doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com New guy and a gun question.

Hey folks, I'm new here. Started buying old doubles about a year ago and have a 20ga. Lefever Nitro and a 16ga. Philly Sterlingworth. I am a freelance photographer and occasional author and I hunt over my setter in MN, KS, OK, TX and LA most years.

Anyhow, I have been reading here for a while and decided to finally post a question about a gun that's been driving me nuts for a few years now. It's on the used shelf at a local big box store and all their used guns are way overpriced, but each time I handle it I get a little more intrigued by it. The straight stock feels great Mainly because no one seems to know what it is.

A little info. The gun is a simple 12ga boxlock with what appears to be fairly nice wood (under layers and layers of oil and dirt) with some nice checkering. The barrels are in decent shape with lots of bluing left. The receiver is covered in a light layer of rust/patina in that order. The tag on the gun IDs it as a Crocker, but there is no such maker I can find and no ID to that sort on the gun. The workers at the store know nothing about it and can't ever seem to locate the trigger lock key (the barrels won't break open with the trigger lock in place it seems, so I can't read the flats)

Along the top rib there is a well worn stamp that reads "D. Hart???? & Sons, Stirleig" On the flats with the forearm removed I can see "CHOKE" clearly stamped on the left barrel and "??eveling" stamped on the other two. with the ?s being letters that are hidden by the receiver or unreadable on the rib.

A few poorly made cell phone photos:



It has three pins in the receiver and the top lever spring is broken, but with the lever pushed into place it's tight on face.

I am assuming it's some sort of guild gun, but I have no idea. I don't really have an interest in buying it because it's a 12ga. But it just drives me nuts that no one knows anything about it.

Thanks for any help.
Shane

Just a suggestion:
Why not see if they'll let you put a deposit on it so you can take it to a locksmith and have the triggerguard lock removed. If they won't do this perhaps you could accompany one of their staff to the locksmith. Once this is done you'll be able to break the gun down and examine the underside of the barrels plus the water table.
Jim

Jim's suggestion is good. I don't think anyone can tell you much from the pictures you have or the information you provided. "Stirleig" sounds German, but doesn't produce anything on Google and the name on the rib is most likely a store. You're likely right that its a no name guild gun of some sort, but we'll need the stamps on the barrel and action flats to tell much more. Welcome to the forum!..Geo

Thanks guys, I agree on the Stirleig sounding German, but like you, couldn't find anything at all on google or elsewhere.

I may try and go back and find a day manager at the gun counter, I usually go in at night. The stamps on the flats that I could see where in good shape, so I think once I get it open it would be easy to ID.

My guess would be that leaving the store with the gun is a no starter.... Johnny Morris frowns upon such things I think.

Again, I am not sure why I am so intrigued, it's priced high for it's condition and it's a 12, but some feels right at the shoulder.

what is priced high for a 12??

Could it be Crockart and Stirling? He was a Scottish maker.

Come on Shane, you know you're gonna buy it. You need a 12ga with short chambers anyhow so you can buy special shells or start reloading...Geo

Hey Geo, I already keep the guys at Polywad pretty flush. HA!

Mike, the Stirlieg is for sure spelled with an I.

Pod, I think they are asking 700 or so. But the cost of the repairs and the refinishing would be considerable. Maybe it's not all that high if you love the gun, but I have strayed from 12s over the past few years. It is fairly light in hand for a 12 though.

There should be nothing about a trigger lock like the one shown that would interfere with opening the gun. The fact that the top lever has what appears to be a broken spring and won't open the gun doesn't bode well for the internals.

Absolutely. That trigger lock will not prevent you from opening the gun or removing the forend or barrels.