Some are, some aren't. If it has Damascus or Laminated steel barrels, do not shoot it. They were never intended for modern powder. Fluid steel or later production barrels may be safe, but if there is rust, dents, or other signs of high wear do not try it until after it has been inspected by a competent gunsmith.
Get your brother in law to shoot it for you.
Crescent gun co made shotguns under the name of American gun co. The problems is "How old is the shotgun?" Old shotguns where designed to shoot black powder at a much lower barrel pressure than today's gun powder. Old shotguns may literally explode if the wrong powder is used. I suggest that you take it to a gun shop and have them examine it to tell you the condition of the rifle and what shot you can use with it.
Slide action shotguns with the name CHICAGO ARMS CO were made by the Marlin Fire Arms Company for and were sold by either the Fred Biffar & Co or Sears Roebuck & Co both of Chicago,IL. The gun is the same as Marlin Model 26A. Do not attempt to shoot this gun!!! Marlin has put out a company bulletin advising that these old Marlin slide action shotguns are not safe to shoot.
Victor shotguns were made by crescent firearms from 1904 to 1920. You can assume your shotgun is at least 90 +/- years old.
Old Crescent was created in 1947.
the Victor line of shotguns were made by Crescent Firearms Company, circa 1904-1920 Crescent was a sub contractor for many different shotgun distributors........... Crescent firearms were not high on collectors list..................
It was never documented when Crescent Firearms made these single shot .410 gauge shotguns.It should be noted that these shotguns were made with a 12in.barrel.Under today,s laws these short barreled single shot shotguns are considered illegal if they were not registered with BATFE and be subject to seizure.
Answer This answer was borrowed from a thread on the GunBroker.com website. The answer was posted by a gentleman who is a collector of old shotguns. I do not claim authorship nor authoritative knowledge. There were two "WH Hamilton" shotguns. From c.1875-1883 or so, the shotguns were imported from Belgium. They were external hammer shotguns of average quality for the time. In the early 1900s, Thomas Leary was an active importer of these guns, now made by Dumoulin with the WH Hamilton tradename. They were similar to the earlier ones, but with some engraving on the locks. The WH Hamilton tradename was finished when Leary closed up in 1904. Dumoulin may have continued until the 1930s. As you read so often in posts regarding these old guns, it is absolutely NOT safe to shoot with any type of modern ammunition.
Not really much history. It was a brand name used by Sears Roebuck in the early 1900's. They were manufactured by Crescent Arms and possibly a few other US makers, but most were inexpensive Belgian imports. More information contributed by others: * I found from the Illinois State Museum section "Harvesting the River," that the T. Barker was sold in 1897 by Sears for $11.97. They're example was seized during the Taylor Mine Wars. My question is: Are the laminated barrels safe to shoot modern ammo? * If it has laminated barrels, it was probably proofed for black powder. There are people who shoot these old shotguns, but they load their own shells to 1900 specifications. Using a box of WalMart shells would be like driving your Model T down the Interstate at 75.
Crescent, Davenport, and Harrington & Richardson all made guns with the Carolina Arms name for Smith-Wadsworth Hardware Co c. 1900. But no one made an OLD one, they were all made as NEW shotguns.
these were mainly produced by Crescent arms in new york and were made between 1902 and 1918 genuine armory steel refers to the barrel not being made of damascus they were inexpensive feild grade shotguns and are still usable with light loads
WH Davenport c. 1878-1890, Crescent Firearms c. 1893-1930, J. Stevens Arms c. 1930-1945. They were distributed by Shapleigh Hardware of St Louis.