Remington Model 1900s are a simplified, cheaper, version of the Model 1894, built on the same patents -- No. 528,507 and No. 528,508 both granted Oct. 30, 1894. The Model 1900s were all K-Grades, with E added to the designation if the gun had ejectors and D if it had Damascus barrels -- K-, KE-, KD-, or KED-Grades. The K- and KE-Grades had Remington Steel barrels. The Model 1900s had a snap-on/off forearm and their serial numbers were in the 300,000 range, often preceeded with a stock letter Q.
You need to check out Charles G. Semmer's book "Remington Double Shotguns." It is available from the author 7885 Cyd Drive, Denver, CO 80221, for $60 plus $5 shipping and handling. It is invaluable if you are going to shoot, invest, collect or play in the Remington double gun field. Remington supplied a number of different pattern Damascus barrels on these old doubles. A picture of their salesman’s sample of the various styles of Damascus available is shown on page 275 of Semmer's book.
Remington Arms Co. stamped the actual pellet counts of their test patterns on the rear barrel lug of their Model 1889 hammer doubles and their Model 1894 and 1900 hammerless doubles. If the number is three digits, that is the count, if the number is two digits a leading 3 is implied. From surviving hang-tags we know the standard load they used to target 12-gauge guns was 1 1/4 ounces of #8 going 511 pellets to the load. My 12-gauge KE-Grade Model 1900 is stamped 33 on the left and 24 on the right. That would be 333/511 = 65% left and 324/511 = 64% right, or about improved modified in both barrels. The chokes measure .027" in both barrels of that gun.
People can speculate about those letters and hash marks on the bottom of the tubes of Remington doubles until they are blue in the face, but the truth is we really don't know. The Damascus tubes normally found on Model 1900s is the pattern that Remington called Oxford 2.S.J. However, on a late gun like yours from 1910 when Remington was finishing up and shipping all their break-action guns, I can imagine them using up any tubes that were on hand. In February 1910 Remington struck a deal with Norvell-Shapleigh Hardware Company in StLouis for all their break-action guns in inventory and in process, and Remington would then concentrate all their shotgun production on their Browning-designed autoloader and their Pedersen-designed pump.
Many of the later Model 1900s have a four digit number in addition to the serial number, as you mention. I've heard it called an assembly number, but I have no idea what that really means.
Last edited by Researcher; 01/11/08 12:23 AM.
