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45-70 shot gun

jlowry
I am trying to find out the history and value of a H&R 45-70 shotgun.
Last pat. May 14th 1901. It is in good shape and I have two black powder shot shells in 45-70 high brass #5 lead shot with wooden plugs holding in the shot. I am new to this site and will attempt to post pictures next week. Should anyone have any info on this gun I would greatly appreciate you sharing. I can be contacted directly at janmlowry@aim.com So far I can't find anyone with knowledge on this gun. It was supposedly used by the cook in the Calvary to shoot game to feed the troops.
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Comments

6 comments

Date Votes
  • XXCross
    Without any pictures I'm just taking a guess here, but are you sure you don't have one of H&R "line throwing" guns? These were used to pass line between ships or between ship and shore.
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  • jlowry
    It is stamped 45-70 shot on the barrel. On the trigger guard 1010 is stamped. Again I will take pictures and try to post. The gun has a smooth barrel and certainly appears to be a shotgun
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  • gruntled
    I have several boxes of the 45/70 shot shells. I pulled one sabot & the shot has turned to a powder. I got mine from my grandfather along with a trapdoor carbine (cut down from a rifle long ago) that he got from his father.

    It's not a wood plug but a hollow shell holding the shot.
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  • 62fuelie
    During the early days of cartridge arms in the U.S. military it was common to issue what was called a "forager" weapon to small units. This was a smooth bore version of the issue rifle or carbine and was intended to be used to allow the personnel to shoot small game and birds to supplement their rations. I don't know about an H&R version.
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  • cbyerly
    It sounds like a line throwing gun if it is actually chambered for the 45-70.
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  • 32 Magnum
    jlowry,
    You have a very rare variant of the H&R Model 1900 single barrel shotgun. I have seen a couple other examples in the past 15 years or so of collecting. The Model 1900 was offered starting in early 1901. With that serial number, 1010 - it is a very early example, probably made within the first month or so of production. This gun was offered in, what seems to us today, to be "strange" cartridges: .44XL, 14, 24, 32 ga., etc.
    One way to tell if yours is indeed a Model 1900 - check the hinge pin - if it has a "toggle" on the top of the pin, which flips up to allow the pin to be unscrewed to remove the barrel from the frame, then it is a model 1900. One other thought - it may be the small frame version which would be a Model 1905?
    Depending upon condition, the value of your shotgun with that chambering will have a low RETAIL value in excess of $150 - if in excellent condition - in excess of $300.
    I've read that this shot cartridge was used as you stated - back when the USGI was the trapdoor rifle - but then the .45-70 has outlasted those days and 1901 wasn't that far removed from the days on the plains.
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