N R DAVIS AND SONS RABBIT EAR SHOTGUN
Could anyone give me any information on this shotgun? I know that it is pre 1917 but I can't seem to find any information on the external hammer model shown. Is this a rare gun?
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Identical to one my Dad bought new in 1916. As a teenager, when it was passed on to me I foolishly used it with high velocity loads until the lockup became rickety. Not particularly rare, but most are worn out. Shown and listed @ $17.50 in the Fall 1900 Sears catalog. 0 -
I had one with internal hammers that had been cut to 20". Was told it belonged to the town marshal of the small town where I lived. Used it as a quail gun for years with light loads until it wouldn't cock if both barrels were fired. Sent it for repair and it was lost in shipping. One of the better working man's grade guns of the late 1800's/early 1900's. Keep it as a wall hanger and shoot a modern replaceable shotgun. 0 -
It is a Belgian gun that was stamped with the name of the hardware store company. Not rare by any standards. If it has shootable bores, it is in the $250 category. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by cbyerly
It is a Belgian gun that was stamped with the name of the hardware store company. Not rare by any standards. If it has shootable bores, it is in the $250 category.
Sorry, but N. R. Davis & Sons was an American arms manufacturer located in Assonet, Massachutsetts 1853-1917, not a hardware company, and his gun will not have Belgian proofmarks.
The Sears catalog listed it as "Machine Made by N. R. Davis & Son, Freetown, Mass." (Assonet is in Freetown Township). They also listed shotguns identified as Belgian on the same page, with a long dissertation about why "their" Belgian shotguns were OK...0 -
quote:Originally posted by hrf
Identical to one my Dad bought new in 1916. As a teenager, when it was passed on to me I foolishly used it with high velocity loads until the lockup became rickety. Not particularly rare, but most are worn out. Shown and listed @ $17.50 in the Fall 1900 Sears catalog.
You should have waited until the 1902 Sears catalog. It's only $15.75 in that one.
Seems by then the AMERICAN Davis gun co. was pushing their "new" hammerless model.[:D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by babun
You should have waited until the 1902 Sears catalog. It's only $15.75 in that one.
Seems by then the AMERICAN Davis gun co. was pushing their "new" hammerless model.[:D]
The 1900 and 1902 ads are identical except for price, and list them both as "new"
In 1900, the hammerless was $23.50 [|)]0 -
quote:Originally posted by hrf
quote:Originally posted by cbyerly
It is a Belgian gun that was stamped with the name of the hardware store company. Not rare by any standards. If it has shootable bores, it is in the $250 category.
Sorry, but N. R. Davis & Sons was an American arms manufacturer located in Assonet, Massachutsetts 1853-1917, not a hardware company, and his gun will not have Belgian proofmarks.
The Sears catalog listed it as "Machine Made by N. R. Davis & Son, Freetown, Mass." (Assonet is in Freetown Township). They also listed shotguns identified as Belgian on the same page, with a long dissertation about why "their" Belgian shotguns were OK...
Yep, and they ultimately merged with Crescent Firearms, becoming Crescent-Davis.0 -
AS posted on the other thread, N>R> DAVIS was an AMERICAN company, Not Belgium.. They merged with cresent arms and supplied about ever hardare and gun store in the USA. There are around 3 pages of stores they supplied in one of my gun digest books..
HERE AGAIN IS THE BRIEF HISTORY OF THE COMPANY
Posted - 09/07/2011 : 12:27:47 PM
At one time they were connected to CRESENT arms..
N.R. DAVIS ARMS COMPANY
This company. located in Assonet, MA from 1853 until at least 1917, operated under the following names:
1853 to 1883#8209; N.R. DAVIS ARMS COMPANY#8209; Freetown section of Assonet, MA
1883 to 1917#8209; N.R. DAVIS & SONS CO.#8209; Water St., Assonet, MA
1917 to 1930#8209; DAVIS#8209;WARNER ARMS CORP.#8209; Brooklyn, NY and Norwich, CT (There is some evidence that the Assonet factory remained in use until 1925.)
1930 to 1935#8209; CRESCENT#8209;DAVIS ARMS CORP.
The company was owned and operated by the Davis family until 1917 when N.R. DAVIS & SONS CO. was merged with WARNER ARMS CORP. to form DAVIS#8209;WARNER ARMS CORP.
Davis#8209;Warner seems to have made both Davis shotguns and Warner pistols in small quantities with the guns being made at the Warner plant in Norwich, CT from parts made in the Assonet plant until about 1925.
