CParker-
You are very welcome and I hope things go well for you today. I have no idea of why these two guns are marked differently or why the Meriden Firearms Company marketed two lines of what appear to be the same shotguns (A. J. Aubrey and Meriden). Perhaps the "Special" was used to reflect an upgraded shotgun (damascus barrels)? The patent date on the rib is 1907, and others on this forum have reported seeing the Meriden in later Sears catalogues (my 1908 reprint lists only A.J. Aubrey guns).
My first gun of any kind, given to my by my father was when I was 11, was a Savage Stevens box lock SxS .410 and all other doubles since were box locks. I had never fired a hammer gun until I purchased the Meriden earlier this year. While the hammer gun will never replace my box locks in the field, I must confess I was surprised to find how readily I came to appreciate some of the hammer gun's features. Here is my list of discoveries about the hammer gun (so far):
1. No need for snap caps.
2. The action naturally falls open when the lever is operated for easy reloading.
3. When shooting trap the shooter needs only to cock the barrel to be fired.
4. The gun is very safe when loaded and not cocked and one can tell at a glance (or touch) if it is ready to fire.
5. User friendly to inspect, clean and service. With the removal of a single screw the locks come out.
If you end up bringing the Meriden home with you today, you will also find that you cannot get the hammer to fall against the firing pin unless the trigger is pulled- so this is a safe action as well.
One thing, which may be peculiar to my shotgun, however, did surface and that is I cannot open the action with the right hammer cocked as the top lever is stopped just short of full travel by the hammer. In the field the hammer gun can be more of a challenge and slower to bring into action because of the need to cock the hammers before firing. Leaving the shotgun open and cocked can speed things up a bit but the shotgun is not as comfortable to carry and while closing the shotgun is a lot faster than cocking both hammers, it is much slower than releasing a safety. Everyone who I have allowed to shoot my Meriden invariably forgets to cock the hammer(s) back at least once and I'll confess, I have done it several time; new habits are hard to learn. Also, the hammer screws on my shotgun tended to shoot loose until I put some thread lock on them.
What I find interesting, however, is how long the hammer gun survived in the presence of the hammerless guns. I have read that early in the development of the hammerless systems, the hammer gun was thought to offer a more robust action that was less prone to parts breakage. While a dollar was worth quite a bit more when these Meridens were sold, that extra dollar could have bought the customer a more modern action. Yet in the case of my shotgun (and apparently many others), many felt the money was better spent by upgrading to damascus barrels than to have the hammerless shotgun.
In sum, because of the hammers and weight, my Meriden hammer gun will likely never replace my light (6 3/4 pound) and quick handling 12ga Fox for bird shooting and because of the tight chokes and greater weight, the Meriden will never replace my other shotguns when shooting skeet. For trap shooting, however, the Meriden is a fine performer and it would likely do a very good job on waterfowl.
If the gun checks out and follows you home, you will likely find that your Meriden hammer gun will get a lot of attention from your fellow shooters because outside of special shoots, you just don't see a whole lot of folks using hammer guns these days and many will marvel at how well the old gun performs. Bring along extra ammunition as your fellow shooters are surprisingly alike in their appreciation for the history that these old shotgun evoke and they will be quick to take you up on any offer to give the shotgun a try.
Doug
