doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Where does Meriden fit w/ rest of Americans?

This by Pete a few posts back would appear to me to be your answer.

I can only agree with PeteM.
There is no design flaw in a Meriden and those that pass the sound ones by will live to regret it.
As to the status of Smith vs Meriden, perhaps the engraving can be faulted on the Meriden. Remember that they were selling through Sears & Roebuck.
The basic quality, of a good quality tool, was there and perhaps the Smith has a tad more cache than Meriden.
As to the American side locks, on today's scales,I would say---Smith, Meriden and the Crescent.
Best,
John

John;
Where would you put Baker in the lineup, in front of or following Smith?? It was a true side-lock as well you know, also a back action as was the Smith (Hammerless).

Interesting information a few posts back, can't find it now, but the price of a box of 25 shells cost a week's wages for the average worker. How would that effect a man's shooting habits and more important to this discussion how did it effect the lock up on a lower price double?? From a personal history, love these old Meridens, doubles were the norm, not because of their looks or anything to do with social standing, but because of their practicality. The subsistence hunter, not the market hunter, could kill anything he came across with a double, fur or feather.
My point is the lower paid worker that could only afford one box of shells at any one time probably rammed everything he could down the barrels of that Meriden, slug for deer or shot for birds/small game, shot loose not from abuse but from hard continuous use!!
My thoughts anyway.

Treblig1958

Excellent point. I agree that these guns shot loose not from abuse, those boys shot what they had. My Dad would be a prime example of your "low paid worker". He bought his Meriden used sometime in the late '30's. He'd scrounge shells wherever he could find them, sometimes trading work for shells. A story he told was that he'd take a pocket full of shells,his Springer, and the Meriden and ride the trolley to the end of the line from Sioux Falls. Jump out and hunt pheasant, prairie chickens and ducks and ride the trolley back to town. I doubt seriously he ever worried about what the loads were, if they fit the gun, he shot 'em. By the time I started joining him in the mid '50's, things were much better. We'd take the '53 Chevrolet sedan delivery and do the same thing, but the prairie chickens had disappeared. Dad shot Peters and Federal 1 1/4 6's by that time. Not a violent load, but the Meriden was loose by the late 50's and moved to the back of the closet for a new sxs--a Mercury 12gauge 3". Happy to say, my brother and I had the gun completely reworked a couple years ago and she's once again hunting, though with lighter loads.

Steve

Steve,
Great information!!!

I wish I could find that thread or post I think EDM posted it!!
But that thread really shed some light; not only the price of a firearm in relation to a worker's average salary but how expensive it was to operate that firearm on a day to day basis!!!
So maybe we have it backwards here; the well to do bought the repeaters because they could afford the shells to go with them and the 'workers' had the doubles because of the way they had to hunt…..opportunity hunting!!
I don't know and I don't have the resources to find out.