Beginning in 1925, Davis#8209;Warner seems to have regained its ability to make and sell firearms in quantity. Perhaps because the Assonet plant was closed and production consolidated in Norwich. It also appears that the Warner automatic pistols were dropped from production in 1925.
When the Assonet plant actually closed is speculative, some sources use the 1917 date, while others use 1925; unfortunately the Assonet Town Records do not reflect the year of its closing. It was definitely closed and not in use when it burned in 1928 and newspaper articles about the fire indicate that it had been closed for some time.
DAVIS#8209;WARNER ARMS CORP. became a part of CRESCENT DAVIS ARMS CORP. in 1930. For further information regarding this merger see CRESCENT FIRE ARMS CO.
N.R. DAVIS shotguns were marked, in addition to the names above, with at least the following trade names.
E.C. MEACHAM ARMS CO. PAT'D AUG. 3, 1886
ASSONET GUN WORKS (probably) no specimens seen
RIVAL (hammerless double made in the 1880's)
N.R. DAVIS & SONS may also have made some shotguns for Sears, Roebuck, but this has not been confirmed by observation of any actual specimens.
Still another possibility has surfaced, namely that N.R. DAVIS may have made some shotguns that were totally unmarked except perhaps for a serial number for a few of the larger hardware wholesalers; but again this has not been confirmed by observation.
As may be apparent from this rambling discourse, very little hard evidence exists about N.R. DAVIS operations, despite its being a well known and well respected gun maker. One reason for this is that over much of its life it was family owned, and such firms rarely make much information public.
Even the question of how many shotguns it produced is a mystery. Some shotguns have serial numbers, while others have only a 2 digit assembly number; and there appears to be no rhyme or reason as to why some are serial numbered and some are not. Serial numbers of their lack will occur in the same models.
Much more specific research needs to be done on this company. I can only hope that this material will at least serve as a basis from which to start.
N.R. DAVIS & SONS made shotguns under at least the following patents:
66,913, July 16, 1867#8209; breechloading firearm
81,348, August 25, 1868#8209; method of attaching gun barrels
217,001, July 1, 1879#8209; firearm
293,719, February 19, 1884#8209; breechloading firearm
294,772, March 11, 1884#8209; breechloading firearm
346,536, August 3, 1886#8209; breechloading firearm
The principals of N.R. DAVIS & SONS CO. before 1917 were as follows:
Nathan Russel Davis
N.W. Davis (son of Nathan R.)
W.A. Davis (son of Nathan R.)
David C. Thresher (Thrasher)
The following is an abstract of the Articles of Incorporation of the Davis#8209;Warner Arms Corp.
Corporation Name: DAVIS#8209;WARNER ARMS CORPORATION
Incorporated In: New York
Date of Incorporation: January 4, 1917
Principal Place of Business: Manhattan, New York City
Names and residences of Subscribers and Shares Subscribed:
Franklin B. Warner, 1549 New York Ave., Brooklyn, NY 8 shares
Frank Harvey Field, 274 Sterling Place, Brooklyn, NY 1 share
Richard L. Phillips, 2 East 128th St., Manhattan, NYC 1 share
Directors:
Franklin B. Warner
Frank H. Field
Richard L. Phillips
Henry B. Moore, 540 W. 113th St., Manhattan, NYC
Sigmund Faust, 1219 Union Ave., Brooklyn, NY
Capital Stock: $200,000 (2,000 shares at $100 par)
In 1921 the Officers of DAVIS#8209;WARNER were
Franklin E. Warner#8209; President & Treasurer
C. Chester Warner#8209; Vice#8209;President
I.M. Janowsky#8209; Secretary
It should be noted that both the Warners were incorporators of KIRTLAND BROS. CO. a sporting goods retailer in New York City.
The serial number ranges of Davis made shotguns may be impossible to recreate with any accuracy until some reason can be found for why some guns were serial numbered and some were not.
However one item does appear to be fact. That is that all Davis model shotguns made by DAVIS#8209;WARNER ARMS CORP. or CRESCENT#8209;DAVIS ARMS CORP. had a letter prefix to the serial number. Whether this prefix denotes the year of manufacture is open to conjecture.
One clue as to when a Davis#8209;Warner shotgun was made may be obtained from the very last guns produced in 1929 and 1930. These shotguns are marked on the water table, PAT. NO. 1,692,995. This patent was granted to a J.J. Murphy on November 27, 1928.
Reaper1862
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648 Posts
Posted - 09/07/2011 : 10:57:56 PM
I have one, what are you looking for exactly other than info which classic provided in drove.0
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