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Double Rifles, Single Shots & Combinations >> Single Shots & Combination Guns
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DonT
.224 member


Reged: 16/05/12
Posts: 33
Loc: Minnesota
New Addition- 3 Barrel Gun Company
      #228849 - 16/04/13 01:25 PM

Just picked up this renovated example of one of the few American Drillings built somewhere between 1905 and 1908 by the Three Barrel Gun Company. 12X12X32-40, shotgun chambers are 2 1/2". Only had time to run 5 rounds thru the gun before our weather turned sour... First groups not bad since my old eyes have real trouble with those little sites... All serial # match and it has a 3 digit serial#. There were only about 2,000 guns built by this company so they are hard to come by.

Brief history, Frank Hollenbeck started the Hollenbeck Gun Company in 1901, ran it until it went into receivership in 1905. Assets bought by investor who renamed it to the Three Barrel Gun Company and opened it in 1905. Closed in 1908. Again assets bought and by investors and reopened factory as Royal Gun Company. Finally closed for good in 1910 and never reopened.

DonT

Enjoy the pics....






Edited by CptCurl (07/05/13 09:19 PM)

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Matabele
.300 member


Reged: 16/09/10
Posts: 230
Loc: Zimbabwe
Re: New Addition- 3 Barrel Gun Company [Re: DonT]
      #228856 - 16/04/13 05:12 PM

Really interesting gun, thanks for posting! You're lucky to have acquired that by the sounds of it, congratulations.

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CWJ1898
.275 member


Reged: 28/01/09
Posts: 63
Loc: LA, USA
Re: New Addition- 3 Barrel Gun Company [Re: Matabele]
      #229118 - 21/04/13 11:37 AM

DonT,
Beautiful gun and thank you so much for posting the photographs. I have had more than passing interest in the works of this firm(s). Fascinating features and certainly extremely well made. I would like to know your views on the way the barrels are joined. Perhaps its my interpretation of the photograph but I do not recall seeing anything like it. In any event you are indeed fortunate to call this one your own.
Kindest regards...

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CWJ1898
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Reged: 28/01/09
Posts: 63
Loc: LA, USA
Re: New Addition- 3 Barrel Gun Company [Re: CWJ1898]
      #229119 - 21/04/13 11:39 AM

DonT,
Forgive me but forgot to ask... Where did these companies operate from and was there any direct or indirect connection between Mr. Hollenbeck and other makers of the day? Thank you.

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500Nitro
.450 member


Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia
Re: New Addition- 3 Barrel Gun Company [Re: CWJ1898]
      #229121 - 21/04/13 11:42 AM


Superb, love it, thanks for posting.

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DonT
.224 member


Reged: 16/05/12
Posts: 33
Loc: Minnesota
Re: New Addition- 3 Barrel Gun Company [Re: 500Nitro]
      #229180 - 22/04/13 09:26 AM

Yes there is a direct link to Mr. Hollenbeck. Hollenbeck starte the Hollenbeck gun company in 1901, as I understand it, it went bankrupt in 1905 and was puchased by a group who opened it that same year as the Three Barrel Gun Company and it operated until 1908 when it also fell on hard times and was sold to another group who renamed the company the Royal Gun Company. In 1910 the Royal Gun Company went out of business and never reopenned. In 1947ish the property was sold for back taxes.. From what I can find there were only 2,000 Drillings made by the Three Barrel Gun Company during their short history, the majority of these were with Damascus shotgun barrels with only about a 25% of them having fluid steel barrels as this one does..

There are side ribs from the shot gun barrels to rifle barrel to hold it in place. It is assembled like other double barrel guns of the time period with solder.

Thanks All for the kind wordss... I have picked up some 2 1/2" 12 Ga shells from RST, starting to load up some more 32/40 and now if the weather would cooperate so I could get out and do some serious shooting it would be great....

