In need of info on a Remington 1889 model

[Patbar]

I just acquired a very nice 1889 Shotgun, grade 3 with damascus barrels (unfortunately, these barrels have been cut down to 18"), SN 63253.

Could someone tell me its date of manufacture and if I can use smokeless powder cartridge in it ?

Thanks for all info you can give me.

[Researcher]

According to the serial number chronology the late Charles Semmer did for his book Remington Double Shotguns, 63253 would be an 1894 vintage gun, 58880 to 66016.

and if I can use smokeless powder cartridge in it ?

Only a qualified double gun smith with the gun in hand can tell you that.

From the Remington Arms Co. October 1894 catalog --

October 1894 Remington Arms Co. catalog.jpeg (577 KiB) Viewed 9999 times

[Patbar]

Thank you very much for these infos, Researcher.

[dieNusse1]

If interested I have a 32" grade 3 barrel (243704) of 1904 vintage. Left barrel stamped 41 or almost Full while right is stamped 25 or IM.

Reseacher is correct - have a qualified smith check the weapon before firing. The '04 barrel was made well within the smokeless era and many of us still shoot low pressure loads. However, loading and shooting black powder is a blast - pun intended.

[Patbar]

If interested I have a 32" grade 3 barrel (243704) of 1904 vintage. Left barrel stamped 41 or almost Full while right is stamped 25 or IM.

Reseacher is correct - have a qualified smith check the weapon before firing. The '04 barrel was made well within the smokeless era and many of us still shoot low pressure loads. However, loading and shooting black powder is a blast - pun intended.

I'd like very much to buy your barrel, dieNusse, but the problem is that I live in France, and that American guns don't have proof marks. So, when one imports such a gun in France, it has to go to the establishment in charge of proofing, and it costs some money.

[dieNusse1]

Well that's a real bummer. I don't know how French customs would treat a package marked "antique shotgun part".

[Patbar]

It has already happened to me once with a flintlock rifle replica that I ordered in the US. The French customs are always suspicious when they see the word "gun" on an customs form. So, they opened the package and when they saw that the barrel had no proof marks, they sent the gun directly to the proofing establishment, and I had to pay to get it back.

All Europeans country have a national proofing establishment, most of them dating back to the beginning of the 19th century. The advantage is that when you acquire a gun, even an antique one, you know exactly what you can shoot in it. But it can also be a problem with guns coming from countries which don't have such proofing system like the United States.

[Patbar]

I have finally found another Remington 1889 model grade 1 which still has its 30" barrels. The serial number is 35696. Can you tell me in which year it was manufactured ?
Thanks for the info.

[Jack71]

Model 1889 serial number 35696 was made in 1890.

[Patbar]

Thank you very much for answering my demand, Jack !

[No Deer]

I have a Model 1889 12ga. double that by serial number was made in 1894. I have come up with a low pressure load using smokeless powder. I use 1 oz of #7 1/2 shot and these components

Powder
IMR SR 7625
grains
22.0
Primer
Win. 209
Wad
CB 1118-12
PSI
4,500
fps
1,100

I have a friend that uses 700 powder in his, but I do not know how many grains, but it is also a very low pressure load.

I am not recommending these, only informing what I use, what you use is up to you and your gun.

[Patbar]

I'm far from being a pro re-loader. So, I think I'll go safe and use black powder loads.

[dieNusse1]

The '89s were advertised as being suitable for the smokeless powders of the day. That being said, many of us do hand load low pressure rounds. I keep mine below 5000 psia. In any event, you may want to have your '89 checked by a knowledgeable smith before loading rounds. On the other hand shooting BP is a blast - pun intended. Equal volume of powder to shot. The down side is the cleanup mess.

The load I use was given to me by Charles Semmer a few years back is as follows:

1 oz shot
Win AA hull
209 Win Primer
WAA-12 Wad
24 gr SR7625
1145 fps @ 5000 psia

I think SR 7625 has been discontinued.

[Researcher]

During the latter years that the Remington Hammer Double was being manufactured, the heaviest loads our ammunition companies offered in 12-gauge were 3 1/2 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 28-grains of dense smokeless powder such as Infallible or Ballistite pushing 1 1/4 ounce of shot.

Leader 28-grains Ballistite 1 1-4 ounce #4CH.jpg (55.18 KiB) Viewed 9826 times

The pressure of these loads, reported in some DuPont powder booklets, was higher than SAAMI specs which came into being in the late 1920s.

[Drew Hause]

Indeed
1 1/4 oz. 3 1/2 Dr. Eq. BULK Smokeless was about 11,500 psi
1 1/4 oz. 3 1/2 Dr. Eq. DENSE Smokeless was 12,500 psi

SAAMI allows the maximum average pressure for 2 3/4” and 3” shotgun shells to be 11,500 psi +/- 900 psi.