A Five Dog C Grade?

[Garry L Gordon]

I'm aware of the uncommon 3 dog D grade guns (a dog on each side and one on the floor plate), and even have one of the early hammerless examples.

C grades also had three dogs on occasion, but has anyone encountered any 5 dog C grade guns, hammer or hammerless (two on each side and one on the floor plate)?

If you have one or know of one, could you let me know, please?

[Mills Morrison]

Two dogs on each side is a signature feature of the B grade, if I'm not mistaken. Then again, stranger things have happened.

[Brian Dudley]

And usually early CH grades had stags on the bottoms.

[Garry L Gordon]

I’ll wager there is such a creature somewhere out there.

Any leads?

[Dean Romig]

I sold mine last year. You must have missed my For Sale ad…



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[Garry L Gordon]

Yikes! I knew there must be some out there. Do you recall the date of manufacture (and serial number)?

Thanks, Dean!!

[Dean Romig]

Sure do…


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[Garry L Gordon]

Thanks, Dean. You are an amazing resource. Now that I see your post, I do recall the gun.

There cannot be many 5 dog Cs out there.

Anyone else have one?

[edgarspencer]

Only 3 dogs on my CHE28, but 6 dogs on my BHE20. A member sent me a grade 6 hammer gun to be cased, with 7 dogs.

[GunnerGrilli]

A beautiful gun it is!! Thanks Dean!!




Bobby

[Dean Romig]

Thanks Bobby!





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[Dean Weber]

Garry,

I have a 5 dog gun. Not the best picture, but you can make out the dog on the trigger plate as well as the 2 on one side. It has 32" Bernard barrels. 10 gauge. 1886 gun SN 48xxx

Best - Dean

[Dean Romig]

That’s a nice one Dean! The same engraver did both of these two C-grade hammer guns.

The one I sold had 30 inch 12 gauge Bernard barrels on the 1-frame.





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[Wayne Owens]

Garry. Here are photos of another C grade with 5 dogs. This hammer gun's serial number is about 350 guns older than the one Dean posted. It is a 10 gauge with 28" Bernard barrels.

[Dean Romig]

Very nice C !!





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[Garry L Gordon]

Thanks, Gentlemen! I've been somewhat a student of the C grade, gaining much knowledge from my friend, Bruce Day, who, like me, is a fancier of the Bernard barrels available on them.

The engraving on the hammer guns is much more variable, and less likely to have the more pattern or template-like execution of the hammerless era. If you note, there is great individualization in those dogs, and the fact that we see B-like dog numbers on a very few C grades attests to the difference in approach to engraving during that earlier period.

I've seen a dog on a C grade in the "charge" or drop position on occasion. A wonderful carryover from the early days of pointing dog training.

When I think of the "factory production" gun as the Parker gun is, I still marvel at the individual attention to all aspects of its production -- amazing.

Thanks again. If there are more 5 dog C's out there, please let me know.

[Dean Romig]

The “drop on point” attitude was originally developed by early fowl hunters who threw nets over the bird or birds rather tha shooting them, so the dogs wouldn’t obstruct the travel of the net.





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[Garry L Gordon]

The “drop on point” attitude was originally developed by early fowl hunters who threw nets over the bird or birds rather tha shooting them, so the dogs wouldn’t obstruct the travel of the net.





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Yup. With the command “charge!” When the dog would lie to await his master reloading his muzzle loader. I have seen modern dogs drop at point on occasion— hard to breed out the vestiges of the past.

[Reggie Bishop]

And all this time I thought you were a B grade man. Or was it A grade. I am confused. :)

[Garry L Gordon]

And all this time I thought you were a B grade man. Or was it A grade. I am confused. :)

You’re confused?!?! That’s normal for me.
:rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf:

[jimlott]

Fun discussion so I got mine out the safe to look. Attached are a few pics of it (SN 36xxx). As a side note , I also have a no dog CHE, just birds.

[Garry L Gordon]

Thanks, Jim! Maybe there are more out there than originally thought. What gauge/barrel length is that beautiful gun?

[jimlott]

Thanks, Jim! Maybe there are more out there than originally thought. What gauge/barrel length is that beautiful gun?

12 ga, 30" 1883

[Garry L Gordon]

12 ga, 30" 1883

Thanks!

[Wayne Owens]

3 out of the 4 C grades shown in this thread are in the 36000 serial number range. The serialization book only has 81 entries in that range and of the 81 guns listed, 14 are grade 4 Bernard barrel top action guns. That is a very high number considering TPS estimates a total 101 C grade top action guns were ever made, 75 with Bernard barrels.