doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Questions on a Crescent

I have been wanting a 28 ga for a project for some time. I found one . A Crescent of all things. The serial # is 425* Crescent donated their records to the war effort but I heard someone here might know what year it was made. The barrels are not Damascus or twist steel. No proof marks. I am going to load for it,but I am having trouble find low pressure load data. Please don’t hate on the crescent. What can you tell me ? TIA

A hammer No. 28?



There is an estimated DOM by SN list here
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OxZo5Tkvx2G8eYf747QR9B5RJdN6Siu5JGIhfguSXXQ/edit

Hey DREW ,
Thanks for the response. IT APPEARS TO BE 1912 and nitro barrels. Now I’m try to figure out how to make a candle sooty to fit the locks in the doner stock.

How low do you want to go?
I have a load at 8005PSI.

Get a oiler type can with a fat base cut the spout make a cotton wick add kerosene with a little oil lots of black smoke

I only have a single turn-of-the-century 28g load pressure report
https://books.google.com/books?id=inQCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA325
3/4 oz.
28 gr. Bulk Smokeless (2 Dram) = 8,322 psi
18 gr. Dense Smokeless = 8,994 psi

Until the 20s Crescent barrels were Decarbonized Steel.
I've test 2 specimens
c. 1900 Crescent “Wilson’s Welded Steel” = Non-standard Bessemer (high phosphorus) low alloy low carbon steel AISI 1017 with tensile strength 66,000 psi
c. 1910 Meriden Fire Arms “Armory Steel” = Non-standard Bessemer rephosphorized low alloy low carbon steel AISI 1211 with tensile strength 71,500 psi
That would be more than Damascus, similar to Winchester Standard Ordnance (cold rolled) Steel and a bit less than Siemens-Martin

Those are some pretty heavy 28-gauge loads for the turn-of-the-century!! Up until the 1931 introduction of the 3/4 ounce progressive burning powder, high velocity, 28-gauge loads, the factory 28-gauge loads offered were 1 3/4-drams of bulk smokeless powder (or 14-grains dense smokeless powder such as Infallible or Ballistite) pushing 5/8-ounce of shot from the 2 1/2-inch shell or 2-drams of bulk smokeless powder (or 16-grains dense smokeless powder such as Infallible or Ballistite) pushing 5/8-ounce of shot from the 2 7/8-inch shell





RST offers a great little 2 1/2-inch, 5/8-ounce 28-gauge shell.

August, 1922 Outdoor Life
https://archive.org/details/sim_outdoor-life_1922-08_50_2/page/120/mode/2up
28 gauge Plus 10 - 14%
5/8 oz. 2 Dr. Eq. = 8,714 psi
3/4 oz. 2 Dr. Eq. = 10,259 psi
3/4 oz. 2 1/8 Dr. Eq. = 10,998 psi
7/8 oz. 2 Dr. Eq. = 12,387 psi

DuPont Brandywine Experimental Station data cited by Charles Askins in 1933
DuPont Bulk Smokeless Powder.
28g 2 Dr. Eq. 5/8 oz. = 10,438 psi

As to how low do I want to go. I want to make sure it does not separate or even buldge. If I’m not mistaken, it looks like I could shoot modern nitro loads up to 12000 max. Would that sound about right. 8000-9000 with LongShot and I should be able to get 1200 fps. I do appreciate all the help. Great reading 😁

For a cheap gun, the Crescent is a bit impressive. They used pretty good steel, the design was simple. I like the very simple cocking design. To make it cheap they lacked the fit and finish seen in more expensive guns. Some parts look like they were milled with a hardened corn cob, but I've seen that on other better makes also. I actually upgraded and refinished one for a friend and it turned out pretty nice. You just need to refit the parts, remove the tool marks, and replace the farm implement screws on the outer lock plates. A nice finish and new glass bedded wood and at first glance you might think it was a British gun! But just a lowly Crecent!