Diamonds in the Rough

Most side-by-side enthusiasts are familiar with the giants of vintage American hammerless double guns: Parker, which made more guns of this type than any other maker; Ansley H. Fox, whose guns fetch marvelous prices today; L.C. Smith, maker of the only true sidelock in the group; Ithaca, whose doubles are still (relatively) affordable; and Lefever, whose guns are neither sidelocks nor boxlocks and are appreciated by collectors for their unique mechanisms.
    Many of us forget that one of America’s greatest and most successful gunmakers—a famous name that goes back to the earliest days of the nation, an icon of gunmaking and in particular of riflemaking, and a company that is still in business today—made a fine side-by-side shotgun. No, not Winchester, whose Model 21 commands a great deal of respect in certain circles, but Remington, a company that has been continuously operating since 1816 and today is the only American manufacturer of both firearms and ammunition. Remington’s legacy to enthusiasts is a pair of guns that are so similar as for all intents and purposes to be the same model: the 1894 and the economy version of the same gun, the 1900.
    Ironically, Remington early on was a maker of revolvers alongside Colt, and then ventured into the doubles market with its hammer and hammerless guns, finally evolving into a highly successful maker of pump and semi-auto guns. While dominating the modern shotgun market, Remington also became the most successful sporting-rifle maker in the world with its Model 700 and derivatives.
    So when most of us think of Remington, we picture the 870 pump and 1100 repeating shotguns and of course the 700 bolt rifle. We seldom associate the name with vintage doubles. This is good news for those of us who know a good gun when we see one, because 1894s and 1900s can be purchased for a fraction of the price of comparable vintage guns. For example, a field (A) grade 1894 in sound condition with ejectors can be found for $850, a 1900 for $500. Why?
    Markets become “irration-ally exuberant” from time to time, to wit the tulip-bulb frenzy of the 17th Century and the Internet bubble more recently. But it’s unusual for good value to go unrecognized. So one has to consider the reasons for the relative bargain prices of these guns. Note that I am talking about field-grade guns here; anyone who has seen one of the few EE-grade guns will know that this end of the market is quite exuberant, with prices climbing upward of $20,000. There are several factors that contribute to the bargain status of these guns. First, the field-grade guns are exceedingly plain. They lack even the slightest embellishment, apart from the unremarkable roll-stamped name on the sides of the action. The Fox Sterlingworth (the equivalent of the 1900) at least has border engraving; and the lowest of Fox’s graded guns (the A grade) is positively fancy when compared to an A-grade 1894. Second, most of the guns have a good three inches of drop, typical for the period but very much out of fashion today. (Actually, the F, or trap grade, ’94 is an exception and a good buy if you can find one). Third, these guns were offered in 10, 12 and 16 gauge only, which puts them in the “pack” and out of the area of avid small-gauge collector interest. And finally, these guns are quite common in the lower grades, as they sold well during the relatively short time they were made, so there is not the “scarcity” factor that there is, for example, with Lefevers. More than 40,000 1894s and almost 100,000 1900s were made in the relatively short period that Remington produced the two models, from 1894 to 1910.
    These factors notwithstanding, the Remington guns are well made, surprisingly so in certain respects. The action is based on the proven and simple Anson & Deeley design. There is no acknowledgement of the use of the A&D patent on the action, something that is commonly seen on English boxlocks of this type. The quoted patents are American and were purchased from two local inventors. A conical cocking lever protrudes from the knuckle and acts on the hammers, which are powered by leaf springs and released by conventional sears. This design requires three pins through the action: one for the cocking levers, one for the hammers, and one for the sears. If there is anything remarkable about this unremarkable action, it’s the fact that the apex of each mainspring also protrudes through the knuckle, and the movement of this apex, when the hammer is released, is used to unlock the ejector hammer in the forend via a dogleg lever that is unique to Remington. Otherwise, the ejectors are a loose interpretation of the Southgate system, with dual protruding hammers that impinge on the ejector blade when the gun is opened past a certain point, assuming the hammer has been unlocked by the movement of the mainspring when the gun is fired.
    The bolting system started as a dead-standard Purdey double underbolt assisted by a simple third fastener on the rib extension. This then evolved into a single-lug/single-bite design, and finally back to a double but with a web between the two lugs requiring a split bolt. This split-bolt design is also unique to these guns. I believe this evolution is due to the fact that the barrels are not of chopper-lump design (meaning that the lumps are brazed on rather than being forged as an integral part of the barrel blanks). I have seen an early gun with its rear lump torn from the barrels. The evolution of the design would compensate for this weakness while retaining the second underbite.
