doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com hammerless single shots

Lots of turkey hunters and grandfathers have an interest in single shot shotguns. They make great turkey guns because you're not tempted to shoot a second bird (which you'll just have to carry out of the woods). In addition, the hammerless variety single shot is a great trainer for grandkids you hope will graduate to a love of their grandpa's double-guns.

I've owned a number of Savage model 220's, but had never seen a Harrington & Richardson hammerless gun until a local show this weekend. They were made prior to 1941 and only about 25K of them were ever produced. I read somewhere that they might be designated the model 3, but the gun shows no such model designation. The word "Hammerless" however is stamped in large letters across the receiver side...Geo

Yup!! The Harrington & Richardson hammerless was the No. 3. From the 1932 Stoeger catalogue --

Savage model 220, H&R model 3, Ithaca/Lefever model 2 (and 3) "long range and trap" models come to mind. Any other American classic hammerless singles I've missed?...Geo

Great find, George, and it is in very good condition. I would've nabbed that at Eastman in Savannah had I been there.
Can't quite read the markings. "Made in USA .410 Ga. Choke?" Gil

PS: Researcher's advertisement shows .410-12mm. Gil

Thanks Gil. The one I bought is a 20ga , but it is also in good condition. My pictures are generic from a Google search...Geo

I picked up this little 16 bore at auction recently. It comes in with my next batch. It was so cute I just could not maintain my restraint.

Steve, I'm guessing that one must be English?...Geo

It is, and that is pretty much all the info I have on it, no makers name as far as I know.

Researcher, thanks for posting the Stoeger ad. The guy I bought the hammerless from this weekend also had a H&R model 6 "heavy breech" 2 3/4 inch chambered 10ga as pictured in the ad you posted. I didn't buy it due to condition issues, but had never seen one of those either...Geo

Geo, Savage must have ran out of numbers because their current Model 220 is a bolt action shotgun. My first shotgun was a used hammerless Stevens Model 220 20 gauge that I bought for $20.00 with money earned on my paper route. I just may have to dust it off and take it out for Spring Gobbler since I haven't shot it for many years. It is choked super tight, and was tough to break even 14 or 15 of 25 at skeet with it. But when you managed to hit a clay target or game with it, the target was usually pulverized. Whenever my Dad let me use his Model 870 pump, I instantly became a much better shot. Once when I was about 16, my buddies and I were hunting in a large field of pumpkins that had been damaged by heavy frost. I decided to check the pattern of my Stevens 220 and paced off 35 paces from a large pumpkin, and fired. The #6 shot left a gaping hole you could put your fist in with a scattering of pellets on the periphery. I immediately understood why it was hard to hit with it, and later found that it would regularly put 4 or 5 pellets in a beer can at a full 100 yards.