doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Best of the Working Man's Doubles

Thanks! Didn't mean to Hijack. I'm just very passionate about these old girls.

My first of these �working man�s doubles� was a 16ga Stevens 530A which Larry Brown in Vol 8:4 DGJ called �the most refined of the modern Stevens guns.� and �...an attempt to add a bit of class to what was at that point Savage�s only economy offering.� It�s hard to see the �class� apart from basic checkering but the gun is still a solid shooter after 70+/- years.

My other double that clearly fits in this category is also my current favorite: a 1937 Ithaca Western Arms Long Range Gun in 16ga. My interest in these guns was stirred by Walt Snyder�s 1993 DGJ article. Not only has the gun lived up to its nickname, the Durable Double, it also has the distinction of probably saving Ithaca during the Depression. Whether its release simultaneous with the start of the Depression in 1929 was �a demonstration of management brilliance or stroke of luck� we can�t know for sure but the gun, which shares a number of parts with the Nitro Special and barrels with the NID, took off in sales while the NS and NID declined. It eventually sold over 65,000.

Walt says, �Every double gun collector who wants to include some reality in their double gun collection should have a Long Range Double..�. We perhaps could modify that slightly to say �should have a working man�s double�. All of these remind us of reality.
I�ve watched for a Long Range for a long time but most of them have been used completely up. There are a few good ones out there and Walt said, �If you find one and it doesn�t instantly bond to you, please call me. I�ll be right over!�
I did finally find a good one and it did speak to me. I�m glad I listened.
There was no need to call Walt and there�s no need to call me. It�s not for sale.

You realize this post is thirteen years or so old, and a lot more than one of the posters has either moved on, or gone to that great gunshow in the sky, right?

All my doubles, and my repeaters, for that matter, are working man�s guns. That is how I ended up with them. The Western Arms guns are very similar to my own Nitro Special in 16 gauge, nice old gun.

Good thread, but, a lot of the posters won�t be checking in on it.

Best,
Ted

I suspect they will be checking out the line, Ted....and smiling,...just not replying.

A few of those guys aren�t around to check anymore. Sad, but, true.

Best,
Ted

Timely subject brought to the top here. It happens I have an Iver Johnson Hercules 20g on my office desk right now. The last five inches of the bottom rib have popped loose at the muzzle and I'm considering whether its worth the expense to have the rib resoldered, or just superglue the thing together and forget it....Geo

Geo,
Don�t be that guy. Fix it correctly, or hang it on the wall, sans firing pins, as a display piece.
If you question whether the gun is worth it, try this. Have it fixed correctly, and donate the gun to a deserving lad, to the local Boy Scout troop, or to an organization that can raffle it at a banquet, Ruffed Grouse Society in my neck of the woods, perhaps Quail Forever down near you.
I donated an SKS rifle, ammunition, and a really beat up 20 gauge pump shotgun to the local scouts, they studied proper use with it at a Firearms Safety class, all shot it a few times, and sold both guns after that to raise funds for camping equipment. I got a receipt for my taxes, which, I promptly lost, but, it was a great experience, anyway.

Best,
Ted

My working waterfowl gun is a 30" Lefever Nitro Special. Duck/marsh rolled on both sides of frame. Would that be Lefever Arm Co's version of the "Long Range" Western Field?

Yes, I happened on this thread last week and failing to get these important guns off my mind decided to update it with some thoughts on my own �working man�s doubles�. I could have also included my 1924 16ga NS but will just echo Ted. �Nice old gun.�
Certainly many of the posters of 13 years ago are gone but these guns are not and their value to us is not. I know for me my satisfaction in carrying and shooting one of these is just as great as when I�m afield with a double that is generally more recognized or valued. Hopefully the resurrection of this topic will cause us who remain to reflect on these significant pieces of our common shooting heritage and appreciate them and enjoy them (and keep them in safe shooting shape for the next steward.)

My grandfather�s go to Gun was an Ithaca 37 which he used for everything especially waterfowl(my brother has that gun now). The only other long Guns he purchased were a Savage 99 Deer Rifle, and a Marlin 22.

The only nice shotguns he had were gifts from my dad, a Franchi Eldorado and a LC Smith 5E both in 12ga. I am not sure he ever used either of them very much.

My Father started as a kid with a 16ga Ithaca SXS. Then a German Guild Gun 16ga SXS, when stationed in Germany in the 50�s. Then onto a Browning Superposed which was his base Gun for most work. Then lastly a Hodgson Damascus Hammergun for playing around.

For Side by Sides, I believe as earlier posters have stated field grade, Parker�s, LC�s, Ithaca�s, Foxes, and yes Model 21 & 24�s are working man Guns. Post WWII, I believe one should add the Browning Superposed, Remington M32, and maybe the Marlin 90.