What grade?

[Leon Nelson]

For a hammer gun made in 1882, does the number 3 stamped in the watertable just above the sn 26XXX indicate grade?

[Dean Romig]

That indicates the grade 3 but that number beneath the 3 is the order number, not the serial number. The serial number is stamped into the left side of the barrel lug.





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[Pa SxS]

Dean, he asked about the watertable not the barrel flats. The #3 on the action flats (also called watertable) is the grade. Some hammer guns had the Order # on the barrel flats and had the serial number on the side of the barrel lug.

[Leon Nelson]

Pa SXS Thanks, you've described the markings on my gun to a tee. The engraving shown on photos of other grade 3's is very close to or identical to mine

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Chuck Bishop

Dean, he asked about the watertable not the barrel flats. The #3 on the action flats (also called watertable) is the grade. Some hammer guns had the Order # on the barrel flats and had the serial number on the side of the barrel lug.

OOPS

Right Chuck and I was looking at the year of manufacture and automatically slipped into 'barrel flats' order number mode...




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[Leon Nelson]

/Users/leon/Desktop/20251124_170723 copy.jpg

[Dean Romig]

Yes, that’s a Grade-3 or D T/A (top action)





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[Leon Nelson]

Thanks. Got any recommendations for some solvent to use, probably with an old tooth brush, to take off that dried-oil, yellow-cast without doing damage to the wood? My guess it's mostly dried up WD-40. The wood is nice, if not specular. To me, it's original that counts.

[Dean Romig]

It would be hard to do unless you remove the stock. It's not hard to do on a Parker hammer gun but requires extra attention when reassembling it.
I would recommend Hoppe's and a Big 45 Frontier pad to remove the crud. The Frontier pad looks horribly abrasive but I can assure you from years of use on some of my guns it will not harm the barrel finish, the case color, the engraving or anything else on the metal that you want to stay..

PS - Use the correct gunsmithing screwdrivers!



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[Leon Nelson]

Thanks