doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com my first double gon

Oops!! I realized after I said I would check that Jeff's went out of business back in 2022?? Any other suggestions?

Perry,
CSM might be the source. or who ever took over Jeff's. EBAY has one.
Karl

This was my first sxs, I bought it in Stevens Point WI in 1965 for $15, I think. I was looking at a 10ga, $25. but my buddy bought it out from under me. I really don't know much about it, I think it was converted from a MZL as it has an ramrod thimble on the front of the forend and you can see where the ramrod pipes were removed from under the barrel, plus the patch box. It looks like the barrels were attached to a cradle that has the hinge pin and under lug. I was eighteen had no idea about Damascus barrels, short chambers so I killed a pile of grouse, ducks, pheasants and squirrels with JC Higgins High Brass 5's and Imperial high brass 5's. It is still in WI hanging in my BinL's living room, his home was the Weyerhauser office and management quarters when the first logged norhtern WI and has lots of memorabilia from the turn of the century.

First SxS would have been a WW Greener Facile Princeps 12 bore made in 1895.

Oskar, your percussion gun looks cool...any makers info? barrel proofs?

my first double was a Stevens 12 ga [ model 335] circa 1912. it was a gift to me from an amazing old man, who was a dear friend of my father and I. he was born in norway, but grew up in the upper peninsula of michigan, basically in logging camps run by his father and family. his mother schooled him and at age 16 he went to Michigan State, getting his bachelors degree in 3 years. he was an enormous athletic man, 6 feet 6" and over 300 lbs when he finished college , with a 32" waist !! he returned to the UP and eventually ran the logging operation himself. he lived to be 99 and died in the early 1970s, [ when i was away at medical school ]

i spent numerous afternoons and evenings with him, from high school onward [ he was a widower, and they never were able to have children] listening to stories of all types, but especially hunting and fishing tales. he said that Stevens had taken two bears, more than 18 deer, and countless ducks and geese. if the shotgun was involved in the story he was relating, he would conclude the tale by breaking open the double and handing it to me and saying 'and this is the gun i i used.' once, after i handed it back to him , he handed it back to me again, saying ' I dont need this any more and i would like you to have it !' for a moment i was unable to speak...but then i said ' yes, i will take it... but not now, not today, you keep it for now, but i am honored to have it and i will use it. ' about a year and a half later he passed away, and i did get the gun. and i did use it and took ducks and geese with it, later when i was in the army and stationed in Texas.

i also have his traditional hand woven sweater made in the 1930s by his aunt who was a Sammi [ Laplander ] in Norway. i have also worn it frequently and even when hunting.

i still relish the stories he told me, and his friendship ...... and his memory is fresh and precious to me even now.

My first was an 11 pound Francotte 20 ga with a Miller Single Trigger that I purchased sight unseen from a large gun dealer on the internet. Yes, 11 pounds, at least according to the salesman.

I’d been carrying an 8# 12 gauge OU with a dreadful synthetic stock, and I was looking for a proper grouse gun. It was between a Stevens 555, and a vintage double of some sort. One of my dad’s buddies who was into old doubles suggested I looked into it.

I took his advice, much to his chagrin. After having admired the Francotte for about 2-3 weeks, and having viewed hundreds, if not thousands of SxS listings before finally deciding to pull the trigger, I finally phoned the dealer. I asked the scripted questions, like — do the barrels ring? Is it tight on face? (I hardly understood what this was)....And how much does the gun weigh?

The salesman confidently replied, “At least 11 pounds.” I stammered. He then confidently explained, “Well, you DO know this IS a a DOUBLE-barrel shotgun, and you know, they start at about 7-8 lbs for a 12 gauge, and because this one is a 20 gauge, so it will weigh AT LEAST 11 or 12 pounds; maybe even 13 or 14 pounds, I’ve seen some that weigh up to 17 pounds.”

Upon receiving the gun, it tipped the scales at a whopping 5 lbs, 5 ounces. It was a delight to shoot, carry, and miss with. All my shotguns have been vintage side by sides, and my dad has gotten the double bug as well, and we have a lot of fun together with it!