First. Would you please confirm that the name is OHIO ARMS CO and not OHIO VALLEY ARMS CO. BecauseI I do have a listing for the second name.Both are "Trade Brand Name" shotguns and I suspect made by the same maker. A "Trade Brand Name" shotgun is one that was made by a major maker for and was sold by a wholesaler, retailer or independent who chose the name to go on the gun. Gun with the name OHIO VALLEY ARMS CO were made by the Crescent Fire Arms Company of Norwich,CT (1892 to 1931). I haven't been able to find out who the seller was. More?

 

Thank you for the response. It is very hard to read the Mfg on the shot gun. My uncles did not take very good care of this rifle and I have never shot it and probably never will. Not until I have a gun smith check it out. With a magnifying glass I can just make out the name, Ohio Arms Company. There is no other number on it. I am curious the Mfg date but will probably never find that out with the lack of information I have on it.

 

Is this a shotgun or rifle? You stated both.

 

And thank you for the return response and I believe the gun is a single barrel single shot breaK open breech loader. If all that is true,then it is indeed a"Trade Brand Name" shotgun. To try to determine the maker (not MFG or manufacturer) please take a look at the bottom tang (the part of the frame that extends back into the butt stock). There is most likely a serial number stamped there just behind the trigger guard. If there is a number there then I know who made the gun and from the serial number can tell when it was made. Please post the number.

 

Here is a shot in the dark. Colton, that morphed into Union Fire Arms Co. was in Toledo, Ohio. They made singles, doubles and pumps. The guns they made for Sears, Roebuck & Co. were marketted by Sears under the Illinois Arms Co. name. A good bet they may have made guns for someone else to market under the Ohio Arms Co. name. Their single barrel had screw-out hinge-pin with a lever on the left side similar to the old W.H. Davenport Arms Co. Model 1897. We really need to see some good pictures to tell what you have. Ohio Arms Co. is not on my list of "trade brands" made by H & D Folsom Arms Co. at their factory in Norwich, Conn.

 

Yes this is a single barrel single shot break open breech loader. I searched for a number and found in in a hard place to read. 3933 is the number. I had to crack open the breach like to load it and found the number stamped on the locking part below the barrel. I never thought to look there. And yes it says (OHIO ARMS COMPANY) stamped on the left side. It looks like there is some letters or a word stamped below the number, but I cant make out what it reads. I wouldn't know how to post a picture to this forum. I am finding this forum very informative and thanks to all in case I forget.

 

OK I figured out how to upload a photo. I posted 3 pictures in the general gallery with Ohio Arms Co as the title. I am very excited to find out all I can about my Grandfathers shot gun

 

I haven't heard from anyone about my last post. I hope I didn't offend someone

 

First let me assure you that you haven't offended any one. Researcher01 has identified your gun. When you said the serial number was not stamped on the lower tang,I knew that the gun had not been made by Crescent Fire Arms. I went through the inventory of my collection and found one that had the number in the same place as your gun and it was made by Davenport Arms Company. The illustration in my reference book matches your description. I am sorry to have to say that the photographs are not the best in the world to identify the gun. We could use photos showing the markings on the gun and the serial number. I wish to thank you for posting the name on the gun. I maintain a listing of "Trade Brand Name" shotguns and over the years have come up with over 850 names. I didn't have this one in my files ( I do now). I don't have any serial number-year made tables for Davenport made guns. Maybe Researcher01 does.

 

we have one too and we also cant find any information on our gun either. Bought it at a garage sale for 75 cents, about 70 years ago and it was old then. have you found any more information about this gun you have you could share with me. i plan on takeing it to a local gun shop near us to find something out about our gun and if you havent found anything about it ill tell you what you need to know if the shop can find anything.

 

As you may know, the gun is a "Trade Brand Name" shotgun which is an inexpensive but well made utility grade shotgun made by a major maker (and before 1940) and usually on contract to and for a wholesale sporting goods dealer, a retail chain store or and independent seller (Jones Hardware Store) who chose the name to go on the gun. Guns with the name OHIO ARMS CO were made by the W.H. Davenport Arms Company of Norwich, Ct (1878 to 1910). Sorry but I have no information as to who the seller was. I'm going to assume that the gun is a single barrel single shot break open breech loader. A standard feature of a single barrelDavenport shotgun is that they have a removable screw hinge pin. This pin goes in from right to left and must be removed to remove the barrel from the frame. It will have either a protrusion like key to assist in unscrewing the pin or it will have a flat flush tab that unfolds and raises up to unscrew the pin. On most guns with the flat flush tab, the tab is broken off and missing. I would say that seventy years ago you paid a fair price for the gun. Its current value will depend on its condition, the amount of original finish remaining on the metal and wood as well as the mechanical condition. A prime condition example (rare to very rare) that appears to have come out of the factory yesterday afternoon might bring as much as $125 at an auction while a rusty metal, rotten, missing or broken wood and missing parts piece of junk fit only for parts salvage or as a canoe paddle might bring as little as $10. The gun shop is going to tell you you have a piece of junk not fit to be fired and too expensive to restore and he will be right on both counts. Sorry but I have no serial number-year made tables for Davenport made guns but the the type of screw in hinge pin can determine the date of manufacture to about a twenty year period. Any more?

 

I have a single barrel OHIO VALLEY ARMS CO. shotgun. Anyone else ?