Harrington and Richardson 12ga. choke

1911user

I just inherited my grandfather's H&R Bay State 12ga. Serial:A808986
I'd like to know everything I can about it. What year, what kind of quality is it, Value? The wood finish is evenly peeling off. The barrel is straight with only a bb sized spot of surface rust. The mechanism is strong. I don't think this gun has been use very much at all. Like I said, I was my grandfather's, but it has lived at my great grandfather's all it's life.
Thanks for your help.

b.goforth

the 'bay state' name was used by H&R from as early as 1910 until the WWII era. the bay state line is basically a model 1908 or model 1915 H&R single barrel that has a lessor finish on the wood, frame & barrel.

as there are no known factory serial number records for any pre 1940 H&R shotguns an exact manufacture date can not be given. H&R used a single letter code prefix on their single barrel shotgun early in manufacturing and then returned to them just before WWII (1930's). the bay state single barrel i have studied with the letter code "A" seem to be from the early 1930's era. "A" letter code seems to have used on the standard size frame models, "B" on the small frame light weight models a "F" on the folding models. for now i have not encountered any other letter code prefixes but they may be out there as H&R manufactured a lot of single barrel shotguns.

the main problem encountered with H&R single barrel shotguns of this era is the lack of a self-adjusting barrel latch. some that have seen alot of use can be loose causing a dangerous condition. despite this flaw most in good shooting condition still seem to bring as much as new single barrel ($125-$140).

original finish of a bay state is dull blue (barrel and frame) varnished wood (unknown type). original finish for H&R model 1908 or 1915 was oil finished walnut, high polished blue barrel and case harden frame. there are two known versions of the markings all on the left side of the frame. small block letters (early) and large script type letters (late) of the name bay state.

one last thought the 'bay state' brand name shotguns were mostly sold by mailorder companies or local feed and hardware stores who obtained them thru large wholesalers while the regular H&R single barrels were sold thru larger sporting goods stores. Also H&R was always a company who would also sell direct to customers from there own catalog, at least up until 1932. the laws enacted that year gave rise to the gun shop as we know it today, with dealers being federally licensed.
bill

1911user

That's exciting!
I thank you for all your information.