doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Not a Crescent?

https://auctions.thegunrunner.com/l...ga-side-by-side-shotgun-30-steel-barrels

Odd double on auction. Not a Crescent. Trying to figure out if it is a Union (Fire) Arms from Toledo or Belgian made gun. I recall Twin Port was one of the hardware store guns they, Union Arms made, but that could have been used by several makers. Barrels do not look like Union, look more like Belgian to me. Perhaps the barrels were imported and finished from there. I might just buy it to find out. Not worth too much and wont break the bank.

I regret not buying a Union Arms double years ago which was made with a Lefever Ball and socket joint. It was about this quality level. One of the Lefever sons went up to Toledo for a time after the last Lefever venture folded. Perhaps he brought a few rough actions with him to use up.

Being a firearms museum curator is overrated. Especially for your heirs, should they suddenly find themselves as firearms museum curators.

Just sayin’.

Maybe buy better guns for your museum, if you go that route.

Best,
Ted

It's a Hopkins & Allen hammerless, with monobloc barrels



The tape marks are probably from an attempt to prevent "auto-opening"



JohnE would know more

Another tradenamed by Shapleigh c. 1912

Sleeved?

Lock plate shape doesn’t seem to match UFC, nor does the action shape.
I find the US made side locks of that time to always have additional material behind the breech.
Everyone, I see has the bolster behind the breech
[img]https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maynardsfineart.com%2Fauction-lot%2Fthe-union-firearms-co.-side-by-side-12-ga.-ser_A865247942&psig=AOvVaw3nLjKThqxEE3OCCX8gLBW_&ust=1684591793809000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjRxqFwoTCLCf4dDHgf8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAI[/img]

My take is that that style gun started life as a Hopkins & Allen --



When H & A folded it was picked up by Iver Johnson --



and pretty quickly lost the sideplates and emerged as the Hercules --



most know.

Thanks Dave: Note the Iver Johnson variant did not have the forward pin

And while we're on the subject - the difference in the blueing between the breech (probably 1020) and the tubes (likely decarbonized steel) is apparent

Top lever and spindle evolution always fascinates me.
There must have been jobbers punching out top levers in the 3 common forms, and delivering them by the barrel.

The pin is there (the hammer has to rotate on something) but just covered by the sideplate on that I.J. serial number 181 --

Here's another
https://brandusedworks.hibid.com/lot/63519-107007-63606/twin-ports-fire-arms-co--s-s-20-ga-shotgun/

J.P. Lovell Arms sold a tradename Eureka Gun Co. hammerless

and a H&A hammer gun, also with monobloc barrels and the same font



The Duluth MN-Superior WI Metropolitan Area is commonly called the Twin Ports. I couldn't find a hardware store using that tradename though. Possibly Kelley-How-Thomson Hardware, Marshall-Wells Hardware (sold a Marshall Arms Co. Crescent) or Siegel Hardware in Duluth.