doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Info on a Baltimore Arms Co. 16 gauge?

A friend picked up a Baltimore Arms Co. 16 gauge double. It is in very good condition and appears little used. Barrels are 30" long and are damascus. The following markings are on the barrel flate. Can anyone provide info on what they mean? Thank you!

Do you know how to interpret the few barrel markings that are on this gun? Each barrel is stamped "SD&G", and "A". The receiver is stamped with the same "A", and "Pat 2-13-1900". See the attachment.

Baltimore Arms Co; Baltimore Maryland. Made 12 G hammerless from about 1895-1902.Nothing further known.

My guess would be the "SD&G" means the gun was sold by Schoverling, Daly & Gale & the A was likely the grade.

The "Daly" marking is also similar to a marking for a source of tubes whose name I cannot remember. Fox also used the tubes with this marking and Fox barrels carried this mark also. The first Fox I encountered with this marking confused me to the point that I thought that S R & C meant Sears Roebuck and Company. I was wrong. It was a steel tube source.

8bore, that would make sense, as I believe that Ansley Fox was partner in BAC for a while or had something to do with it?

My two-part series on Baltimore Arms Co. appeared in The Double Gun Journal, Volume Ten, Issues 1 and 3. I also had an article "The Fox Gun Company of Baltimore City and Baltimore Arms Company" in The Gun Report, Volume 42, Number 9, February 1997. I believe they sell back issues -- phone (309) 582-5311.

Here is my canned Baltimore Arms BBS response --

Baltimore Arms Co. -- January 1900 to October 1904 -- manufactured a gun designed primarily by Frank Hollenbeck, covered by his patent #643,601 granted Feb. 13, 1900.

There are three different variations of Baltimore Arms Company doubles, the 1900 Model which was available only in 12-gauge and grades A with twist barrels, B with Damascus barrels, and C with some engraving and a choice of Damascus or steel barrels. Half-pistol grips were standard and the Grade C had the option of straight.

For the 1902 Model they added 16-gauges to the line, and repositioned the sear spring. The A-Grade (list price $33) got the option of steel barrels, the B-Grade (list price of $46.50) got some line engraving and a capped full pistol grip, and the C-grade got more game scene and less scroll engraving ("Either half pistol or straight grip. The half pistol grip has our original finish of ebony inletted in the grip, giving a beautiful finish."). Two higher grades the Trap Gun (list price $125) with straight grip, Fluid Steel Barrels ("These barrels are of extra quality and used only on this grade gun.") and engraving of Pigeons and a live Pigeon shooting scene; and the Grade D (list price $175) had finest Damascus barrels or Monumental steel barrels (no doubt named for Monumental shooting park in Baltimore), elaborate checkering and dogs on point in the engraving and a partridge.

The 1904 Model got rebates in the frame on each side of the top and bottom tangs and the head of the stock is inlet into these rebates to prevent splitting. The grades stayed the same but the Grade B got the options of steel barrels and the choice of a straight or capped pistol grip. Serial numbers I've observed seem to run from about 1000 to a bit over 7,000. 1904 Models seem to begin in the low 5000 range.

Serial numbers under 1000 were those used by the Ansley H. Fox designed gun manufactured by the Fox Gun Co., Balto., Md., U.S.A. Ansley left in early 1900 to become a professional shooter for Winchester and his partners regrouped, incorporated under the laws of West Virginia, and began production of the Hollenbeck designed gun. They moved into a new factory building in 1901, a block or so away from the old Fox premises.

My only 16-gauge Baltimore Arms is a ratty 30-inch barrel B-Grade with Etoile Damascus barrels. An A-Grade should have Twist barrels. My gun is also clearly marked on the bottoms of both tubes SD&G, not the SB&Co. of the Sanderson Bros. and Company tube makers seen on many American doubles. So far I have only recorded 16-gauges in the 1902 model series. I've not yet found one with the 1904 Model rebated frame.

The 16-gauge Baltimore Arms Co. guns were built on their own scaled down frame and are nice trim little guns for their time. Could you post some pictures of the gun and the serial number for my table of observed specimens?

So, if what Dave says is true, Baltimore Arms Company gun owners can attend the Charles Daly Collectors Association gathering at the Southern Side by Side. I can't wait. Researcher, will you be there?

I will send you some pics tonight. Thanks for all the great info!