only $150. All it needs is a refinish and a lever return spring. It will make a fantastic restoration candidate considering it's price. I think I'm going to get it for use as a dedicated duck gun this fall. I would prefer a Lefever or a Parker, but for $150, it's a no brainer.

The fella in Researcher's ad is W.H. Heer, the "Silent Man from Kansas." You can read more about him here http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfg2hmx7_337gqdvwccf
Prior to the 1912 GAH, Heer retired his Remington double and began shooting a Remington pump gun.

BTW: No American maker offered a greater variety of damascus patterns than Remington on their 1894
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfg2hmx7_72xs856hdf

This is interesting!