A sign

[starmac]

I just happened to look at craigslist this morning within 5 minutes of an older fellow posting his dads guns.
They consisted of a 30 rem remington pump with a redfield scope, a nice double barrel rabbit ear shotgun. The brand is apparently occidental and it is marked belguim laminated steel on the rib between the barrels. This one is in nice shape very clean.
The other double (rabbit ears also) is a little rough with a stock that has been cracked and been repaired and a little rust. It is a H.S.B.&Co brand, it also has an outline of a rooster that says RUSO inside of it and has chicago stamped in it too. The barrel is marked genuine armory steel choke bored.

Anybody have a clue what I bought???????

I figured that since I looked at craigslist in less than 5 minutes of when he posted, and was the first to call himand was at his door within 25 minutes (several others had already called) it was my lucky day. Leaving his place I hadn't driven 5 miles, when I spotted 2 moose so I figured it was a SIGN.

[frkelly74]

You definitely bought some fun. Now you need some BP shotgun loads.

[MtGun44]

Shotguns should be inspected by a competent gunsmith - not just some parts changer
that has worked on a few AR's. Some are fine with modern shells (the armory steel one
likely is) they could be unsafe, too.

Good luck.

Bill

[starmac]

I have a bride city gun works rabbit ears double, that I shot both barrels one time 38 years ago to make sure it would shoot. lol
I would imagine these will be wall hangers, though the one with laminated barrels is very nice for it's age. At least it has aged much better than I have. lol

[Wayne Smith]

The European gun will have proof marks on the barrel. These will almost certainly have an "N" for Nitro, maybe not capitalized. If it is nitro proofed it is safe with modern loads. Armory steel could be American made and not proof marked or could be European made and proofed. Check anyway.

You will have to disassemble the guns to check proof.

[starmac]

No N that I can see, There is on the underside of both barrels in a line from front to back a star above a G a line coming down to a kind of square that is sideways, a sideways square with the number 12 and the letter0 under it inside the square then last there is a oval standing up with a crown on it with the letter E with a LG under it and a smaller mark under that that I can't make out under that, all inside the oval. Forward on the underside of the barrel itself, one has choke 180 on it the other has 174 a jo and further up a 5.
On the left lock plate is occidental and on the right lockplate id the words (the interchangable)

[starmac]

The chicago just has a serial number on the action under the barrel. This one is a little rough, but it locks up as tight or tighter than a new gun.

[Trey45]

This is a copy/paste of info I found on yahoo about the cruso.

Cruso: Trade name used by the H. & D. Folsom Arms Company on shotguns made for
Hibbard, Spencer, Bartleft and Company of Chicago.
They are the originators of the Tru-Value line. They were a giant hardware store in Chicago from 1854 thru 1962..
Cruso was also a trademark used by the Crescent Arms Company, Norwalk, CT. It was in business from 1888 to 1931. In 1893 it became part of H. D. Folsom Arms Co. It was purchased by Savage-Stevens in 1935.

[starmac]

There is info on both of these shotguns on the net, both the chicago and the english one were cheap mass produced cheap guns, not worth much,BUUUT still worth more than what I had to pay.

I really don't care much about what they are worth, as I doubt I will ever sell them.

[starmac]

That is some of the same info I found, also the cruso was started in 1902, it didn't list how long it was made.

[popper]

I gave the one I had (Caruso) to BIL. Pretty good quality for a HW store gun. Couldn't find a GS to correctly set it up for plastic shells - you can get paper shells for $60 a box. Bbl was good for new ammo, just won't extract. Kicks like a really BIG mule, even with dove loads. Granny said it was her bird gun, but @ 90#, she NEVER shot it.

[Houndog]

Be SURE to check chamber length!!!!! I've found several shotguns from that time frame that have 2 1/2 chambers, even among the high dollar brands! My LC Smith and Fox Sterlingworth both had to have the chambers lengthened. It's easy to do and the tools are available from Brownells.

The hard kicking with low powered Dove loads is a dead giveaway you MIGHT have short chambers!