doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Remington model 1900 with straight grip

I can picture an employee seeing this nice rough turned, semi-inlet stock, possibly rejected for a higher grade gun because of some minor flaw or defect, and either himself or a stock fitter buddy fitting it to a lower grade gun for him. Might explain why no Q on the trigger guard. Q was an inventory stock letter for the K-quality guns and this gun never went into inventory. All pure speculation, but that is all we have.

I mentioned above, 1907 and dieNusse1 over on the Remington Society site did also. We should keep in mind that these guns in general didn't leave the factory in serial number order. Charles did his chronology by totaling up numbers of guns shipped from shipping records, as there are no production records for the individual guns, or at least they haven't been found yet.

With the A.H. Fox Gun Co. where we have individual production cards, we see guns that were finally finished up and shipped years later then guns around them. I own two guns that are fourteen serial numbers apart, one shipped in 1914 and the other was not shipped until 1918. They would both be 1914 in the Fox serial number chronology available on-line. A friend down in Virginia has a gun that was started in a batch of five higher grade guns in the late 1920s. Four of the guns were finished and shipped as XE-Grades in the late 1920s, and his gun was finally stocked and engraved as an AE-Grade and shipped in 1940. But, it has all the receiver profiling of an XE- or higher grade Fox.

Researcher
I am a little confused. I realize that we will never know for sure but are you saying that the lack of a Q in the SN means this shotgun was never in inventory for sale to the general public. If an employee wanted to purchase a shotgun back in the day was it common practice not to inventory the gun or do you think this was a lunch box special. Since we are speculating here I suppose it is also possible this shotgun was made up as a prize for the winner of some pigeon shoot. It is a shame that the Remington records are not readily available for scrutiny. I thought I heard a few years ago that the records really do exist but that Remington did not want to be bothered with researchers pestering them for access to them. Thank you all for answering my questions to the best of your abilities.

I think what we learn from these investigations is that there was a wide assortment of variations in firearms that weren't standard factory and there were some very good 'forgers' who made things look factory. I have a D grade Parker that left the factory with a pistol grip. I bought it with a straight grip and a long trigger guard with proper serial number stamping and engraving. My stocker who is refinishing it says the stock is not original. Where did the trigger guard come from? Go figure.

Tamid
You make a very good point. However faking the upgrade of a Remington 1900 would be akin to faking the upgrade of a Parker Trojan would it not. I am sure we will never know how this 1900 came to be made with upgraded wood and a straight grip stock but I highly doubt it is the product of a forger. I think most of them were working on Parkers, Winchesters and Colts.

I think what we learn from these investigations is that there was a wide assortment of variations in firearms that weren't standard factory and there were some very good 'forgers' who made things look factory. I have a D grade Parker that left the factory with a pistol grip. I bought it with a straight grip and a long trigger guard with proper serial number stamping and engraving. My stocker who is refinishing it says the stock is not original. Where did the trigger guard come from? Go figure.

Strange up graded wood on lower grade guns does come along once in a while. I had a Lefever DS with a butt stock which would have been at home on a Optimus grade. Burl, grain contrast, fiddle back great flow through the wrist. It had to be either a cleanup the stock gun or one made for an employee. By serial number it was not at the end but Lefver serial numbers are not that definitive as to when they are made. I wish I had not sold it but it was just a DS which cleaned up nicely and then the wood popped into view. The metal needed full restoration to bring it back and I am done with restorations.

I certainly don't know that for a fact. All speculation. The one thing I am certain of is that there is no one left alive who worked in the shotgun department at Remington Arms Co. when these guns were built that could tell us the "facts."

Sorry for the double post above.

I use the word forger in the most broad context and perhaps not the best word to use. There are those who restore and make new pieces so well as to be un-distinguishable from the factory piece. Some do it with malice intent to deceive and others as a normal process in the restoration of a gun. It is at the other end with open disclosure that counts. However after a said gun has passed a few hands the history of the replacement piece is lost and we can only speculate on the purpose and intent.

If we go back to the OP's gun, I think it is generally determined that a normal 1900 would not have this grade of wood. How and why it is on this gun leads to the fun of discovery in collecting these vintage firearms.

Yes the model 1900 was made with a straight grip it was special order. I have one in 16ga. I see about two a year on gun broker and at gun show's that were original. There was one on gun broker about two or three week's ago. Serial number and inletting looks correct on this gun but the completed wood dose not look Remington.

Thank you very much Ithaca, I found the one on Gunbroker and it is a few hundred serial numbers later than mine. Now the mystery is the quality of the wood on mine. I wish it was in better shape but it is what it is.