help with old shotguns

J

JackHurst99

Inactive
I have two older shotguns:

1) double barrel. marked as Shattuck, made in Hatfield, MA, 1897. gun has twist barrells. 12 gauge.

2) marked Nitro Special in large italicized letters on barrel, single barrel. think it is 12 gauge but could be 10 gauge. serial number 1H893 on barrel and 1H899 on receiver.

have not had any luck finding information on these guns and I would like to get what information I can.
 
I appreciate the help sir. I picked up these two guns and a Crescent single shot Victor and a Wards bolt 20 gauge and I think they will give me plenty to do for awhile in getting them back into shooting shape. Guess the double barrel is out of the question of fixing up but at least it is good to know something about it. Thanks again!
 
Your Shattuck was manufactured by the C.S. Shattuck Arms Company of Hatfield, Massachusetts. They billed themselves as manufacturers of shotguns, revolvers, and palm pistols, and were in business from 1880 through 1910.

Please do not attempt to shoot this piece using modern shot shells! Twist, or Damascus, barrels were designed for use with black powder and cannot withstand the higher pressures generated by the smokeless powder we use today. At a minimum you could suffer blown barrels; at the worst, injury or death. Consider what author Michael McIntosh stated about the subject in his book titled Best Guns:

"A twist barrel might not rupture on the first shot--or the fiftieth or the five-hundreth. But it will eventually. And when they go, they go with a bang, not a whimper. The most common place for a twist barrel to blow out is ten or twelve inches ahead of the chamber, since that's where the shot column is when a smokeless-powder load reaches its peak pressure. It's also the place where your forward hand is holding the gun."

Hope this helps.

Good luck and good shooting (but only with a safe shotgun)!
 
I totally second Mr. Mcintosh's statement, and know a fellow who has the missing fingers to prove it. Incredibly, there are some people who will argue that Damascus barrels are superior to modern steel. Don't listen to them. There are also people who argue that the Earth is flat. Don't listen to them either.

Jim
 
Db

There are companies that make special low pressure shotshells for twist and damascus barrel guns, you could load your own with black powder, or, the safest route, there are several companies that make sub gage liners that just slip into the existing barrels, are for modern shells and can be removed in a few seconds to return the piece to original condition.
 
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