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bought old wards hercules and need help

gary64
i just bought a old wards hercules gun. i am wandering if you know what year or can tell me where to go online to find out. the only numbers i can find 20824D. its a wards hercules 12 ga single shot. thanks for any info you can email me.
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  • Ned Fall
    Your guns is what is commonly referred to as a "Trade Brand Name" shotgun. A :Trade Brand Name" shotgun is one that was made by a major maker (and before 1940) for and was sold by a wholesaler or retailer who chose the name to go on the gun. Guns with the name HERCULES were made by one of two makers, Iver Johnson'd Arms & Cycle Works or Stevens Arms & Tool Company. They were sold by Montgomery Wars of corse. To tell which one made your gun, take a look at the butt stock where it joins the receiver, If the gun was made by Stevens, there will be two semi circular projections (one on each side) that fit into corresponding cut outs in the frame. Sorry but I have no serial number-year made tables for either maker. The guns were designed and made using the technology and metallurgy of the times when they were made and for the ammunition in use then. Neither maker made damascus barrels but the barrel will be chambered for 2 9/16 shells loaded with low pressure smokeless powder and lead shot. They were not designed for 3 inch or magnum shells or lead shot. While the gun may still be fired if in good condition and using appropriate ammo, I can't recommend it since I can't see the gun to determine its condition. If you insist, please take it to a good gunsmith for a check out. Value? Value will be determined by its condition, the amount of original finish remaining on the metal and wood as well as the mechanical condition. An example in prime condition might sell for as much as $95 while a rusty rotten incomplete piece of junk fit only for parts salvage or a tomato stake might bring in $10.
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  • Fatstrat
    Curious about the "Before 1940" part. I think trade brand guns went on long after that.
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  • Ned Fall
    Yep, they did but not as much as before. "Before 1940" is of my own selection for the phrase "Trade Brand Name" Of course very few if any commercial shotguns were made between 1941 and 1945 (World War Two). I call guns made after 1945 "Store Brand Name" guns
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