1900 markings and recommendations

[Researcher]

You need to check out Charles G. Semmer's book Remington Double Shotguns. It is available from the author 7885 Cyd Drive, Denver, CO 80221, for $60 plus $5 shipping and handling. It is invaluable if you are going to shoot, invest, collect or play in the Remington double gun field. Remington supplied a number of different pattern Damascus barrels on these old doubles. A picture of their salesman’s sample of the various styles of Damascus available is shown on page 275 of Semmer's book.

I don't think anyone has really decoded those letters and hashmarks down the barrel tube bottoms. I've posted this information before, add these to what he has and what is in Charles' book, maybe a pattern will emerge.

1906 12-gauge KE-Grade has /// K E Y

1907 12-gauge KE-Grade has L K E Y

1909 16-gauge KE-Grade has X K E A1

1896 12-gauge AE-Grade has P A

1906 12-gauge FE Trap has /// F E G 13

1895 12-gauge BE-Grade has B J and a poorly struck E or an F

1907 CEO-Grade 12-gauge has /// M

1905 DEO-Grade 16-gauge has X O

In some cases you can get the grade as in the KE and FE. My BE-Grade has Chain Damascus barrels, and on the Remington Damascus salesman sample the Chain Damascus is labeled CHAIN J. So, B for the grade, J for the barrel material and E for ejectors?!? Hmmm....

Just from looking at my little list there seems to be a difference in the markings on the early guns, 1895 and 1896 and those from the later years 1905 to 1909. Anyone willing to share marks on 1897 to 1904 guns? I also noted that in my later guns both 16-gauges have an X and several of the 12-gauges have ///. I see Semmer shows the barrels of 12-gauge KE-Grade 361550 and it has the same /// K E Y as my slightly earlier 12-Gauge KE-Grade.