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By John M. Taylor, Contributing Editor (American Rifleman)

From roughly 1880 to 1930, there were several manufacturers and importers in this country that supplied double-barreled shotguns to anyone who would order them. They not only made them under their own name, but for dozens and dozens of hardware wholesalers, hardware stores, mail- order catalogs, sporting goods stores and many other retail and wholesale gun dealers, each engraved or stamped with their individual trade name or names. Add to this various grades, and suddenly there are vast numbers of essentially the same shotgun, all with different names engraved on them. Made largely with Damascus, twist or laminated-steel barrels, virtually none are safe to shoot as they are.

I have a Crescent shotgun from my Grandpa and possibly my Great Grandfather.

Type in H. J. Sterling Double Barrel Shotgun in your search box. You'll find out quite a lot about it.

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