Very OLD shotgun???

February 21, 2004 03:18

I have a very old single shot,shot gun,please help me in finding what it is, this is what I know about!!!
marked,,,,Keystone
keystone firearms co.
philadelphia,Pa.
the barrel has a patened date of august 11, 1896, and below the trigger towards the butt of the gun the #10197, the hammer is always against the firing pin!!!so when opening the gun you must pull back the hammer,and i believe it is a 16 guage!!and does the gun have any value?thanks for any help...Terry Malone

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3 comments

nord

February 21, 2004 03:50
The following might come to you as a shock, but your gun ISN'T condidered very old. A patent date of 1897 would lead me to believe manufacture at some time later. In many cases twenty years later! And... Anything newer than 1898 is considered a modern firearm.

Your gun... Trade name made by one of the utility manufacturers (H&A, Stevens, Crescent, etc.). Not collectible, and by your description, not mechanically sound.

Such a gun in good mechanical shape is worth very little by today's standards. I quote $35.00 as a collector. A dealer might spring for $50.00 and the gun could retail for $75.00 on a good day, but that doesn't happen very often.

The hammer on your gun should have a half-cock detent. In that position the trigger will not release the hammer and the gun is nominally safe. Repair is essential for your safety, but the value of the piece won't warrant the price.

Nord
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Xracer

February 21, 2004 05:10
Your Keystone shotgun was made by the W.H. Davenport Firearms Co. in either Providence, RI, or Norwich CT (they moved from RI to CT in @1897) and was made for the E.K. Tyron Co. of Philadelphia, PA.

It's in a class of guns known as "Hardware Store Guns".....inexpensive, utility-grade shotguns made to be sold in hardware stores and by mail order houses under hundreds of different trade names.

I don't suggest you try to shoot it. The gun was designed for low-pressure blackpowder loads and would be dangerous with modern ammunition. Best use it as a decorator.

There's very little collector interest in these shotguns, and the dollar value isn't high....but if this gun has a family history, put it up over the fireplace with pride.
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Contender Man

February 21, 2004 05:17
Hmmmm ... I was born well after 1898 and people still say I'm very old, but then again I'm not a shotgun[:D]

Checked four reference/cross-reference lists and didn't come up w/ anything so I agree w/ Nord ... you've got a "Branded" or "Hardware" gun made by "God only knows".

Of course it could have been a very small mfg. that never really made a name for their self, sold few guns, and is just a footnote in some obscure reference book that most of us don't have.

From your description, excluding condition, my guess is that when new around the turn of the 20th century, this gun sold for less than $10, maybe closer to $5. It was a low cost utility gun that's now had a long hard life. Clean it up and make a wall hanger of it. Even if there were no issues with the mechanics I would not touch off a modern load in it unless I had a long cord tied to the trigger.

If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!
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Very OLD shotgun???

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