info on three guns

ak47-sks

i just received 3 guns and im looking for some info what there worth and any other info on them one is single shot 12 ga made by the W.H.Davenport Fire Arms.CO.Norwich Conn USA and has davenport ingraved on one side the other has some sort of trap door when opened it shows a hole about a 1/4 inch no other markings but it looks really old the other gun is a Thompson Center Arms Rochester New Hampshire 50 cal muzzel loader its in great shape no other markings montycarlo stock the stock has a trap door when opened it has a part for cleaning the barrel also it came with the measuring tool for the powder it has two triggers no scratches or any thing great shape finally a remington arms co inc ilion n.y.made in usa brownings us pats 689.283-710.094-730.870-812.326 also pat no 1.931.262 12ga for 2 3/4 shells ingravings are a pheasant/quail on the right side also the bolt has the sportsman ingraved in it the left side has duck this gun is also in great shape and its semi auto sorry for being so long winded thks for any info

bigbossman

Confusing scenario, but I'll help you if I can. First, the old shotgun- never heard of it; don't fire it until you have a competent gunsmith look it over. Plan B;post a picture or carry it to a gun show and let those in the know look it over.Second: Thompson-Center is one of the finest of the muzzle-loader makers. They made a "Hawken Rifle" a la Grizzly Adams time period for hunting. Great repros. One trigger is a set-trigger, which tightens up all the slack in the mechanism and lightens the trigger pull for accuracy in a hunting or target shot. The "box" on the side is called a 'patch-box' because it was most often used for the patches needed for round balls. Note: a round-ball barrel uses a different twist-rate for rifling. TC is still in business; try a search for their web-site or look in the "GunList" or "ShotgunNews" for adds. DIXIE GUN WORKS Catalog should also have info.Third: Remington is still located in Ilion. Send them a picture or note down every marking on that gun; they should be able to give you information on it, but they may charge a small fee for historical research, depending on how old the last gun is. Hope this helps- Peace..........

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AntiqueDr

I may be able to help. Davenport was a maker of inexpensive single and double barrel shotguns in the early 1900's. Value is minimal, decorative more than shooter. Would advise against firing it with modern ammunition even if a gunsmith checks it out. I don't do much with black powder stuff, so I'll pass on the TC.I'll make an educated guess that you have the Remington 11 "Sportsman" shotgun (should look similar to a Browning A5). It would have been made in the 30's or 40's, and value of the typical gun in typical "great" condition is around $200-$300.

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AdamsQuailHunter

I suspect that to many on this forum I am considered to be a "nut-case" as I regularly hunt with a Belgium made "muzzle-stuffer" that will be 150 years old in 2004. I also happen to be a fan of old shotguns made in the late 1800's and early 1900's.AntiqueDr. and I would probably agree 99% of the time, but this is one time I am going to have to disagree. Davenport's are darn good shotguns - I will have to punt on their falling-block single shot rifles as I have never seen one. If you had a 1st model or a 3rd model double, I would be all over you like a duck on a junebug trying to get you to sell it to me. Even in sort of good condition they would go for around $500.Single barrels will often command $250 dollars in good condition, and in excellent condition, I have seen one go for $450.If they have been checked out by a gunsmith who knows his/her cookies with old shotguns and if you use black powder shotshell or shot shells loaded with a black powder substitute such as Clean Shot, there is no reason you could not use it. Be aware - I said AFTER it was check out by a competent gunsmith.Shotshells loaded with Clean Shot are available from L. A. Outdoors in Enterprise, Alabama, (334) 347 - 6909.

AntiqueDr

Wow... there must be a cult of Davenport enthusiasts out there I was not aware of! Davenport's WERE good shotguns in their day, I would parallel them to the Crescent line. They did make private-label guns for the hardware stores just like Crescent did, and they did make higher-end shotguns just like Crescent did. Notwithstanding Mr Adams' fondness for the breed, values of this type of shotgun (Davenport and Crescent) remain uniformly low. The single-shot shotguns would stay considerably shy of $100, the doubles will go higher depending on condition.I have to reiterate. These shotguns were never designed nor intended for anything approaching modern ammunition. My caveat against shooting it still stands, mainly because very few people actually go to the trouble of finding black powder shells. I cannot begin to count how many times I have answered "Why cant I shoot low-base field shells?" The metallurgy simply will not stand up to the modern pressure gradients. No, it probably wont explode, but it will shoot itself to pieces in a hurry.For those that do realize the limitations inherent in such a piece (the doubles, anyway), I have a quantity of parts available on the auction site.

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