vintage heavy duty double sxs??? - Page 2

bladesmith 1 · December 11, 2021, 11:35 AM

Either 1882 or 1885/86 if memory serves me correctly, Remington labeled their SxS as heavy duck gun. My SxS Remington bible by Semmer is upstairs or I could answer you a bit better. My 82 10ga is quite heavy. Parker's Trojan was one of their cheaper guns and wasn't all that heavy. If my legs weren't so fuc$## up from the Chinese flu I'd hobble on up. I'll try and get up there and get back to you. I have a couple of Parkers, a Uncle Dan Lefever, and a dozen Remington SxSs. All but three of the Remingtons [ F grade trap guns ] have Damascus barrels and one or the other get shot weekly with nitro powders over at the club.

Blue Duck · December 25, 2021, 11:13 PM

For a using old double, I have shot L.C. Smiths the most. It depends on the gun, and I was lucky enough to find a really nice Hunter Grade with what I think was new stocks on it, but I am not sure. At any rate, it's been rock solid and I have shot a lot of heavy high base 6's in it, shooting Pheasant., and also lighter loads shooting backyard Trap, hundreds and hundreds rounds and it's still as solid as a rock, both wood and action.

I have owned several L.C.'s and some are better than others, all of them seemed to have solid lockup's, but the wood on the old guns can be weak, and I have one extremely lightweight 12 ga that I had to have the stock repaired on it, and this gun is a higher grade but should not have heavy loads used in it, I think.

I have a Winchester 23, and it's what they call a Pigeon Grade, actually, I have two if of them, both shot a lot by me. They are good solid guns, and even have 3" chambers but kick like heck with 3 inch shells and I would not recommend 3" shells for them but 2 3/4" high base 6's no problem.

I have a J.P. Sauer, probably my favorite upland gun, It does fine with 1-1/8 oz 6's. It's a fine gun but very tight action and can become hard to open if hot from a lot of Trap shooting, but never under hunting conditions.

Have a Parker, wonderful old gun, in great shape. But they have a lot of parts in them and not just any gunsmith can work on them, and I have seen several, not mine but others that needed some work done on them, after a lot of shooting.

I love side by sides, but the old ones can be finicky about ammo and they don't like some of the cheap Wal Mart promotional ammo, because I suspect the firing pins sometimes stick in the primers after firing. You need to spend a little more money for better ammo for a lot of the old doubles. They all seem to shoot AA's pretty good, and the Remington better quality shells. Some of the guns don't like Federals or the really cheap Winchester ammo.

Drm50 · December 29, 2021, 10:49 AM

Ithaca made some plain jane SxS before WW2, in 12 & 10gauge. On the 8gauge industrial guns, they have a belt on brass to restrict them from being loaded into convention 8g guns.
A mill nearby that made Silicon used the 8g Win to tap pots. The pot had a tap hole that was plugged with a ceramic plaster. When Silicon was molten pot would be glowing dull red except for that plug. It would be black. The slug was made of a Zinc alloy that burnt up and didn’t alloy with the silicon. The mill Ohio Ferro Alloys leased the 8gauge guns. There was a big selection of specialized ammo for these tap guns. When making metal it is important that you don’t put something in the mix that will ruin the product.
The power houses used Winchester 37 Industrial grade shotgun. They were heavy duty and were used with slugs and 00 Buck. Shooting slag through inspection doors in boilers is not fun. The positions you have to assume insures you get full benefit of recoil.
I’ve got a set of Salt & Pepper shakers that came out of lunch room at OFA made from 8g shells. Mill has been torn down now for several years.

