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I have plain Jane Syracuse 16 serial #368xx. Left barrel is marked "Triplex Steel." What type of steel is this? Date of manufacture?

Hal
You have a Grade OO SAC gun with "Triplet Steel" barrels. I can't give you the composition of the materials that compose the steel in these tubes; but Triplet Steel was the Syracuse Arms moniker used to denote the "fluid" steel tubes fitted to this grade. I suspect these steel tubes would have been similar to those used on lower grade LeFever, Smith, Ithaca, etc guns from this same era; but the collector will find Triplet Steel barrels only on the Syracuse Grade OO gun and the Syracuse hammergun, although I have seen one early Grade A gun factory fitted with a set of Grade 00 barrels. As to manufacture, your serial number indicates a very late gun; so it should have a sliding cocking plate that engages the cocking rods when the fore iron is attached. Guns with this feature were produced from about mid-1903 thru the end of production, which I believe took place in early 1905.

Thanks Topgun. The LH watertable is clearly marked OO and below that "Pat'd Sept 26 95"

Any idea of how many of these OO's were made in 16 bore?

Our grouse/partridge season opened today and I was going to take the gun out, but we got rained out.

The 16-bore was introduced in 1901, according to old company literature; so this means that SAC made their 16's on all three frame variations. I have no idea how many SAC 16's were produced, although I can tell you that the SAC 16 is seldom seen; and also that SAC 16's, though uncommon, are many times more common than SAC 20-bores. SAC did offer their 16-bore in all hammerless models from Grade 00 all the way thru their highest Grade D gun. I believe I recall that the Grade 00 gun carried a retail price of $30 in the 1903 catalog; just one dollar less than than the Grade O gun with Twist barrels (the only difference between the two grades).
Enjoy your SAC gun (and I believe that patent date is 9/26/93).

Topgun do these use throughbolts? My right trigger is a little rough and I'm wondering if it may have dirt around the blade or be scraping wood. If no throughbolt, how are the stocks removed? The tang screw looks like it has never been moved.

Hal,
The stock is removed by pulling the trigger guard and triggerplate off the gun. Here are some old pics of my single trigger gun. I dont remember any funny tricks for getting the stock off but I think it was a sac gun that had a unusual method of getting the top lever off. Ross

Thanks! I'll post what I find on the trigger if I need help. Looks like it can't be wood. I hope I don't have to send it to a gunsmith.