Remington Society

I'm trying to find out about a 12 gauge side by side double barrel, double trigger, external hammer shotgun with grip and stock checkered (walnut?), that my father got from his father years ago. Stamped on the ridge above and between the barrels is E Remington and Sons Ilion NY. Nothing else is stamped on the exterior but when you open the gun stamped on the frame under the barrels is what I believe to be the serial number 7242. Under that are an additional 3 lines which are difficult to read but I believe the first line is "patent", the second line "Aug 8 1871" and the last line "Apr 16 1872". Any info that could be provided would be appreciated.

Thanks

Without seeing it is hard to figure what model. There are numerous hammer gun models of E. Remington & Sons. Do you open the action by "lifting" a lever, or pushing it to the right? Do the barrels appear plain steel or is there a "pattern" visable (indicating damascus). Is there any engraving on the action?

I do not have a way at this time to get pictures and post them. The lever slides to the right. There is no engraving. The barrel is 30" and has been blued but my father had it in a gun shop for a small repair back in the sixties and was told he should no longer use the gun with modern loads since it was a Damascus twist barrel. It looks almost exactly like pictures of model 1889's I've seen, only minor differences.

Thanks

E. Remington & Sons made four different models of conventional top-lever hammer doubles -- Model 1882, Model 1883, Model 1885 and Model 1887. The Models 1882 and 1883 still have vestigial percussion fences below the breechballs while the Models 1885 and 1887 do not. Remington Arms Co. made one hammer double the Model 1889.

With no engraving the guns is one of the lowest grades. Grade 1 had decarbonized steel barrels. Grade 2 had twist barrels. Grade 3 had Damscus barrels.

Couple questions. When in a fired position, do the hammers appear to stand up real tall? Or do the hammers appear to be lower in profile? You either have an 1882 or 1885/87. Also what researcher refers to as vestigial percussion fences, I call them flash fences. These are a pronounced panlike metal lip below and under the firing pins. Does the gun have something like that or are the "bolsters" completely round. I am fairly sure your gun is a Grade 2 of one of these models.

Thanks for the replies Researcher and RemRB. After your responses and looking around some more online I also believe it's probably an 1882. It does have the flash or percussion fences. Underneath the forestock both the wood and metal are stamped with 7242 which I believe is the serial number, also on the metal there is stamped just 72. On the bottom of the barrels near the breech end is stamped 7242 and at the bracket the forestock clamps on is stamped a 72 and a 2. On the frame in front of the breechballs, what I think I've seen referred to as the water table, there is stamped 7242, patent, Aug 8 1871, and Apr 16 1872 on one side. On the other side, actually on what looks like a flat screw head is stamped 7242. In the middle is stamped 72 and by itself either a 6 or 9. Looking down into the little troughs there is also stamped 7242 and the 6 or 9. I apologize for not knowing the correct terminology to identify the locations of these markings. I do have a few pictures now though they may not be top quality. What is the best way to submit them. Thanks for your responses and you time.

Really don't need photos now. From everything stated, it is a Model 1882 and I believe a Grade 2. The only need for a photo would be the hammers. This is the only way to tell the difference between a Model 1882 and 1883. The '83 hammer is a very slightly different design and very hard to tell the difference. Except for the hammers, everything is exactly the same and '83 serial numbers fall within the 1882 block. The 7242 is the serial number and all the other numbers either relate to the serial # or can be assembly numbers. And all your numbers tell me the gun is 100% factory. We believe the serial number block started at #1000 and approximately 16,000 were produced.

Question do you have a picture of the 1883 hammers if not you stated that the serial #s for the 1882 fall between 1000 to 16000 what happens if it 16526 1885 87 start at 17000 please let me know.email is imlc@fairpoint.net thankyou