The power plants in the area used Winchester 37 single shot Industrial guns.

bladesmith 1 · January 19, 2022, 10:48 AM

Go over on the Parker web site. There are a number of guys who still shoot the old 8ga guns and reload shells for them. If using the industrial 8ga shells, after making them empty they have a way to resize/remove the ring so they can be used in regular 8ga guns. With bag limits today it's a shame 8ga guns can't be used.

dgludwig · January 19, 2022, 01:56 PM

The A.H.Fox company's HE grade (also called the Super Fox) was a magnum double chambered for the then new three inch shell. It was said to have been specially "over bored" for extra tight patterns and best suited for pass shooting at ducks and geese at longer ranges. The renowned outdoor writer and waterfowl hunting expert of the time, Nash Buckingham, used a custom-made (Burt Becker Magnums)) Fox HE double so bored with 1 3/8-ounce, 3-inch loads. This gun was nicknamed "Bo Whoop".

badge851 · January 19, 2022, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbo-Indy

While not labeled "heavy duty" the Lafever(Ithaca) Nitro Special is a rugged but plain SXS with double triggers. Mine in 12 ga dates from 1939 with 30" barrels choked mod & full (actually imp modified / x full by todays standards). It locks up tight and is a blast for trap shooting. Drop at heel takes some getting used to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkgael

LaFever Nitro Special. Nice gun. I was able to pick one up the same day (years ago) that I bought an ithaca Flues.

I have a first-year production (1921) Ithaca® LeFever Nitro-Special™ 16ga 28" barrels choked MOD and FULL. For being 101 years old it still locks up as tight as the day it was made. I inherited the gun from a beloved Uncle in 1965. I can't begin to count the Deer, Doves, Ducks, Geese, Grouse, Pheasants, Quail, Rabbits, Squirrels, Turkey, and Woodcock that have fallen to this gun.

It is my favorite shotgun!

bladesmith 1 · February 7, 2022, 10:32 AM

You forgot to mention the Bo whoop was a 12ga gun.
Most older SxSs have a lot of drop at the heel and for this reason the barrels wants to raise upon firing, thus pushing the comb into your cheek. At this time I have about 14 old SxSs - Remingtons, Parkers, and Lefevers, all with at least 2 3/4" to 3" of DAH. Some are 12 and others 10ga. I shoot three times a week at my club and use LIGHT reloads to alleviate the recoil problem. Usually 3/4 or sometimes my " magnum" 7/8oz loads in the 12, and 1oz in the 10ga guns. Anyone interested in a SxS Shoot on May 14th in lower Michigan, shoot me a line. We started having them in 2005 and have some fun side games like Pigeon Ring and Long Bird. I can be reached at [email protected] Paul

December 11, 2021, 11:35 AM	#26
bladesmith 1 Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2018 Posts: 240	Either 1882 or 1885/86 if memory serves me correctly, Remington labeled their SxS as heavy duck gun. My SxS Remington bible by Semmer is upstairs or I could answer you a bit better. My 82 10ga is quite heavy. Parker's Trojan was one of their cheaper guns and wasn't all that heavy. If my legs weren't so fuc$## up from the Chinese flu I'd hobble on up. I'll try and get up there and get back to you. I have a couple of Parkers, a Uncle Dan Lefever, and a dozen Remington SxSs. All but three of the Remingtons [ F grade trap guns ] have Damascus barrels and one or the other get shot weekly with nitro powders over at the club. Last edited by bladesmith 1; December 11, 2021 at 11:41 AM.

January 19, 2022, 01:56 PM	#30
dgludwig Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2005 Location: North central Ohio Posts: 7,486	The A.H.Fox company's HE grade (also called the Super Fox) was a magnum double chambered for the then new three inch shell. It was said to have been specially "over bored" for extra tight patterns and best suited for pass shooting at ducks and geese at longer ranges. The renowned outdoor writer and waterfowl hunting expert of the time, Nash Buckingham, used a custom-made (Burt Becker Magnums)) Fox HE double so bored with 1 3/8-ounce, 3-inch loads. This gun was nicknamed "Bo Whoop". __________________ ONLY AN ARMED PEOPLE CAN BE TRULY FREE ; ONLY AN UNARMED PEOPLE CAN EVER BE ENSLAVED ...Aristotle NRA Benefactor Life Member

