full auto sweet 16?

[GreenDragon]

A friend of mine was telling me the other day about his grandfather's old shotgun. It apparently is a Sweet 16 purchased in the mid 30's. It evidently has a two stage trigger that will fire in semi auto ewhen pulled partially back and will fire full auto when the trigger is pulled all the way back.
Is this a standard item or is it just a gun with a messed up sear or something?

[4V50 Gary]

Sounds like a worn sear. A production gun like that would have had a $200 full auto license fee, pretty big bucks back in the '30s. If I'm wrong, somebody please speak up and enlighten me. Thanks.

[Victor Romen]

The tax stamp stuff didn't come around until 1934 if I recall correctly. You could buy full auto by mail order before that. Is it possible it was bought before 1934 or at least in private hands before then? It could also be a worn sear though.

[James K]

I am inclined to agree that the gun was defective. I think recoil, at least with a standard stock, would make a full auto shotgun, even a 16 gauge, pretty ineffective.

If the gun is not merely an "urban legend", any markings would help provide more info.

Jim

[ctdonath]

If it's not registered, it's worth -$250,000 and 10 years in the slammer.

[4V50 Gary]

Legalities set aside, a trigger like the one described requires some practice to master. You don't want to get "duck fever" and empty your mag in a blink of an eye. It would be, however, the ideal trigger for a trained individual.