doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Hardware store 410 doubles

Can anyone explain why a hardware store double like my Stevens 5100 with checkered walnut stocks is bringing big bucks on the market? It's cute, alright, but still a bit clubby, and the workmanship is rough. I paid $150 bucks for mine about seven years ago, still have it. But is it worth the kind of money asked for on the various sites? Chopperlump

Can't say ...but want to double your money? ;-)

Does anyone know how to take apart a 1897 Winchester take down model shotgun into its two conponents? I cannot find any infomation on the Internet.

Does anyone know how to take apart a 1897 Winchester take down model shotgun into its two conponents? I cannot find any infomation on the Internet.

Push slide forward locking the action. Push plunger at forward end of magazine through cap, using it as a lever rotate magazine ¼ turn unlocking it from receiver. Pull magazine forward clear of receiver then again pull slide forward till operating bar clears receiver. Barrel & magazine assembly can then be rotated ¼ turn & pulled forward to disassemble from receiver. Both barrel & magazine have interupted threads which unlock with a ¼ turn.
It goes without saying, be sure gun is empty before starting.

They are petit, cute and hard to shoot! There were far fewer of them made then the larger bores, so many people think they need one. Supply is small, demand is high, and the price goes up.

There have always been 2 schools regarding the 410. One simply feels it is a toy. The other feels it is a useful tool in the proper hands. Gun makers have basically followed those 2 sentiments, making cheap inexpensive guns or making very elaborate ones. The supply of top of the line early 410's is very limited and the prices are stratospheric.

American gun makers did not start making sxs 410's until the mid 1920's. Parker is supposed to be the earliest. They made less than 570 410's while making over 84,000 12ga. Only 1 was an AH grade 410.

It only follows that the low end guns are growing in appeal and price.

Plus they are ideal for shooting rabbits, raccoons, rats, possums, hares and snakes or even bothering irksome birds in the garden .. all the usual stuff that needs dealing with or taken for the pot about a country place. In honesty, they were just about near perfect guns for the farmer's wife .. the equivalent of a 'never miss .22' I guess not too many American farmers ever got around to figuring that out or the ammo cost was too dear.

I'm not even positive that .410's or the earlier smooth bored 40 cals were actually intended to be used as shotguns in any dynamic sense, the exception being the Wild West Show and exibition guns where pellets were being used rather than bullets to insure hits and not reign a solid down on some unsuspecting member of society a few furlongs removed from the spectacle. Inside 25 yards they work remarkably well with minimal aim at more or less stationary targets.

I think that Skeet may have provided the first real opportunity for .410's to be used as shotguns in any normal sense at flying targets and the rest, inclusive of the myrads of single shots were mostly used as small game guns at birds on limbs and ground targets. High end small gauge guns were and remain mostly a novelty. Of course that is but an opinion and conjecture on my part. What do the rest say?

Back on subject, I saw a well used 311 .410 priced at $510 recently. The seller told me he'd paid $300 for it over 5 years ago," .. because it was 'cute'." He really didn't care if anyone bought it or not. Someone probably will and then list it somewhere for $1100.

For those farmer's daughter and traveling salesmen joke types, a full bore 12g would be the only thing behind the country kitchen doorjam.
A wild-eyed, stinkin' of beer guy would chuckle at the 410 if he had trouble on his mind!

Those Stevens and Savage liliputs are $800-$1000 if in very good shape. They are more rare, so..... If I had one I would probably want to get top price for one too.
I might spend $300 on Winchester 37 .410, but that's about all I would be interested in.