American Gun Company 20 gauge
 

A fine double? Not to the fine gun standards of many of our members, but this little 20 gauge is a very important fine double to me. It was my dad's gun, given to him by his dad on his 10th birthday. It was used. The original owner was a champion trap shot in Kansas. The gun dates to 1902 and is a side lock. On the reverse, on the side plate is written Knickerbocher on the other side is written American Gun Company, New York.

My dad shot this little gun all of his life and it was the only shotgun he ever owned. When still living at home he'd borrow his dad's Remington Model 11, 12 gauge. I inherited it. Heavy. Someone broke in an ripped it off.

But dad killed a lot of woodcock with this little gun when we lived in upstate New York. In Kansas he shot his share of ducks, bob white quail and pheasants. He had it spruced up on the 60s sometime. It locks up tight and has a fine shinny bore. It was the first shotgun that I shot and it got me hooked on doubles.

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This little gun is quick as a whip. F & M which has always worked okay. My dad was not a gun nut, but he liked to shoot and he was an excellent shot. Truthfully now, I cannot ever recall seeing him miss, not once, but I actually didn't see him shoot all that much. He hunted with his dad and didn't drag me along. When I grew I got to shoot this gun all I wanted to and I shot it a lot.

Fine double? Not really, but to me it is a very important gun and one what will stay in my family....it's 110 years old now and still going strong.

may not be "top end", but they always looked like a well made little gun - and my old New Amsterdam Dutch blood always liked the Knickerbocker name

Nice little piece of family history - hope it still gets a bird now and then.

Reminds me of my grandfathers little 20 gauge JC Higgins. It came down to me when he passed last winter. I can't imagine thinking more of a shotgun than I think of that one. I'd sell every Parker I've got before I'd let that one go.

DLH

From H & D Folsom Arms Co. catalog #18, undated but likely just after WW-I --

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Ad from March and April 1905 issues of American Field --

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Steve: I have a american gun co. in 410 and they are good little shooters. I believe they are Crescent Arms. Thomas

i too have a 410 hammer gun by american arms and a 12 ga hammerless gun...good guns for the money... charlie

My little shotgun sure looks like the Folsom gun as advertised above. Same forearm too. I can't recall how I dated my gun at 1902, but it must have been a bit later. If it cost $30 it was not cheap. Water table doesn't say anything but the serial number. I cannot recall if I have ever had the side plates off or not, but it looks like the removeal of one screw would do it. This gun is one of my first memories and I'm 67 now. It is an old friend. Shoots good too.

Thanks gents for the info.

SM

Crescent Fire Arms Co. was formed in Norwich, Conn., in 1892, from I believe the remains of Bacon Arms Co. H & D Folsom Arms Co. of New York City acquired Crescent Fire Arms Co. in 1893, and from then on the mission of the factory in Norwich was to build lots of low priced guns marked with whatever name H & D Folsom Arms Co. or their customers wanted on them. Around the turn of the century H & D Folsom Arms Co. started having the guns marked American Gun Co. for the guns they marketted and those for customers who didn't specify their own "trade brand" name on the guns. In the early 1920s they reverted to using the Crescent Fire Arms Co. name and continued to use that until Folsom sold the gun business out to Savage in 1930.

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Savage combined Crescent with their recently acquired Davis - Warner Arms Co. and formed Crescent - Davis Arms Co. which continued to operate into 1935.

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The remains was moved to Savage's J. Stevens Arms Co. plant in Chicopee Falls, Mass., and from 1936 to WW-II Crescent-Davis guns were shown in the J. Stevens Arms Co.'s price lists behind their cheaper than Stevens Springfield line. Some of the "trade brand" guns from this late 1930s period are really interesting combinations of Stevens, Crescent and Davis parts. Anything to get some product out the door!!



Charlie,

It is American Gun Co.!! American Arms Co. was in Boston and made the George H. Fox designed side-swing hammer doubles, and later the Whitmore designed hammerless doubles as well as cheap revolvers and semi-hammerless singles and doubles.

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More information here
https://docs.google.com/document/pub...iu5JGIhfguSXXQ