DonT

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Birdhunter50
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Reged: 03/06/07
Posts: 815
Loc: Iowa,U.S.A.
Re: New Addition- 3 Barrel Gun Company [Re: DonT]
      #236436 - 06/10/13 11:47 PM

DonT.
What a great gun you found there. I have always been interested in drillings in general and The Three Barrel Gun Company in particular. These are as rare as you say and I have not had the good luck of ever handling one. How are the barrels joined and do the patterns overlap the rifle barrel point of impact? Do you have any idea of what calibers/gauges they were made in? Thanks for sharing and congratulations on your find. Bob

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Caprivi
.375 member


Reged: 30/09/08
Posts: 811
Loc: America's Serengeti, Buffalo W...
Re: New Addition- 3 Barrel Gun Company [Re: Birdhunter50]
      #236441 - 07/10/13 03:14 AM

Very nice DonT,

Looks that the restoration was not abusive, again very nice. I think I have only seen them as being in a pistol grip configuration, very nice straight hand. I can only imagine what a fine companion it will be in your Iron Shield country..........I know I would love to walk those big woods with any firearm.

As to the question of calibers/gauges, I have seen a few listed over the years (never handled one) and they seem to be 12 and 16 gauge and all 2 1/2" chambers. Rifle calibers seem to be all the same "30/30" family....i.e..... 25/35, 30/30, 32/40 and 38/55.

I have not seen a 25/35, that is only conjecture, from the existence of one chambered to .257 Rob'ts. The 257 wasn't around when the company was a going concern. Ivory Beads Co. had it for sale and from what I gather it is in Montana and works well ..... ??? It was amateurishly refinished at some time and I would suspect rechambered then as well.

--------------------
To live life as it is handed to me from God

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Ash
.400 member


Reged: 10/05/11
Posts: 1653
Loc: Australia
Re: New Addition- 3 Barrel Gun Company [Re: Caprivi]
      #236955 - 21/10/13 10:07 PM

They did nice work.. Very nice pick up. Any chance of a picture of the muzzles? I like how subtle the rifle barrel is under it.

--------------------
.

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windy
.224 member


Reged: 19/07/08
Posts: 17
Loc: Wet side of Washington State, ...
Re: New Addition- 3 Barrel Gun Company [Re: Ash]
      #293242 - 06/01/17 11:20 AM

Don, yours is prettier than mine; mine's a damascus-barreled 12x12x32-40 that has had its buttstock replaced (ugly but sufficient) and its front sight as well. The bore isn't fresh enough to shoot cast bullets well, but it really shines with jacketed 165's--about 2" at 50 yards, and a 3" group on the pink blur that these old eyes saw at 100 yards--I really MUST get new glasses before I take it to the range again. I tried two light homemade blackpowder 12's and got decent bird patterns at 25 yards, which is more than the grouse in these woods will ever allow me. Between this one week old find, and my last year's acquisition of a Brno ZH-204 (7x57R/12ga) I'm set to be a combo-hunter for the rest of my hunting seasons. It's about time--I parted with my last drilling 30 years ago. Won't make that mistake again!

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windy
.224 member


Reged: 19/07/08
Posts: 17
Loc: Wet side of Washington State, ...
Re: New Addition- 3 Barrel Gun Company [Re: windy]
      #297259 - 18/03/17 03:42 AM

I just received a copy of the 1909 Three-Barrel Gun Company catalogue from Cornell Publications, via Ebay. They have more issues available; the 1908, I think, at least. Since the company only operated under that name from 1905-1908, this one would seem to have never been operative; I've heard that the 1909 and 1910 guns were sold under the Royal Gun Co. rubric. This catalogue confirms some of what we've discussed here above: they mention 4 grades, 0 through 3; 3 gauges, 12, 16, and 20; 5 calibres, 32-40, 30-30, 25-35, 25-25, and 25-20, three barrel steels for the shotguns, one for the rifle barrels; 2 optional peep sights; a single-barreled trap gun in 3 grades A, B, and C; prices for all of the above, and a suggestion that special orders were available for a premium "up to $500.00". I suspect that anyone owning one of these guns would be interested in one of these reprints; try cornellpubs.com for a list.
windy

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