December 25, 2021, 11:13 PM	#27
Blue Duck Senior Member Join Date: October 15, 2006 Posts: 402	For a using old double, I have shot L.C. Smiths the most. It depends on the gun, and I was lucky enough to find a really nice Hunter Grade with what I think was new stocks on it, but I am not sure. At any rate, it's been rock solid and I have shot a lot of heavy high base 6's in it, shooting Pheasant., and also lighter loads shooting backyard Trap, hundreds and hundreds rounds and it's still as solid as a rock, both wood and action. I have owned several L.C.'s and some are better than others, all of them seemed to have solid lockup's, but the wood on the old guns can be weak, and I have one extremely lightweight 12 ga that I had to have the stock repaired on it, and this gun is a higher grade but should not have heavy loads used in it, I think. I have a Winchester 23, and it's what they call a Pigeon Grade, actually, I have two if of them, both shot a lot by me. They are good solid guns, and even have 3" chambers but kick like heck with 3 inch shells and I would not recommend 3" shells for them but 2 3/4" high base 6's no problem. I have a J.P. Sauer, probably my favorite upland gun, It does fine with 1-1/8 oz 6's. It's a fine gun but very tight action and can become hard to open if hot from a lot of Trap shooting, but never under hunting conditions. Have a Parker, wonderful old gun, in great shape. But they have a lot of parts in them and not just any gunsmith can work on them, and I have seen several, not mine but others that needed some work done on them, after a lot of shooting. I love side by sides, but the old ones can be finicky about ammo and they don't like some of the cheap Wal Mart promotional ammo, because I suspect the firing pins sometimes stick in the primers after firing. You need to spend a little more money for better ammo for a lot of the old doubles. They all seem to shoot AA's pretty good, and the Remington better quality shells. Some of the guns don't like Federals or the really cheap Winchester ammo.

December 29, 2021, 10:49 AM	#28
Drm50 Senior Member Join Date: November 10, 2014 Posts: 1,382	Ithaca made some plain jane SxS before WW2, in 12 & 10gauge. On the 8gauge industrial guns, they have a belt on brass to restrict them from being loaded into convention 8g guns. A mill nearby that made Silicon used the 8g Win to tap pots. The pot had a tap hole that was plugged with a ceramic plaster. When Silicon was molten pot would be glowing dull red except for that plug. It would be black. The slug was made of a Zinc alloy that burnt up and didn’t alloy with the silicon. The mill Ohio Ferro Alloys leased the 8gauge guns. There was a big selection of specialized ammo for these tap guns. When making metal it is important that you don’t put something in the mix that will ruin the product. The power houses used Winchester 37 Industrial grade shotgun. They were heavy duty and were used with slugs and 00 Buck. Shooting slag through inspection doors in boilers is not fun. The positions you have to assume insures you get full benefit of recoil. I’ve got a set of Salt & Pepper shakers that came out of lunch room at OFA made from 8g shells. Mill has been torn down now for several years. The power plants in the area used Winchester 37 single shot Industrial guns.

January 19, 2022, 10:48 AM	#29
bladesmith 1 Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2018 Posts: 240	Go over on the Parker web site. There are a number of guys who still shoot the old 8ga guns and reload shells for them. If using the industrial 8ga shells, after making them empty they have a way to resize/remove the ring so they can be used in regular 8ga guns. With bag limits today it's a shame 8ga guns can't be used.

February 7, 2022, 10:32 AM	#32
bladesmith 1 Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2018 Posts: 240	You forgot to mention the Bo whoop was a 12ga gun. Most older SxSs have a lot of drop at the heel and for this reason the barrels wants to raise upon firing, thus pushing the comb into your cheek. At this time I have about 14 old SxSs - Remingtons, Parkers, and Lefevers, all with at least 2 3/4" to 3" of DAH. Some are 12 and others 10ga. I shoot three times a week at my club and use LIGHT reloads to alleviate the recoil problem. Usually 3/4 or sometimes my " magnum" 7/8oz loads in the 12, and 1oz in the 10ga guns. Anyone interested in a SxS Shoot on May 14th in lower Michigan, shoot me a line. We started having them in 2005 and have some fun side games like Pigeon Ring and Long Bird. I can be reached at [email protected] Paul