Fun with Twenties

[Bill Murphy]

Jeff, Tendler's Sales, 913 D Street Northwest, now under the FBI building. Griffith Stadium was a bus ride from Rockville to the District line, then a short trolley ride down Georgia Avenue to the stadium. The whole trip was about 35 cents in the fifties. Most of the time, I would go to the stadium with my dad, but occasionally, I would bus it and meet him there.

[Dean Romig]

All I really know is that after all the shooting that had been done with it, all that remained of all the ammo that was made especially for the gun with special head stamps was one original box of 25 with the exception that when the gun was offered to me one of those original shells had been removed and replaced with a 20 gauge shell. It was a DHE and no I didn’t buy it.... the price wasn’t realistic for a gun with a lot of wear and nowhere to buy ammo for it.





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[Bill Murphy]

Where is it today, Dean? DGJ issue?

[Dean Romig]

I honestly don’t know where the gun is today and I don’t know which issue the article appeared in.





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[Jeff Christie]

Bill— thanks for the fun reply. Tendlers was an amazing place. As I remember we rode in on DC Transit buses (yellow and green?) to Constitution (and 9th?) and catch a trolley to the Ball Park. I usually met my father at home after the school had called him. Youth was wonderful. Jeff

[Larry the Gun Guy]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

Where is it today, Dean? DGJ issue?

PM sent

[Researcher]

All I really know is that after all the shooting that had been done with it, all that remained of all the ammo that was made especially for the gun with special head stamps was one original box of 25 with the exception that when the gun was offered to me one of those original shells had been removed and replaced with a 20 gauge shell. It was a DHE and no I didn’t buy it.... the price wasn’t realistic for a gun with a lot of wear and nowhere to buy ammo for it.

The article was by Keith Kearcher in The Double Gun Journal, Volume Four, Issue 3, pages 127 to 130. The run of 18-gauge ammo from Union Metallic Cartridge Co. was made for John M. Browning, circa 1905. Apparently he was experimenting with a lighter weight version of his autoloading shotgun. Nothing came of it. Half way through the production run of shells the 18-gauge "Bunter" (head stamp) broke and the run was finished with a 20-gauge stamp. So, pink UMC NITRO CLUB 18-gauge shells exist both with the No. 18 and the No. 20 head stamps. Major Howard Mills, manager of a duck club on the south side of Great Salt Lake made a deal with JMB for the supply of shells and in 1908 had the Brothers P make a gun for them on an 0-frame.

[Dean Romig]

Right Dave. That was the gun that was offered to me at something like $17 or $18k. I passed... I didn’t have the need or use for such a gun and wasn’t into collecting one-of guns. I have no idea where it went after I said “No thank you.”





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[charlie cleveland]

I have seen some of those 18 ga shells with the 20 ga head stamp on them...I have a 18 ga stamped shell it is still loaded...dean I would have passed too.....charlie

[Bill Murphy]

Fun with twenties continues today when I appeared at the local Izaak Walton range with my second SC single barrel twenty gauge for test fire. I patterned the Colonel Cutts twenty on a pattern sheet and was impressed with the 7/8 ounce pattern of #9 at about 25 or 30 yards. A bumble bee would be hard pressed to escape. At some time in the future, I will load some serious 1 ounce #7 1/2 loads and get some real patterns at 40 yards. The Cutts twenty gauge single is only a 30" gun, but much fun to shoot.