N.R.Davis & Co.

Question
Hi ..I have a H.R.Davis Co, 12 Ga Dbl. barrel , External Hammers

On the Opposite side is stamped DAMASCUS ,,   & the # 17 stamped ,

Can you give a date of its age , & value please,,I live in Ct,  & probably   will sell the gun . I Thank You

Answer
Joe,

I am not familiar with any H.R. Davis shotguns.  There is an N.R. Davis shotgun however.

N.R. Davis & Sons of Assonet, Mass., was one of the first U.S. manufacturers of breechloading double barrel shotguns. They made shotguns like yours between 1853 and 1917.  In 1917, N.R. Davis was taken over by Warner Arms Corp around WW-I. Warner moved the assets from the original factory in Assonet, Mass. to their plant in Norwich, Conn. in 1919, and became Davis-Warner Arms Corp. They continued to manufacture Davis doubles until about 1926 when they closed the plant and tried their hand at importing guns from Belgium.

Given the fact that there are no real records from that time and no serial numbers, it is impossible to tell when it was actually manufactured other than the window of time that N. R. Davis was actually building guns.  Damascus most likely indicates that the barrels were made of Damascus steel which was popular at that time.  DO NOT attempt to shoot this gun.  It will not stand up to the pressures of modern shotgun shells.

Unfortunately, these are not considered to be collectable guns.  They were inexpensive and utilitarian at the time they were originally made and depending on the condition, you might get between $100-$200 for it from someone interested in owning a "turn-of-the-century" shotgun.  If it is really good condition, you get close to $200.  If it is in poor condition, you might only get $50.  

Sorry I can't help you more...there is just not a lot of info out there about these guns.

Doug Little