The question is, "What is it???"
I have an old single shot break open .410 bore with a nickel plated receiver. It's marked "Bridge Gun Company, then Black Prince" on the left side of the receiver.
This gun is the best quality single shot shotgun I have ever seen and was wondering about who actually made it and what guns' parts may interchange if I ever need.
The Bridge Gun Company Black Prince shotguns were made by the Crescent Fire Arms Company and by the J. Stevens Arms Company. They are currently of relatively little value to collectors.
i just got a shot gun from my dad . its a black prince made by bridge gun co. how do i tell how old it is? where can i get the wood peice that goes on the berrel ? he said it was his grandpas buy it has numbers on it and # were not on guns before 67 were they?
Hello, I have seen 'experts' say that Bridge Gun Co. guns were made by J. Stevens, Crescent Arms, and were Iver Johnson Champions. I don't know about any of that except I did once see an old double marked Bridge Gun that was similar in appearance to old Crescent Arms hammer guns. But the all singles I own and ever saw are identical, every screw, ever shape, every detail to an H & R model marked 'Bay State', not to be confused with an obscure maker by that same name. I therefore have formed the opinion that the Bridge Gun singles were actually H & R Bay State's.
Last edited by Ray Perry; 10-04-2007 at 09:36 PM.
Reason: add detail
I used to have my Grandma's old single-shot .410, it said "Iver Johnson Arms & Cycle Works" on the receiver. I really regret selling it, I need to go back by that shop and see if it's still there.
A friend has asked me to try to fix an old Iver Johnson 12ga single barrel for him. It's markings are mostly gone but it's the model made from 1895-1910 that opens the barrel with a ring inside the trigger guard. The spring that controls that breeching lever is missing along with the ejector/extractor mechcanism. Does anyone have a manual or parts/takedown sheet for this gun and a source besides e-gunparts? Thanks
I have a 12 ga it says Brighe Gun Company on the side the serial number is y 2 6 0 6 i was wondering if anybody could tell anything about it how much it's worth when it was made etc.
hey my papow had an black prince 410 an a 12 gage an he sold the 410 an still has the 12 an he new some one who had a 20 gage an he dident buy it an now he wish's he would have bought the 20 gage an kelp the 410 but the 12 gage im trying to find a new stock an hand grip for it but ever were iv been dont even know what a black prince is so i dont no if you can have one made to fit or not but soon it will come to me so ill just keep it the way it is for now !!
My "Black Prince" is an excellent gun and still shoots with the best of them.
Bridge Gun Company never existed. It was a trade name used by Shapleigh Hardware of St Louis on guns made by Crescent, Harrington & Richardson, Stevens, and several Belgian gun makers.
The "Belgian Laminated Steel" suggests that it was made in that country, and the crowned-oval-ELG* mark shows for certain that it was proof-tested there sometime after 1893. The import of these hardware store guns pretty much ended with the start of WWI, so you can say it is a century old, +/- a decade.
100 year old puzzle 
