doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Follow up to the Rem 1894 discussion...

I didn't want to hijack the other thread on Remington Doubles, but I am curious about something I've read both in the thread and in Semmer's book. That is that when Remington wanted out of the double gun business, they sold all the pieces and parts of the guns to the Norvell-Shapliegh Hardware Co of St Louis.

I found a history on line of that company and it makes no mention of gun assembly. In my mind I imagine Bubba and Cooter sitting in the back room of a hardware store piecing together random parts and coming up with finished guns.

My 1894, an AE in 10 ga (sn P140xxx, the last year of production) appears to be a very well made and well fitted gun. Just yesterday I shot 2 bluebills with it using hand loads found in the Sherman Bell load charts.

So my question is, does anybody know anything about the gun making process as practiced at Norvell - Shapliegh?

Mergus

I always believed the deal was for the number of guns in finished inventory and in work, and that Remington Arms Co. continued and finished the guns in work from the time the deal was made until the last gun was shipped.

However, Norvell-Shapliegh and later Shapleigh Hardware Co. did have a large gun repair and gun parts business. Their 1915 gun repair and gun material catalogue is over 150 pages.

OK, that makes more sense. I would like to have seen that 150 page gun and parts catalog.

Mergus