# Shell Size For 1920's N.R. Davis and Sons Single-Shot Shotgu



## grapher (Feb 1, 2009)

I have a single-shot shotgun made by N.R. Davis and Sons. I don't know a lot about old guns, so I was wondering if anyone can tell me what size shell it takes? It is not marked on the barrel.


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

grapher said:



> I have a single-shot shotgun made by N.R. Davis and Sons. I don't know a lot about old guns, so I was wondering if anyone can tell me what size shell it takes? It is not marked on the barrel.


Hello grapher

Welcome to Nodak Outdoors! :welcome:

Some background on your gun from another site:



> Nathan R. Davis of Freetown Mass was granted 5 patents on gun related inventions between 1868 and 1886. He started the N.R. Davis & Co. gun making firm in Assonet, Mass in 1853, This merged with Warner Arms CO about 1917, went inactive 1920-22, then was revived about 1930 as part of the Crescent-Davis Arms corp., which in turn was absorbed by Stevens about 1932.
> 
> I am guessing that your shotgun is one of the earlier ones which would have been marked N.R. Davis, and probably has external hammers. It could be either a muzzle loader or breech loader, depending on when it was made. All the companies Davis was later affiliated with made inexpensive shotguns to be mass marketed. Crescent alone made them under dozens of different brand names. the Davis name may or may not have been used on guns after 1917 when they got into mergers.


You are in posession of a very old gun. We'd have to see a few pictures of it, especially any writing on the barrel to be able to assist you with an understanding of exactly what you have.

With the understanding that it is an N. R. Davis, you are looking at a gun in excess of 75 years old. Any gun that old needs to be taken to a qualifed gunsmith for inspection to make sure that if it is fired won't blow up on you. Modern ammunition might use powders that would create excessive pressure in the old barrels.

I'd suggest that you keep the gun as a keepsake, not fire it at all, and instead find something else to shoot. It just isn't worth the risk to fire such an old gun that you do not know the history of...

Good luck to you.

Ryan


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