Coach Guns

R

RJ McCormack

New member
I was talking with a friend recently and he mentioned something called a "Coach Gun". Evidently these were the short-barreled, side-by-side, exposed hammer shotguns used for defensive purposes aboard the old stagecoaches way back when.
Any recommendations for historical reading on the subject? What original examples can still be found in the market today? The only modern reproduction that I have found is the Bounty Hunter imported by E.A.A. Is it worth the $379 asking price? Any other modern day versions that are historically accurate? Were hammerless versions available during the period?
I would love to get my hands one and am willing to pay a reasonable price for quality but can't afford pricey collectors' items. Plus, I want a shooter that I can enjoy but not worry about degrading it's value.
Thanks, in advance, for all responses.
 
The term coach gun is actually a generic term. It generally means a shorter barrelled double barrel shotgun in either 12 gauge or 10 gauge. Most had hammers as that was the more common style then.
Thomas Swearengen's excellent book The World's Fighting Shotguns has a section on double barrel shotguns and there are several other books on the market.
 
Howdy,

The most common Coach gun being used in CAS is the Stoeger. It is an internal hammered shotgun with 20" barrels. You can pick one of these up for about $300. There are some new hammered guns about, but they are either quite expensive or are Russian or Chinese made, and the quality of these is spotty. The EAA gun is Russian made, but the external hammers (which are quite skinny) only cock the internal hammers-they don't strike the firing pins. Rossi made a nice mule-eared Coach gun, but no longer. You can still find them used for about $400.

Hammerless guns were available in the "Old West".

Bellicose Bill
 
I hesitate to state but Centerfire Systems in Versailles, Ky has been selling these , I think, Russian SXS. Normal price is $160, sale priced at X-mas at $149. 12 ga, 20.25" barrel, double exposed hammers, all blue. 800-950-1231

Also, I have an 1897 Sears REPO catalog. Use it a lot when folks discuss what was used back then and what was not. There are just as many hammerless ejector sxs shotguns as sxs with hammers. Hammerless sxs Mngfd. by Colt, Parker, LC Smith, Charles Daly,WW Greener, Crescent, Ithaca, Remington, Baker, Davis, Hollenback, not to mention lots more imports. Another words everyone was also mngfd. hammerless sxs guns. The Remington hammerless ranged from $33 - $70, whereas the WW Greener was $187.50, Ithaca $26, Colt hammerless was $51-$84.
 
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