Thank you so much for this video. I was handed down an almost identical shotgun that belonged to my deceased father-in-law, except it appears to be an older model since it does have the lever to remove the forearm piece. It has a manufacturer stamped on the side as Wiltshire Arms Co. No other model name or number or any other markings at all on the barrel, except for the serial number, which is stamped on every removable part of this gun including the wood pieces. I wish I had seen this video before, I decided to take it apart one day to see if I could restore it as much as I could since it had a fair amount of rust and buildup. The automatic safety did not work, but I didn't know at the time how it was supposed to work anyway. The safety mechanism was a little different than this one, reassembly was harder than I thought but when I was able to reassemble it, it worked as it should by engaging the safety when the barrels are open. I have no idea of its history other than its serial number, the only other similar gun I found on the internet was an American Arms Knickerbocker, it looks identical on the outside but I could not tell if the internals were the same. Very little information is out there on these, especially ones by Wiltshire Arms Co.
Wiltshire Arms was a trade name used by a hardware catalog store in or around New Orleans around 1900 or perhaps a little before. The shotguns were probably made by NR Davis and Sons and would be similar to the early Crescent models such as the No.6.
I've been debating that. It's definitely worth doing, and getting it apart is not difficult. Replacing the hammers over the hammer springs is the difficult part on that gun.
I don't know of any reliable source for original wood. There are semi-finished stock blanks available from various sources on the internet but any of those would require considerable fitting. A good stock repair guy might be able to repair your exiting stock.
Thank you so much for this video. I was handed down an almost identical shotgun that belonged to my deceased father-in-law, except it appears to be an older model since it does have the lever to remove the forearm piece. It has a manufacturer stamped on the side as Wiltshire Arms Co. No other model name or number or any other markings at all on the barrel, except for the serial number, which is stamped on every removable part of this gun including the wood pieces. I wish I had seen this video before, I decided to take it apart one day to see if I could restore it as much as I could since it had a fair amount of rust and buildup. The automatic safety did not work, but I didn't know at the time how it was supposed to work anyway. The safety mechanism was a little different than this one, reassembly was harder than I thought but when I was able to reassemble it, it worked as it should by engaging the safety when the barrels are open. I have no idea of its history other than its serial number, the only other similar gun I found on the internet was an American Arms Knickerbocker, it looks identical on the outside but I could not tell if the internals were the same. Very little information is out there on these, especially ones by Wiltshire Arms Co.
Wiltshire Arms was a trade name used by a hardware catalog store in or around New Orleans around 1900 or perhaps a little before. The shotguns were probably made by NR Davis and Sons and would be similar to the early Crescent models such as the No.6.
Thank you👍 A wealth of information...👌
Really enjoy your video's and your experience with all firearms. Thank you
Another great and interesting episode. Thanks for showing the Crescent shotgun.
Side Lock shotguns are interesting designs that have great features. I like their looks and the lightweight of the small gauge guns most. 👍
That Cresent Arms shotgun looks very similar to my LC Smith Featherweight 16 gauge! Great video, btw.!
Any chance you could do the same video for the 5100/311?
I've been debating that. It's definitely worth doing, and getting it apart is not difficult. Replacing the hammers over the hammer springs is the difficult part on that gun.
can you tell me where I could purchase a replacement stock? The stock on the crescent I own is cracked and broken where it meets the receiver. thanks
I don't know of any reliable source for original wood. There are semi-finished stock blanks available from various sources on the internet but any of those would require considerable fitting. A good stock repair guy might be able to repair your exiting stock.
Thought he was going to dismantle the Crescent but he didn't so the title is misleading