St Louis arms

[Rick Abernathy]

I have a dbl barrel hammer less, 12 gage shot gun made by St Louis Arms.
The original rear stock has been replaced. The bluing has not been touched. Any idea of value I want to trade it.
Thank you

[Buffalochip]

I have a 4-door, 6 cylinder car made in Detroit. The original rear has been replaced. The paint has not been touched. Any idea of value? I want to trade it.

Get the idea? We need detailed info and good pics, particularly of any markings.

[hrf]

Welcome to the forum.

St Louis Arms Co. is a brand name used on Belgian guns imported by H & D Folsom for Shapleigh Hardware and Sears & Roebuck.

If above, there should be Belgian ELG and other proofmarks visible when barrels are removed, and value today is mainly as a decorator.

There were also hammerless doubles made later by Crescent and Stevens with this brand name.

[Buffalochip]

post pics

[Rick Abernathy]

Sarcasm isn't always necessary, a post pic please, thank you would have been sufficed for the occasion,thank you. The original patina hasn't been touched.The number on the pat pending are PAT. APR 20-1915, on the bottom of tre receiver area hand stamped ^ 6 069 8, on the bottom of the barrel hand stamped, 60698, what looks like a rabbit head with ears circled and another squarish symble circled ,all hand stamped, on the under side of the metal of the forearm, 8686909, on thr wood of the forearm, all hand stamped, 86909, on top of the barrel 12 GAUGE, on the left side of the receiver, 6012 Central Arms Co,
SYMBOL ST. LOUIS, U.S.A., SYMBOL. That is all the markings, the barrels are excellent clean no pitting inside, a little rust on the outside which a little oil and a scotch brite will take care of. With the number of them out there I don't expect it to be worth much. I realize now thaaat I would have been better off repairing the original stock instead of replacing it was missing behind the hammers but was repairable, hind sight is always clearer. Thank you, Rick Abernathy

[Jim Hauff]

Rick,
Having worked in a gun shop for a number of years, and having seen a goodly number of this type and grade of shotgun come in from the hinterlands - I'm going to guess you will be offered somewhere between $75 and $125 in a trade - DEPENDING upon what you are trading for and how much mark-up is in the tagged price and how well the item you're trading for is selling at that time. There's not much demand for the older doubles, not with all the "older" hunters passing on - young hunters seem to want something slick and new and with a touch of the "tactical" thrown in. Good luck.
We did have one younger guy whose hobby was refurbishing and rebuilding the old doubles, then collecting them or selling as "decorators". He did great work, I saw quite a few of his refurbs - he used to come in to the shop about once a month or month and a half and the shop owner always had 2 or 4, sometimes, more of the old girls stashed in the back of the shop and sold them to the youngster for $50 and down. I once GAVE him an old, personally owned damascus/twist steel Belgian with a blown left barrel and he fixed the dang thing up to look like new, including repairing the blow out.

[Rick Abernathy]

Sorry, I didn't read Sticky's post. Sounds like fun refurbishing old guns, I have a woodworking shop and do some old antiques my daughter finds. I offered in a different forum to build a stand to use for reloading a civil war era New Army pistol, after shooting it for the first time my ears rang for 2 days, despite the ear plugs. , but have not got any replies, just pay shipping. I am making 2 it doesn't take much to build a few more. Thank you,
Rick Abernathy, old timer, ha.
Can't get [pics to post, have to work on that later

[RJay]

??? What is it, St. Louis Arms Co. or Central Arms Co. If it is St. Louis Arms then it is as hrf posted, a Belgium made gun. If it is instead Central Arms, that is a trade name belonging to Shapleigh Hardware Co. of St. Louis, they used the name on shotgun furnished by W.H. Davenport.