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Hopkins and Allen Single shot 12 gauge shotgun

Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 8:34 am
by JasonH
******Posting this for someone else******
Not my Shotgun !
Looking for any information on this, The owner knows almost nothing about it other than the maker and caliber.



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Any info would be helpful

Thanks

-Cheeto

Re: Hopkins and Allen Single shot 12 gauge shotgun

Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 8:49 am
by Buzz
From 2011 Standard Catalog of Firearms:

"Established in 1868, this company.... also made good quality single and double-barrel shotguns in large numbers. Many were sold under private brand names such as Seminole and King Nitrol.... Values vary from $100 to $1,000 depending on model and condition."

No shotgun models are listed. The revolvers that are listed are very old (pre-1900) so I would assume the shotguns are the same vintage.

Re: Hopkins and Allen Single shot 12 gauge shotgun

Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 1:32 pm
by ron
Hopkins & Allen Arms Company was a US firearms manufacturing company based in Norwich, Connecticut that was founded in 1868 by Charles W. Allen, Charles A. Converse, Horace Briggs, Samuel S. Hopkins and Charles W. Hopkins. The Hopkins brothers ran the day-to-day operations of the company.

History[edit]Jesse James' 44 caliber Hopkins & Allen pistol, 1873 model

In 1874 Converse sold his interest in the company to brothers William and Milan Hulbert, giving the Hulbert's 50% of the company's assets and capital. Hopkins & Allen became the exclusive maker of Merwin Hulbert revolvers as a result of this. Following the bankruptcy of the Hulbert brothers in 1896, Hopkins & Allen went bankrupt in 1898. The company was reorganized as Hopkins & Allen Arms Company but lost its factory and machinery in a fire in 1900, also along with the great robbery in 1905 shortly after, thieves cleared out the whole warehouse.[2][3]


The Hopkins & Allen Arms Co. - Norwich, Connecticut, 1904
Hopkins & Allen rebuilt its factory in 1901 and produced 40,000 firearms a year. In 1902, the company acquired Forehand and Wadsworth, for whom it had been making revolvers under contract. The company was awarded a contract to build Mauser rifles for the Belgian Army early in World War I, but the contract fell apart after Germany invaded Belgium. Although the company continued to manufacture firearms, it never financially recovered and went bankrupt in 1916 with Marlin-Rockwell purchasing its machinery, inventory and designs in 1917.[4]

The Hopkins an Allen Arms Co. - Shotguns, Rifles and Revolvers - 1904
Manufacturing[edit]

In addition to the Merwin Hubert revolvers, Hopkins & Allen manufactured a variety of spur trigger single-action revolvers (sometimes known as Suicide specials) in .22, .32, and .38 calibers with trade names such as ACME, American Eagle, Blue Jacket, Captain Jack, Chichester, Defender, Dictator,Imperial Arms Co., Monarch, Mountain Eagle, Ranger, Tower's Police Safety, Universal, and XL, and later hinged-frame double-action models.[5] Hopkins & Allen manufactured revolvers for Forehand & Wadsworth under contract as well as shotguns, rifles, and derringers for various sporting goods stores.[3]

between the mid sixties to late 1970's Numrich arms made very nice underhammer caplock muzzleloading rifles and pistols based on a Hopkins and allen design that H&A never actually produced.

Their single shot break open and falling block shotguns produced from the late 1800's through the 1940's and siome were made for the cresent firarms company that made cheap singles shots that were sold in hardware stores and wer very popu;lar diring the Great depessiomn when they cou;ld be bougt for under ten dollars.

There are very few old single shots that are worth much today with the exception of the Winchester 37 and of course single shot Trap guns.

H&A's were well made but I suggest that you take this one to a gunsmith before you shoot it.