doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Hollenbeck Guns- any info

Can anyone tell me about Hollenbeck guns? I saw a picture of a few both sxs and some drillings- they looked like nice guns. Where were they made? How are they quality wise?

Thanks

Alex

I'm assuming that you mean rare Hollenbeck marked guns, but I'd like to say something on behalf of Francis (Frank). Juxtaposed to the rare Hollenbeck marked guns, there is a little Frank in so many American made doubles that he is, perhaps, the second most influential double designer known (in terms of production numbers). "Hats off" to Frank for accelerating the perfection of double shotgun industry in America. If there was a double shotgun "Hall of Fame", Frank would require his own wing.

As Robert noted, Frank Hollenbeck's name is on two different guns; the HOLLENBECK double gun manufactured by the Syracuse Arms Company, Syracuse, NY (on guns made from 1893 to early 1896 when the gun name was changed to SYRACUSE after Frank had resigned from Syracuse Arms in July, 1895), and on the earliest examples of his hammerless doubles and drillings produced thru his short-lived Hollenbeck Gun Company of Wheeling, WV (this company was bankrupt very early into production, but the guns survived a while longer by the company being reformed into two other companies; the Three Barrel Gun Company being one, with the other company name escaping my memory at the moment). David Noreen has written at least two excellent articles on these guns and published same in the Double Gun Journal, I suggest you begin your research by obtaining that information.

Even the popular singer Gwen Stefani has a popular song about the Hollenbeck Gun. You may have heard it.

Royal, Baltmore, Fox, and Baker guns also have a little Frank in there.
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Hey there TopG...haven't heard from you in a while...I found that box of recievers that I told you about. I didn't try hard to contact you because Larry Shuktnecht had apparently took out all the odd ball recievers for his parts supply, so there is not much interesting stuff left except for a few unfinished drop forgings. I was hoping to be able to show youe that not all Syracuse doubles had that sliding plate inside. It looked as though they were trying to eliminate all the labor associated with it. Have you examined the guts of any Baltimore doubles? Did you note the sliding plate?

There were two good articles on Frank Hollenbeck in The Gun Report -- one by Al Atterbury in 1989 and one by H.J. Swinney in 1991. Along about 1902-03 you could find ads in magazines for four different guns that owed something of their designs to Frank A. Hollenbeck -- Baker, Syracuse Arms Co., Baltimore Arms Co. and the Hollenbeck Gun Co. Frank also worked with W.H. Baker in Lisle, NY, and later with Baker and L.C. Smith in Syracuse. Some very early Hollenbeck hammer guns exist marked Lisle, NY.

I'm in Kodiak, far from my canned responses for these questions, so this is the best I can do from memory.

Researcher, you're hurting me. I go to Kodiak every other year or so to fish. Hope you are doing the same. Hard to beat it.
Sorry to change the topic, but it is a marvelous place.
Gordon

Thanks guys. Does anyone have any/ pictures to share? How rare are they? Are they collectable or desirable? What do they sell for?

Robert,
Good to hear from you too; and I certainly want to do some indepth Syracuse discussion at some point in the near future, but time availability to expend on my double gun additiction has been minimal at best these past few months.
As to your theory on the sliding plate, I assume you mean the "false" plate beneath the trigger plate serving to hold the hammer springs in place. If that's the case, let me submit another theory. At the moment I have in my possession what is likely Hollenbeck's prototype Syracuse gun which exhibits several features that were never put into production, or were introduced much later (1902). Although I am not allowed to disassemble the gun to reveal the exact set-up, the hammer springs in this example (which has no serial number, grade stamp, or patent dates) are secured by a screw on each side of frame. Based on this discovery, my theory would be that Hollenbeck's original design never allowed for the above noted false plate; that the frames you have were instead frames intended for use in production prior to the incorporation of the false plate into his gun design. Keep in mind, since Hollenbeck had already demonstrated with his prototype that mounting the hammer springs with screws to each frame side was a very viable alternative, that Syracuse Arms could have used his original idea at any time; but instead, chose to continue the use of this false plate in production throughout their existence. My personal opinion as to why the false plate was used is asthetics; the exposed screw heads would be difficult to disguise within the engraved panels on the already very small frame sides. I hope the DGJ will feature this gun in a future article, as it is most unique and an excellent piece for discussion.

jack