A shooting buddy was given a Browning recoiless trap to test and it just plain didn't work. End of that test.

Life is too short to shoot an ugly gun

I'd have to see a picture of one to believe it's uglier than that Browning I pictured.

Been thumbing through old Sporting Classics before they get recycled and found this in March/April 1988 from our late friend --

Attachment 99461

I actually think that Winchester 87 is kinda sexy for some reason.





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I can't seem to help myself, but I was looking at an old Julia's catalog on a search for a very beautiful shotgun, and stumbled across this fine Union --

Attachment 99501

Attachment 99502

Not ...........

I have one of those in 20 ga...charlie

Union made a Hammer model of that pump gun. U--G--L-Y.

John

A couple modern shotguns come to mind when you say Ugly Shotgun.

First what Savage did to the model 24 by selling the model 42.....

Second, Benelli Nova's. I actually bought these for my sons, as their first shotguns because they are basically indestructable, but have to admit they are pretty ugly too.

Pictured is the Savage 42, not purely a shotgun I guess.....

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/66qu8YO.jpg[/IMG]This N R Davis is pretty ugly.
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/Fus3DEn.jpg[/IMG]

And there was the Davenport Hammer model.

Craig Budgeon, I like the Roper revolving shotgun. Any idea where one could find some Roper 12 gauge shells ?

My Martini Henry type trap gun is pretty awful looking. Handles like a long 2x4 board too.

I have never seen one of those. That is interesting for sure!

Do you have any more photos of that to share? I see some familiarities in it that warrant a closer look.

L.L Hepburn built a Remington prototype somewhat similar to that W.H. Davenport. Been on GI for several cycles --

Attachment 99828

Attachment 99829

I am sorry but I still think I am the winner.
Maybe a close up will help.

For those that apposed to the side lever of the Davis gun, there was a Top Lever version.

I can't believe a thread on ugly guns has gone on this long.

I really want to know more about that Davis gun.
A lot about The basic mechanics of the gun appear to be Parker. The breech, lockup, hammers and opening is operated by the side lever vs. a lifter button. And the ad even shows the Parker hinge pin.

There is an article by Cdr Gunther on N.R. Davis in the April 1990 issue of The Gun Report, Volume 35, Number 11. There is a little article by Charles E. Carder on the N.R. Davis sliding breech pin-fire in The Double Gun Journal, Volume Three, Issue 2, page 88.

Brian,
The following link in an old auction that has a lot of pictures. 14 ga. The unique feature I notice is the two piece frame..

https://www.gunauction.com/buy/8679120


John

John, do you know the dates of your Davis catalog cuts ? They must not have made many as the two I have in my files are 20 and 35 serial numbers.

Double Barrel, yes, your gun is very ugly. It looks to be in fine condition.

Daryl,
I do not have the dates from the catalog cuts. A lot of my pictures are lifted off the internet and have little data with them. J. S. Conant & Co was an engraving company in Boston but I was not able to find any dates of business so far. The cut of the side lever model shows N.R. DAVIS & CO, MAKERS which would date the gun as pre-1883. The Top Lever Model cut is N.R. DAVIS & SONS and thus 1883 or after.

As to low serial numbers: Early DAVIS guns used Batch numbers and I have yet to find a pre 1910 model with other than a two digit number.

John

How did a thread on ugly guns make it to 7 pages?

This one I save pictures of is listed as serial number 19, but perhaps that is a batch number --

Attachment 99853

Here are a couple of pages from Cdr. Gunther's article --

Attachment 99854

Attachment 99855

Mills, It would appear that the ugly girls do indeed get loving too. If not for the early attempts at the breech loading designs the later lasses would have never been. There is something quite charming about that 8 bore Davenport. It is built around pure function. Sculpted to put metal where it is needed for strength and removed to maintain a manageable weight. Yes, quite charming indeed.

It must be getting near closing time somewhere

Not so Fast! Lol
 

Double Beast!

I have never seen a double barrel Davenport, as pictured. A neighbor at the Baltimore show had several high condition big bore Davenport singles on his tables, but they were priced out of my range. However, in the recent past, I have acquired a 36" eight and a 40" ten, both in very high condition, at attractive prices. They are well built guns. I have seen N.R. Davis guns of exceptional quality, but missed out on the purchase of one at Allentown. I thought I would see another some day, but I was wrong. All Davis guns I have seen since are junk. The pictured Stevens .410, represented as an ugly gun, would sell for over $1000 today if in high condition. The Model 24 Winchester, not so much.

A Bing search found pictures of a couple of the W.H. Davenport double.

Attachment 99901

Attachment 99902

The only W.H. Davenport Fire Arms Co. catalog I have contains only single barrels, like my Maternal Grandfather's ratty old single in my safe, but included folders for both a hammer and a hammerless double of more conventional design.

Attachment 99903

I've yet to see one of their hammerless doubles.

I have a few pictures of both the early Davenport Hammer model and the scarce Hammerless gun.

Butt ugly gun
 

Because of guns like this Mills. We HAVE a new contender!
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that looks like a h-r slug gun...charlie

Ugly guns come in all ranges of quality and price. These two deserve a special mention as the short frame and long frame twins of Ugly Town:

Calling an engraved M21 as ugly doesn't compute with me

I have a 410 Stevens Fox model b that belongs in line with the m24 Winchester and a Shatuck

Engraving cannot make up for an ugly design, regardless how nice it is, how strong it is, or how expensive it is, IMO. Something about lipstick on a pig comes to mind.