    Another evolution in the design was the use of floating firing pins on later guns held in place by hidden bushings. Earlier guns had fixed pins. At first glance, it’s impossible to tell one from the other, as the appearances of the breech faces are identical; but the floating pins can be pushed in and out when the later guns are cocked.
    There are three screws that hold the bottom plate onto the action. The bottom plate and the triggerplate are one integral piece. The triggers are mounted to the bottom plate and have two separate springs: a hair spring to hold the triggers against the sears and a leaf spring to provide resistance to movement when the triggers are pulled. Both are superfluous, as the sears have their own leaf springs in the conventional A&D manner. The leaf spring was dropped in later models, but the hair spring persisted.
    Disassembling the action is easy, as long as you remember to relax the mainsprings before you start. Just unscrew the screws as you get to them and drive out the pins. Put a rag over the action when you drive out the hammer pins so the springs don’t eject parts into your face (or onto the floor, where they seem to be programmed to find the trickiest hiding places). Reassembly is impossible unless you know “the trick.” First put the cocking levers in place. Then insert the mainsprings and push them forward through the knuckle so that the apex protrudes at least H". The hammers are then pinned in place, and the whole action is compressed in a vise, pushing the mainsprings into place. The rest of the assembly (of the action, that is) is straightforward. The vise trick also can be used to compress the ejector hammer springs when reassembling the forend.
    Like many makers, Remington used the same actions for its 12- and 16-gauge guns. The company did not offer a “scaled” action, and thus it was not practical to offer a 20-gauge gun. (Fox used the same action for its 16- and 20-gauges.) However, there was a beefier version of this action, with all the beef being in the form of thicker sidewalls. This action was a full .100" wider, i.e. .050" thicker walls on each side. Twelve-gauge guns are found in both versions, and it is assumed that all 10-gauge guns were made on the stronger action. (I am unable to confirm this, due to the rarity of 10-gauge examples.) Suffice to say that of all of the American guns, the “beefy” version of the Remington action has the thickest sidewalls and therefore probably can claim to be the strongest (no offense to you Winchester Model 21 fans).
    The forend latch on the 1894 is of the Purdey “pushbutton” type that is also common on Belgian guns such as the Francotte. This is nice to look at but expensive to manufacture. Hence, the 1900 was designed with a snap-on type that requires no latch at all. Externally, this is the only real difference between the two guns. Serial numbers on the 1894s are in the 100,000-block range, the 1900s in the 300,000 range.
    The barrels are well made and are of either Damascus or fluid steel. The Damascus is attractive and of high quality, and the fluid steel is of two types: normal “Remington” steel, which sold for the same price as Damascus, and “Ordnance” steel, which is especially strong and commanded a premium price on Model 1894s (it was not available on 1900s). Barrel lengths are from 26 to 32 inches on 1894s, with 1900s having 28- or 30-inch tubes. Some guns have flat ribs, whereas others have concave ribs. On the rear barrel lug there are two numeric stampings. These indicate the actual number of No. 6 pellets that struck within a 30-inch circle at 30 yards when the gun was test-fired. Only the last two numbers are noted, with the first number assumed to be a “3.” So a “32” indicates that 332 pellets were inside the circle, indicating 65 percent of a standard 1G-ounce load (511 pellets) of No. 6 shot. This is another unique and interesting feature of these guns.
    The good news with beefy barrels such as these is that if pitting needs to be removed, the barrels likely will remain safe—and the gun will be lightened as a result. Normally, backboring to .740" is all it takes to remove moderate pitting, and this will leave plenty of wall. Note that chokes should be opened as well, as many of these guns are choked too tightly for modern shells. Of course, you should always check with a qualified gunsmith to make sure the gun will remain safe after such procedures.
    Turning our attention to wood, American walnut of fairly straight grain was invariably used on these lower-grade guns. The vast majority have Prince of Wales grips. I have seen one example of a Trap (F-grade) gun with an English grip. The lower-grade guns have hard-rubber buttplates bearing the maker’s name or initials. Checkering is hand cut and of moderate 22 lines per inch. High-grade guns could be ordered with any style of stock and came with horn buttplates (or on E-grades heel and toe plates).
    An interesting aspect of the stocks on these guns is the wooden “dogbone” reinforcement that is inletted into the head of the stock of later guns. This is designed to prevent vertical cracking due to the wedge effect of the upper and lower tangs. No other gun, to my knowledge, was made this way. This same problem plagues Parkers, but that company did not see fit to copy Remington’s solution. There is a similar inletted reinforcing gusset near the tip of the forend on 1894s. Neither reinforcement is visible externally. Both of these modifications are absent in early guns, indicating that Remington’s engineers implemented this fix to remedy a weakness that became evident with field use.
