What gun in this photo?

M

museumguy

Inactive
What gun is Huey P. Newton (Black Panther founder-Chicago, ca. 1968) holding in this photo?

http://www.africawithin.com/bios/huey_newton.htm

Our museum is developing an exhibit about 1968 and we want to use this image and would like to get a gun that matches the photo. Thank you all for your help identifying the last picture (a High Standard Riot Gun), but now the team is choosing this image for the exhibit. Any help would be appreciated!
 
Bolt action
LONG barrel
Protruding magazine
Recoil lug above receiver

I'm going to guess a bolt action shotgun similar to the Marlin Goose Gun 12 ga.
 
It sure looks like a Mossberg 195--12 ga, bolt-action, 2-round magazine and their "C-Lect-Choke". This gun does have a protrusion above the receiver, like in the photo, but I'm not sure what it is.

This gun introduced in 1954 and last produced in 1958.

Contact the Havlin's at www.mossbergcollectors.org for further info on this gun.
 
Last edited:
I may be wrong but I think that protrusion is a non adjustable rear sight. IIRC there is a recoil lug between the receiver and the barrel and the top of the recoil lug has a notched rear sight in it. I am not for certain though.
 
Why do you care? Them BPs blew up the Omaha police dept killing some officers. My cousin was on duty but was on patrol. Terrorists doing terroristic activities. I remember them days, I was there.
 
It does appear to be a rear sight and have a front sight as well.

huey_p_newtonundated-bw-med-lrg.jpg
 
Good eyes. I missed the front sight. I had a bolt action 12 that had that type of rear sight but just had a bead for the front sight. I don't remember what brand it was. It did have a two round box magazine.
 
How can you even tell it is a shotgun????

Muzzle choke on the end of the barrel.
Click to expand...

I might be wrong but I don't think it is. I think it's just a trick of the light. The barrel looks too slender to be a shotgun unless it's a 410.
 
I know what you mean but im thinking more like a cheap flash supressor on a big bore, looks nothing like a shotgun to me. Big bore .454
Click to expand...

The barrel is ridiculously long for a rifle. Does this look like a shotgun to you?:

DSCF0662.jpg


Note the long barrel, the magazine, the recoil lug "rear sight". This one's a Marlin Goose Gun but the bolt is not quite the same as the pictured gun, so I'll go along with the Mossberg 195 with C-lect choke.
 
Looks like a Mossberg 390 to me.

The Marlin goose guns had the bolt handle well in front of the trigger guard. The same goes for the Mossberg 195, although I don't know all their models.
 
Looks like a Mossberg 390 to me.
Click to expand...

I suspect you're right.

Bolt's in the right place, trigger guard and pistol grip are the same, magazine, recoil lug and add-on choke.

mossberg390hn.jpg
 
Last edited:
I suspect you're right.

Bolt's in the right place, trigger guard and pistol grip are the same, magazine, recoil lug and add-on choke.
Click to expand...

Naw, that can't be a match. The buttpads are different and there isn't a color match. :D

Actually, that is a good looking match, even down to the choke.

Why do you care? Them BPs blew up the Omaha police dept killing some officers. My cousin was on duty but was on patrol. Terrorists doing terroristic activities. I remember them days, I was there.
Click to expand...

The OP clearly stated...
Our museum is developing an exhibit about 1968 and we want to use this image and would like to get a gun that matches the photo.
Click to expand...

It may come as a shock to you, but some museums like to provide information about their exhibits and have to do research on the materials with which they are working before sharing those materials with the public. If they are using the picture for a display, folks will inquire as to what is in the image and so it is good to have the information or to actually present the information in the exhibit.

Huey P. Newton may have started the Black Panthers, but is not known to be tied to the bombing you mentioned. He was found guilty in the death of another police officer after a shooting, however.

The BPs did some bad stuff, no doubt, but the weapons of bad guys are often of interest to people and bad guys, unfortunately, are a part of our history.
 
My first gun was a Mossberg 385 KB. I have given it to my son now. It is a 20 gauge shotgun of the design in the photo. Mossberg also made similar shotguns in other bore sizes.
 
I agree that the gun is probably a Mossberg 390 versus the 195 as I originally posted. The bolt handle is over the trigger of the 390, as shown in the picture in question, but more forward--between the trigger guard and magazine--on the 195.
 
Looking at the photo doesn't the magazine project further from the stock than does the one in th picture of the 390. Also, back then many weapons were cut down (sporterized) WWII weapons from some country sold throught the mail. Still, it looks so much like that 390, I would check with Mossberg and see if they made a variant of the same modle with a modified magazine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top