Author Topic: American Gun Co. double barrel shotgun with external hammers  (Read 23066 times)

Offline stepnmud

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American Gun Co. double barrel shotgun with external hammers
« on: December 28, 2010, 07:13:08 PM »
Son just brought this shotgun to me and was given to him by an uncle. Uncle got it from someone else in a retirement home.
Shotgun is marked as American Gun Co. and has serial numbers and after a internet search seems to be manufactured by Cresent Firearms  and sold by Sears Co., apparantly made up till about 1940s. Over all the shotgun seems to be in good condition and locked up real tight with no looseness and even used a dollar bill to see how tight the action held barrels when closed. Barrels are 30" and bores look bright and shiney with no pitting, however the muzzel end on the right barrel is noticeably dented in. Would almost just cutoff the barrels to around  28" just to get past the damage part and rebead, seems easier than to bend out the dented barrel and really could even cut one inch and be past the damaged part. The external hammer on the left side has been repaired some time with brass looking solder but appears to be solid. Anyhow want to keep the barrels as long as possible for now and do a complete cleanup on the insides as it's stiff as any new shotgun that I've handled. Pretty cool with the mule ear hammers and might even use in a CAS match just fer fun.

Offline stepnmud

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Re: American Gun Co. double barrel shotgun with external hammers
« Reply #1 on: December 28, 2010, 07:48:07 PM »
Wondering if I can improvise with a tool like a brass large plumbbob to straighten out the dented barrel muzzel?

Offline rickk

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Re: American Gun Co. double barrel shotgun with external hammers
« Reply #2 on: December 28, 2010, 08:39:31 PM »
Brownells sells a tool to fix a dented barrel, but it is pricey. It would be cheaper to find someone who has the tool and pay them to use it.

I have what may be a similar gun (Cresent Arms, external hammer). I believe mine was made around 1930. The barrels are Damascus Steel and in good shape. I shoot it with light black powder loads only. It's still a lot of fun to shoot with light, pain-free, no-recoil, smoke belching loads.

I am not sure, but I think the chambers are only 2-5/8".  I am going under that assumption and trimming cases accordingly, or using brass Magtec hulls (which are short enough).

If yours is anything like mine, don't be tempted to stick any store bought smokeless shells into it or it more than likely will not do well. If your barrel is Damascus steel that has been abused, have it checked over very carefully before you use it. It is best to have it checked over even if it appears mint.

I would not think a Damascus barrel would do well to have a dent removed, shortening it instead might be worth considering.

For what it's worth, you aren't holding an excessively high priced antique in your hand. Crescents (under various names) are really common. Sadly, you have to weight the cost of proper fixing verses what a better one could be bought for.

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Offline vintagearms

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Re: American Gun Co. double barrel shotgun with external hammers
« Reply #3 on: December 28, 2010, 09:17:22 PM »
Have the gn checked over by a good competent gunsmith with damscus barrel experience, if they are sound then have the dent raised... do not cut them off.  Good Damscus will take such a repair without a problem.  if its 1 dent or ding the inspection and fix should cost less than 75.00  FYI. ON ANY DOUBLE BARREL ALWAYS BUY THE BARRELS  if the barrels are bad pass on the gun. a quick check is to ring them of the gu,  should sound like a bell or crystal not a thud.
".... I Hatchet Jack being of sond mind and brole legs do hereby leaveth by Bare rifle to whatever finds it, Lord hope he be a whiteman. It is a good rifle and kilt the bare tha kilt me. Anyway I am dead... your truely Hatchet Jack

Offline stepnmud

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Re: American Gun Co. double barrel shotgun with external hammers
« Reply #4 on: December 28, 2010, 09:31:50 PM »
Ok, barrels are not Damascus steel  and S/N  is above 380,000. I'll see if I can post some pic's soon. Thanks for response's.

Offline vintagearms

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Re: American Gun Co. double barrel shotgun with external hammers
« Reply #5 on: December 28, 2010, 09:46:53 PM »
Still have them checked over and  then raised, if they are not sound then its not worth doing anything to them if they are good have the dent lifted, if you cut them the choke is gone/altered along with point of impact.  the rest of my post was for general background. I had a set of john Wilkes barrels worked over at a sxs shoot this past summer 9 dents in 20 minutes they  turend out great. The guys that are good with these guns and barrels  are artists and know what they are doing so it was nice to see the process and do someof it myself. Mike
".... I Hatchet Jack being of sond mind and brole legs do hereby leaveth by Bare rifle to whatever finds it, Lord hope he be a whiteman. It is a good rifle and kilt the bare tha kilt me. Anyway I am dead... your truely Hatchet Jack

Offline stepnmud

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Re: American Gun Co. double barrel shotgun with external hammers
« Reply #6 on: December 29, 2010, 07:43:08 PM »
before pic.



after.


still need little touchup with plum brown, but the barrel bores are bright and shiney. didn't cut the barrels, but opened the dent up and hand filed till happy. Finish with 1200 grit and 2000 grit paper. Measured barrels inside dia. .690 and .710 as close as I can tell. Still would like to find a left external hammer for Cresent/American Gun Co., and Numrich is out of stock.

Offline rickk

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Re: American Gun Co. double barrel shotgun with external hammers
« Reply #7 on: December 29, 2010, 08:01:49 PM »
Nice job.... how did you do that?

for some reason the left hammers are near impossible to find.

Offline stepnmud

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Re: American Gun Co. double barrel shotgun with external hammers
« Reply #8 on: December 29, 2010, 08:04:10 PM »
thanks rickk,  

before any cleaning;





did take down the shotgun major parts and inspected and cleanup old grim and really not to bad.

Online Coffinmaker

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Re: American Gun Co. double barrel shotgun with external hammers
« Reply #9 on: December 30, 2010, 10:44:15 AM »

What a nifty new/old toy.  Your going to have fun with it!!  I would suggest however, you have the chambers reamed to the modern dimension of 2 3/4.  Even with light loads your going to have chamber pressure problems unless you cut the cases down and use a roll crimp.  Even at that, I'd have the chambers recut to preclude accidentally dropping an uncut round into the gun.

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Offline stepnmud

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Re: American Gun Co. double barrel shotgun with external hammers
« Reply #10 on: December 30, 2010, 01:19:45 PM »
thanks Coffinmaker,
I do normally shoot all blackpowder rounds and past year have been having using brass Magtech shotgun loads and had trimmed all brass hulls to 2 3/16", with a slight roll and sealed over shot card with beeswax. Did watch a you tube clip with Mr. Potterfield demo reaming shotgun chambers and may try it if one of shooting pards can't do it.

Offline rickk

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Re: American Gun Co. double barrel shotgun with external hammers
« Reply #11 on: January 04, 2011, 11:26:09 AM »
Ballistic Products makes a nifty hull trimmer for trimming plastic hulls, and removing the old star crimp at the same time to make roll crimping possible.

If you start with a 3/4 hull and cut 1/2 inch off to prepare it for roll crimping, there will be no need to rechamber your shotgun for 2-3/4 inch hulls.

As far as the Magtechs go, they are well under 2-5/8 as they make them at the factory, at least the ones that I have are.

Have you tried waterglass for sealing yet? It beats messing with heating wax. I dip a pencil into the container and it pulls out more than enough to seal a shell. I just stick the pencil into the case and spread the waterglass around with the pencil point.

 

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