This gives you a top and bottom barrel with a narrow sight plane. You’ll see the terms O/U and SxS sprinkled throughout this article. This presents a faster swinging, easier handling shotgun for taking moving targets. Gold Reserve 410 (Photo: Mossberg)įinally, double-barrel shotguns tend to focus weight rearward. Or run various bird or sport loads for different ranges. You can hunt with buckshot in one and slugs in another. Two barrels mean two chokes which allow you to tailor what each barrel is capable of doing. So, lefties don’t have to endure the uncomfortable experience of shooting right-handed.
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(Photo: Mossberg)ĭouble-barrel shotguns also enjoy an ambidextrous design in controls and function. Not much here to wear out, so double-barrel shotguns get passed down from generation to generation. The simple design of double-barrel shotguns also means they last forever. They fire the lightest of loads and handle short mini shells without any issue. They don’t jam, don’t double feed, and don’t suffer under poor weather. These shotguns offer incredible reliability with all types of ammo. But cool factor aside, these guns are just good overall.Ĭ’mon, there’s a reason these things have been around for so long. It’s a simple enough question, but I, as usual, have a not so simple answer.ĭouble-barrel shotguns are straight-up cool. In 1917, Marlin-Rockwell purchased all the Hopkins & Allen Arms Company assets, including its designs.Loading. It continued to produce firearms, but it filed for bankruptcy in 1916. Hopkins & Allen could not fully rebound from its rebuilding expenses despite its acquisitions.
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At the beginning of World War I, Hopkins & Allen was also awarded military contracts to produce Belgian Mauser 98 rifles for the Belgian Army. Hopkins & Allen was already producing firearms for the Massachusetts-based manufacturer under license. In 1902, Hopkins & Allen acquired Forehand & Wadsworth. Rebuilding in 1901 took a toll on the company's financial recovery. Hopkins & Allen recovered from its bankruptcy, but a fire two years later destroyed its manufacturing and storage facilities. In 1898, the Hopkins & Allen Arms Company filed for bankruptcy as well. This move was a devastating blow to Hopkins & Allen because it was the sole producer of Merwin & Hulbert revolvers.
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In 1896, Merwin & Hulbert filed for bankruptcy. However, hard times fell on Hopkins & Allen soon before the twentieth century. It also made various tools and machine parts. Throughout the 1870s and 1880s, Hopkins & Allen produced a variety of revolvers, derringer-style revolvers, shotguns, and target rifles. At the time, the firm was the largest employer in Norwich, and business remained robust until 1896. In 1876, the Hopkins & Allen Arms Company purchased a larger manufacturing facility, growing its workforce to 500 people. After the Rollin White patent for bored-through cylinders expired, the arms manufacturer modified its percussion revolvers to accept metallic rimfire cartridges.
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The Hopkins & Allen Arms Company began producing Merwin & Hulbert percussion revolvers with thirty employees. The Hopkins brothers managed the firm's daily operations. The Hopkins & Allen Arms Company was founded by Charles W. Hopkins & Allen Arms Company was formed shortly after the Civil War, but its founders were already familiar with manufacturing fine American guns. Most of the guns issued to Union soldiers came from Connecticut during the American Civil War, Norwich in particular. The state of Connecticut carries a rich history of manufacturing firearms.