Please allow me to introduce myself...

Discussion in 'Browning Superposed Shotgun' started by Bruski, Mar 3, 2021.

  1. Bruski

    Bruski .410

    Well I'm not a man of wealth but as I now own a Superposed maybe a modicum of taste.
    Have just (6-8 weeks back) picked up what I think is a 1934 double trigger 12 ga.
    It's taken a bit of time to clean it etc. but what would you expect from a $50 gun?
    Sadly the branded case was more popular than the gun so didn't get that.
    (Mind you it did work out well for me).
    Chokes look like being 1/2 and full so took it out for a round of DTL.
    Am told I shot better than many had seen before. Score!
    S/N is 7896. Weight equals 6.75 lbs.All and all am more than happy with purchase.
    Cheers Bruski.
  2. Ranger6

    Ranger6 Administrator Staff Member Administrator Global Moderator Forum Moderator

    congrats on your purchase, and welcome. post some pictures when you can.
  3. Bill Idaho

    Bill Idaho .270 WIN

    Southwest Idaho says Hi and welcome!!
  4. Rudolph31

    Rudolph31 .30-06

    A $50 Superposed? Where did you get that deal?
  5. Bruski

    Bruski .410

    Thank you for your welcomes. Re where I got it?
    At my local gun club, walked in after a round and people were talking about the merits of the case (inc. cleaning rods etc.).
    Wandered over and looked at a orphaned gun no-one seemed interested in.
    "You want to buy it? $50 and it's yours."
    I thought about for around 3 or 4 milliseconds and the rest is history.
  6. Bruski

    Bruski .410

    However I do have a cunning plan to reunite gun and case.
    But more of that later.
    Cheers B.
  7. john stevens

    john stevens .22LR

    Congratulations and welcome ! Very nice find . Can you share some more info on the gun ? Maybe some photos are the triggers true doubles or twin singles ? Thanks for sharing your find with us !
  8. Bruski

    Bruski .410

    Still a work in progress, a few more coats of linseed etc.
    Triggers seem to be twin singles but I can live with that. 003.JPG
    But here's a picture
  9. john stevens

    john stevens .22LR

    Twin singles ? Yes , I could definitely live with that !
  10. Anatidae

    Anatidae .270 WIN

    Nice find. Thanks for sharing.

    It looks like a solid rib and a later-style transverse screw treatment at the forearm.

    6.75 lbs is awfully light so I’m guessing it’s 26.5” bbls. I have a 28” Field gun that is 7lbs on the nose. There’s only 3 oz difference in bbl weight per 1-1/2” in length (generally speaking).

    Was the case a Browning (branded) pre-war black cowhide case?

    happy hunting
  11. Bruski

    Bruski .410

    Gun is 28" and has vent rib. As to weight the story changes, have just weighed it on three scales and now have three (different) weights.
    Guess I can't just walk into post office with it and ask them to weigh it. Can't see that turning out well.
    The case was Browning branded cowhide (can't be certain as to colour due to dust etc.).
    Stock was short when I got it and may have come from the factory that way (guess work from S/No's).

    Took it out to gun club today and shot a couple of rounds of DTL and am loving it.
    Still have a fair bit of finishing to do on it, but can see the end in sight.
    Thanks for your interest.
  12. Anatidae

    Anatidae .270 WIN

    Thanks for the reply and info.

    Those pre-war cases (model 'S') appear in brown and black (depending on date of manufacture). There was a less-expensive version ('SB') which was a leatherette-covered affair. Both are quite valuable in good condition. I have been known to re-line the interior and have a 'leatherette' to re-cover in a black elephant-embossed 'Tolex' fabric used for speakers and amplifier cabinets. 'Just trying to find a suitable reinforcing membrane for the stitched leather hinge and finish some 'other', more nagging projects, first.
  13. Bruski

    Bruski .410

    Well if I can whip up a couple of phoenix palm spoonbill decoy's I'm picking I'll get the case back.
    Just got to find the time, still it's not going anywhere.
  14. Bruski

    Bruski .410

    A slight update...
    Loving the the gun (and there is much to love), it's a twin single, with non crossfire rib etc.
    But now the rub; the s/no. match almost.
    Forearm. barrels, trigger guard, under opening number but not quite the stock.
    In big numerals a no. from the same year but each side of the reward tang screw hole (two aside) are the correct numbers.
    (these are in smaller size); is this something from the factory or else where?
    The stock as it is measures 12.5" so was that a size Browning would have had on hand?
  15. Anatidae

    Anatidae .270 WIN

    A photo would certainly help. Are there 2 different serial numbers in the tang inlet, but the no. matching the gun is 2-abreast the rearward screw hole?

    Standard LOP (with a 3/8” thick butt plate) would have been 14-1/4 to 14-3/8” depending on whether ‘field’ or ‘trap’ model. Special dimensions could be requested.

    I have noticed a smaller size and type of serial number stamps (in wood) on a couple of FN examples from 1954 and 1962. But not stamps of different sizes or types (or serial numbers) on the same gun.

    Other comments I could offer would be purely speculative.
  16. Bruski

    Bruski .410

    A picture is worth a thousand words so... 001.JPG
    And yes that is a pointer looking on in the background.
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2021
  17. Anatidae

    Anatidae .270 WIN

    Thanks for the photo.

    Each gun has a story. Some are more easily uncovered than others that may require a good bit of investigation and knowledge/research of FN history.

    Is the barrel address on the left side of the top barrel ‘Browning Arms Company, St. Louis Missouri’, or ‘Fabrique Nationale d’Arms de Guerre, Herstal Belgique’?

    If the former, then Browning may have a record of the original sales invoice. This would be a good start in the search for the story. Contact customer service at Browning in Ogden, UT.

    If the latter, then Browning will not have records for the FN guns marketed to the rest of the world.

    The other serial number raises my curiosity. I am aware that #’s 7448, 7449, & 7450 were 3 high grades specifically manufactured by FN for, and marketed by / shipped to G A Bondi & Sons - an FN agent in Cairo, Egypt. #7452 May have been a lower grade (as evidenced by the relatively plain wood grain) intended for (or installed on) a gun manufactured for Bondi, as well. So that’s another reason I’m curious about the barrel address.

    The transverse screw style in #7896 is common to serial numbers in the 10xxx to 14xxx range for Grade 1’s. So, the gun could have been returned for repair or new wood installation in the later 1930’s.

    The pad on your gun is similar to stock modifications of several guns I've encountered - typically in the UK.

    Perhaps broad conclusions can be drawn from these comments and observations but I doubt they will help you discover the actual history of the gun - however, I hope they provide some direction or path.

    Good luck.
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2021
  18. Bruski

    Bruski .410

    The address is St. Louis.
    The pad I did myself (give me an angle grinder and I'll do anything) but still a massive improvement on what was there.
    And now if you'll excuse the NZ game bird season has just opened. Got to go.
    Thanks for your interest and assistance.

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