Info on model 1900 I just procured

[Fuzzyabe23]

Hello! I just procured a model 1900 from a local armory in surprisingly great condition and would like as much information on it as y’all can provide. I believe I have figured out that it was produced in 1908. But the markings are very confusing outside of the serial number information. My hope is that after taking to a smith to have it inspected it will be fireable. The armory I bought it from had no idea how old it was and being a novice to the world of double barrels I bought it for bird hunting assuming it was in produced sometime around the 60’s or 70’s based on condition.

[dieNusse1]

First welcome to the world of Remington.

The 1900 or K grade was offered in four grades as a less expensive version of the 1894.

K - Remington steel barrels and extractors
KE - Remington steel barrels with ejectors
KD - Damascus barrels with extractors
KED - Damascus barrels with ejectors

The grade may be stamped on the barrels. As for other stamping: The S/N is stamped on the barrel, action body, forearm iron, trigger guard, butt stock and forearm wood. As for choke, the pellet count for each barrel is stamped on the barrel lug. There are usually 2 numbers with a leading 3 assumed. Remington used 512 #8 pellets fired at a 30" circle from 40 yards. So if stamped 45 the choke is 345/512=67% or improved modified (IM). The meaning of other numbers or symbols is mostly lost to the mist of time.

The production of the 1900 along with the other SxS models (1894 and 1889) ended in 1910.

The 1900 is safe to shoot using low pressure loads after being checked by a smith. I load mine at 7500 psi or less. I also shoot BP loads - fun to shoot but messy cleanup.

[Researcher]

Give us the serial number and we can give you a rough idea of when it was made. The late Charles Semmer produced a serial number chronology from surviving shipping records, for his book Remington Double Shotguns. Production Records for Remington doubles have not been found and likely did not survive. Post several good pictures and perhaps we can tell you more.

The K-Grade, Remington Steel barrels and plain extractors, was introduced with a flyer inserted in some 1899 Remington Arms Co. catalogs. No Remington Arms Co. catalog dated 1900 has surfaced. The first 1901 Remington Arms Co. catalog shows that the KED-Grade, two-stripe Damascus barrels and automatic ejectors would be ready for delivery about July 1, 1901.

First 1901 Catalog page 6, K.E.D. Grade, Ready July 1, 1901.jpeg

The KD-Grade, two-stripe Damascus barrels and plain extractors, was added to the line in the 1903-04 Remington Arms Co. catalog. Finally, the KE-Grade, Remington Steel barrels and automatic ejectors, filled out the line in 1906.

The Remington Hammerless Doubles last appear in the 1909 Remington Arms Co. catalog. By 1910 Marcellus Hartley Dodge who owned Remington Arms Co. and Union Metallic Cartridge Co. realized that the future laid with their John M. Browning designed Remington Autoloading Shotgun (later Model 11) and John D. Pedersen designed Remington Repeating Shotgun (later Model 10) and concluded a sale of all their break-action shotguns in work and in inventory to Norvell-Shapleigh Hardware Co. of St Louis.