What would you all rate as the better put together early American Hammered SxS, the Parker, Baker, LC Smith, or the Ithaca? Or is there another solid old hammered double I missed i.e. Stevens 225?

Must have external hammers.

Remington.

I would pick made in Birmingham England Winchesters. Proly the best sxs shotguns Winchester ever sold.

Add Colt to the list.

The J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. No. 225 --



that evolved into their No. 235 --



was their entry-level hammer gun. Their sidelock No. 250 --



260 --



and 270 --



that evolved into their No. 255 --



and No. 265 --



were their better hammer doubles.

I've been collecting doubles for the last couple of years that would be common tools to the common man. I have one or more Bakers, Remingtons, Hunter Arms, Hopkins and Allen, Colt, Ithaca, etc. But my pride and joy is my LC Smith Syracuse 10 gauge.



I had this Stevens 235 in 16 gauge for a short time but I wasn't equipment to reload 16 gauge so traded it for a Hopkin and Allen 12 gauge in about equal condition.

I have never owned one but have seen & handled (Not Shot) a Barber & Lefever hammer 10 ga that very much impressed me. Looked at it at a gun show & didn't measure but believe it had 28" barrels. It was a lighter weight 10ga Field Gun, not a heavy waterfowler. It was in a Not for Sale display of some very nice Lefevers.

Baker and Ithaca hammergun.

Baker: Baker by LC Smith, The New Baker and the Model 97.

Ithaca: The BakerGun, three variations of the NIG, and the Ithaca 2 bolt hammergun.

The Lewis era NIG is my pick on Looks.

Too bad the sidelock Stevens are not more common. It appears the 225 and 235 were made in larger numbers and are more available these days. The vast majority of the ones I've seen have large pieces missing from the top head of the stock. I wonder if this is a design flaw or poor fitting, or just that so many were used with modern loads that the gun wasn't designed for.

Forehand, Hopkins& Allen, N.R. Davis, Syracuse Arms Co., Parry/ Wilkes-Barre, Davenport... all mfg hammerguns, some better than others.

American Arms Co. mfg the Fox, Boston Side-Swing. A first rate double of the time.