Nitro Hunter

B

Ben Towe

New member
Does anybody know anything about the Nitro Hunter shotguns? I have one that was Pa's in 12 and one I stumbled across in 16. I've no interest in their value as I don't plan to part with them. But I would be curious as to their date of manufacture and who made them. All I've found is they were sold by a store in Kentucky.
 
Nitro hunter
Trade Name used by Crescent Firearms Co on guns made for the Belknam Hardware Co of Louisville KY. Actual dated of mfg cand not be determined, however late 1800 to early 1900

Mr Harley
 
Did they come in a nickel plated version?

My cousin has one of those that I hadn't thought of in years.
This is the first time I have heard some one else mention them.
 
Nitro Hunter
I am not aware that there was a mfg'd nickle plate Nitro Hunter. Most of the guns of that area were nickle plated by the owner

Hr Harley
 
Neither of mine are though the receiver or lock or whatever it's called on the 16 is an odd color, almost purplish.
 
To answer some of the questions here, the VAST majority(or at least among the ones I've seen over the years) of the Nitro Hunter shotguns did indeed have nickel plated receivers. BUT, not all. The "most popular" one out there that most of us occasionally see or have as a family heirloom were probably made by Crescent for Belknap. They have a very beefy reciever with sharp corners and a very thick barrel and breech. If you run a google image search, you'll see a picture of the most common one out there. But, like I said above, a lot of other guns from that time period were apparently contracted by Belknap and had the "Nitro Hunter" stamp. So it's nothing to see a Hopkins and Allen, or even a Belgium gun with the Nitro Hunter insignia. As far as the "purplish" receiver some of you are describing, that's probably indeed case hardening (I'd really like to see a picture of one of those) OR it could be something else I have seen. I have a friend who has a very similar shotgun that he had re-blued/re-finished. That receiver now looks very purplish. It's a very pretty finish.
 
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This one belonged to my grandfather on moms side. Not much plating left.

100_0295.jpg
 
The term "nitro" was applied to several guns in about the 1900 period to (supposedly) indicate that they were made for (and safe with) smokeless ("nitro") powder. Another similar term used was "white powder", used for DuPont' s bulk shotgun smokeless powder, which resembled a white laundry powder.

Jim
 
Hawg Haggen, thanks for showing me the gun. I have one just like it. This style in particular appears to be the oldest that I have run across. Be very careful with that flip out take down pin on the other side. It can be very weak after a century or so and can break easily. The "newer" Nitro Hunters had a flip off forearm that allowed the barrel to be removed. It has nickel plating as well.
 

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And oh yeah, your grandpa's gun is priceless. Those guns were sold to people who used them to survive and provide for their families.
 
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