doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Manhattan Arms SxS

Just curious what anyone know's about Manhattan Arms. A Friend prought one to my office today because he could not put the gun together. Someone had dropped the hammers after the barrel was off. I figured out how to re-cock the hammers and got it together for him. While this is a completely plain jane gun and is not of any great quality it is not in the worst of condition. It does have some exterior barrel pitting and a crack in the but stock. It is all intact and on face. I believe that with some TLC it could be used with some low pressure loads. So what can any of our experts tell me about these guns.

Bill G.

It was a "trade name" used by SD&G for years. Some of them are pretty nice Birmingham boxlocks and some are Hunter Arms Co. Fultons. My Father owned one of the Birmingham made ones in 10-gauge for a while.

I have a Damascus Side lock J.P. Sauer with that name on it.

How would i know which one it is? Who is SD&G? I do not see any proof marks. Maybe that means not Birmingham. The only thing stamped on this gun is on the frame (water table) it says Pat'd Feb 7, 1911. On the top of the barrels it says For Nitro Powder, & Superior Quality, on the bottom of the barrels is stamped "W&R". 12 Ga. 30" barrels, Serial #18192.

It's a Fulton made about 1919 http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/17126039
PLEASE post pics, esp. the 'Manhattan Arms' on the receiver! or send them by jpg attachment to revdoc2@cox.net

Manhattan Arms was, as Researcher posted, a trade name used by Schoverling, Daly, and Gales, a New York sporting goods retailer and wholesaler. They also marketed the famous Lindner and Sauer (and other) high quality guns that people normally associate with the Charles Daly name. The best of the Manhattan Arms marked guns are similar or identical to these high quality Prussian guns. Many Manhattan Arms marked guns are of somewhat lesser quality.

Thanks everyone. You guys always amaze me with the things you know. I'll See what I can do with the pictures Revdoc.

Bill G.

Merwin-Hulbert peddled them, http://www.cornellpubs.com/Templates/Merwin-Hulbert-1889.htm , as of course did S,D&G, http://www.cornellpubs.com/Templates/Schoverling-1892.htm . I seem to recall that the address of Manhattan Arms, not Manhattan Fire Arms/American Standard Tool Company of NJ, was very close to that of S, D&G.

Mark you may have a Sauer sidelock, but if it is an early one with Damascus and has a "L" pin configuration on the sideplate, it's one of the transitional, boxlock-sidelock, variants. The hammer and mainspring are in the box while the scear and spring are on the sideplate.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

"Pat'd Feb 7, 1911"

BTW: We haven't figured out 'W&R' yet



The 'C' for Crucible Steel and '4 over 7' the pre-fit & finish barrel weight.

Which is NOT 'WR' for Wm. Read & Sons Boston, also a Hunter Arms distributor