    Modern replacement buttstocks are available from Wenig Custom Gunstocks (660-547-3334; www.wenig.com) for those who can’t live with a generous amount of drop or who want higher-grade wood. Wisners (360-748-4590; www.wisnersinc.com), a manufacturer of obsolete reproduction firearms parts, makes replacement ejector hammer springs. Firing pins, main springs and toplever springs are available from Bob’s Gun Shop (501-767-1970; www.gunparts.com).
    I have spoken mainly of the plain guns—the 1900 and the A-grade 1894. These guns offer the perfect “canvas” for custom engraving. If you want a quality vintage gun personalized to your taste, you can do a lot worse than starting with a Model 1900 or 1894 A-grade ejector gun. If you’re more interested in original engraving, the B-grade guns are quite elaborately and tastefully engraved and can be bought for less than $1,000 in sound condition, closer to $1,250 if nice. This has to be one of the great sleepers in the vintage-gun world. The F (trap) grade has slightly less engraving, but what engraving there is is superbly executed. This is another great buy if you can find one, as these guns are quite scarce. They sell for about the same money as B-grades. Anything above a B grade ceases to be a shooter, and prices escalate rapidly for these rare pieces. High-grade Remington guns are superbly engraved and can hold their own against the best American and English guns.
    When evaluating one of these models for purchase, look closely for cracks in the stock head and wrist area. If possible, get permission to have your gunsmith remove the stock from the action to look for hidden cracks. (Remington put the “dog bone” there for a reason.) Other things to watch for are broken leaf springs (hammers and ejector hammers)—not common, but leaf springs do break and should be factored into the negotiation, as they can be replaced easily; ejectors that are out of time (fixable by a qualified person); broken forend-latch springs (on 1900s only and another easy fix); and oversized barrels.  The lower-grade guns generally were not accorded the same care by owners that more-expensive guns enjoyed, so many were neglected, leading to pitting in the bores. As mentioned, chances are these can be reamed, thanks to the thick walls. Guns with sound original buttplates are a little harder to find but of dubious value in lower-grade guns that are not collectible. Use the lack of a buttplate as a negotiating point. Installing a decent pad will allow you to adjust the length of pull to your liking, and it will protect the stock head from cracks and your shoulder from bruises.
    In terms of models, the ejector versions seem to command small premiums, so look for guns so equipped. It’s also probably good to purchase a later gun with all of the small improvements, especially the floating firing pins, which are easy to replace. The earlier integral hammers are not. F- and B-grade guns are very pleasing in appearance, but they do command moderate premiums over plain guns. If you can find a 16- or a 10-gauge, realize that you won’t see another one for a long time and, if the price is right, buy it. You’ll find plenty of 12s. If the gun seems heavy, it probably has the beefier action. Buy it if you want a bombproof action; pass if you want something a bit lighter. And if you come across a C-or-higher-grade gun at what seems like a reasonable price, then you probably have struck gold, so try not to grin when handing over the cash.
    To what uses does a 7-1/2- to eight-pound gun with plenty of drop and tight chokes lend itself in today’s world of steel shot? A couple come to mind. One is sporting clays. A heavy gun swings smoothly and absorbs recoil, not a small factor over a day of multiple targets. I took a recently restored BE on such an outing and found it to be enjoyable and effective—and my score would have been higher if the Extra-Full chokes had been opened up a notch or two. These guns are less useful on the trap range, where guns with less drop lend themselves to shooting rising birds. And tight chokes don’t work well for skeet or 5 Stand, although these can be opened up for a modest charge.
    Another obvious use for one of these guns is pass-shooting pigeons, doves or even ducks (although with the latter you’ll need to buy nontoxic loads that are safe for older barrels). I wouldn’t hesitate to take such a gun to Argentina for doves. In fact, I would suggest buying two ejector guns and having your bird boy load. This also will give you a backup should one of the guns fail.
    You could use a Remington side-by-side for late-season pheasant hunting, where pricier vintage doubles fear to tread. Because the weather can be inclement, most doubles are best spared such treatment; but a plain gun is made to be used, so go ahead and use it. Carrying a heavy gun over hill and dale is not everyone’s idea of a fun afternoon, but if you are used to it, why not?
    So the next time you come across a “plain Jane” Remington side-by-side, stop and look twice. After all, what you’re seeing is a close relative of an English A&D gun at an American price.

Russ Gould owns and operates www.Doublegunhq.com, an online marketplace dedicated to fine doubles. He also arranges hunting safaris for clients to South Africa and Argentina.