doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Remington 1894 mechanicals

Is the design of the Remington 1894 considered to be a good, straightforward one? I was looking at this gun on SBFG's website after seeing the 28 ga. Parker being discussed in another thread. This is the nicest one I've seen in a long time, though I think it is waaaaay overpriced (love those spearpoints behind the side panels and the way the top rib flows into the face of the breech):
https://stevebarnettfineguns.com/remington-shotguns-for-sale/remington-1894-de-sxs-12-gauge?rq=17980

I've never seen any discussion here on the 1894 design/lockwork/ejectors and how well and reliably it all worked.
JR

Yes, I'm bored. We've been rained-in for a solid week...
JR

The 1894/1900s are extremely reliable and rugged actions.
And the graded 1894s, such as this one, are right on par with the quality and execution of nearly any other maker.

John: The April 1896 DuPont Grand Smokeless Powder Championship Live Bird Tournament was a challenge between Fred Gilbert and Isaac Budd
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1896/VOL_27_NO_01/SL2701021.pdf
Gilbert won
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1896/VOL_27_NO_03/SL2703019.pdf
The gun's owner may have attended

Only 2 shooters used a Remington at the 1896 GAH in March; E.S. Singleton was from Williamsport, PA. Could that be his gun?
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1896/VOL_27_NO_01/SL2701022.pdf

Internals are standard Anson & Deeley if my memory is accurate. Very well built and finished.

As others have noted, pretty typical A&D. A lot of the guns have 3 (or, more) inches of drop, and the design will tend to split the head, not uncommon on 100 year old guns that see regular use. A lot of 1894s have had more money thrown at them than they will ever be worth, by people who knew that going in, and didn't care. They are nice guns, and people love 'em. Not sure whose ejectors they use, as I've never seen an ejector 1894.
This one, and the Harrington and Richardson (a Westley Richards with the name H&R on it) are about as good as American guns ever got.

Best,
Ted

Pretty lean description, but picture number 11 shows "...pp Fluid Steel" instead of the normally seen "Ordnance." So in reality it seems to be a very late DEK-Grade, which was never cataloged. For a little info on Remington Hammerless Doubles with Krupp Fluid Steel barrels, see The Double Gun Journal, Volume Eleven, Issue 4, page 141. While Steve never gives us the serial number or shows pictures of the watertable and barrel flats I suspect that gun is 11 to 14 years newer then the DuPont Medal in the lid of the case. The checkering seems rather coarse for a D-quality Remington Hammerless Double. All the other D-quality Remingtons I've seen have checkered stock cheeks and the forearms have a considerably fancier pattern, usually with the main patch of checkering about 28 lpi and the decorative panels 32 lpi. The checkering pattern on the forearm of the gun in question is the same as seen on most C-quality Remington Hammerless Doubles, but the wood is profiled with the little side panels like normally seen on D- and E-quality guns. Also there doesn't appear to be an initial oval along the belly of the stock as is normal on C- and higher quality Remingtons.

Two patents were issued on the same day, October 30, 1894. No. 528,507 pertaining to the milling of the frame was granted to R. C. Fay of Ilion, New York, assignor to the Remington Arms Company of same place; and No. 528,508 pertaining to the automatic ejectors, to R.C. Fay and G.E. Humphreys of Ilion, New York, assignor to the Remington Arms Company of same place.

Good quality doubles, I've owned a Remingtoin DE grade 12 gauge damascus and EEO 16 gauge for several years now. What is unique to this particular D grade is that it has a game scene on the floorplate and not on the sides of the receiver. Every D grade that I have seen, including the ones pictured in Charlie Semmer's Remington book, have game scenes on the sides and only scroll on the trigger plate. Also, the trigger guard looks like the work of Joseph Loy.

Win2128ga

DE-Grade serial number 107965, shown on pages 160 and 161 of Charlie's book, has scroll on the sides with a Swan and a fat Drake Mallard on the trigger plate.



I'm thinking you haven't seen many Remington Hammerless Doubles, as the vast majority of the ones I've looked at over the last 60 years have the ejectors.

Early style action with firing pins integral with tumblers used up to about 1905 --



Later style action with separate firing pins --

The vast majority I've seen were well worn examples of the lowest grade, always 12s, usually at a pawn shop or a gun show, looking for a new home.
No ejectors, no single triggers, usually no blue or finish remaining. Good examples aren't that common in my part of the world.
I have never handled a graded gun, either.
I would also say I have seen two model 1900s for every 1894 I've seen, and they usually looked as if they were rode just as hard and were put away just as wet as the 1894s.

Best,
Ted