The Baltimore Arms Co. was one of America’s didn’t-make-it gunmakers. From 1900 to 1904, they manufactured side-by-side shotguns based on a patent designed by Frank Hollenbeck. this Sunday, June 2, @ 8am, one of these shotguns is coming up at Redding Auction Service in Gettysburg, PA.
The road to success is littered with good ideas and strong starts. For every company that makes it, many others wither away and die. The Baltimore Arms Co. was a company that didn’t make it.
From January 1900 to October 1904, they manufactured side-by-side shotguns based on a patent designed by Frank Hollenbeck. These doubles came in three different variations: a 1900 model, a 1902 model and a 1904 model. The 1900 models came in 3 Grades ( A, B & C) and one gauge (12). All grades came with half-pistol grips and damascus bbls. Grade Cs could also be ordered with fluid steel barrels and straight grips.
For the 1902 models, the company added 16-gauges along with two higher grades: the Trap Gun (list price $125) with straight grip and a Grade D. The 1904 models featured slightly tweaked actions and several new options for the B Grades.
Baltimore Arms Company, 12 gauge
Overall, it the Baltimore Arms Company made around 6,000 shotguns. While that’s not a ton of doubles, it is enough to keep a couple on the market most of the time. A search on Gunbroker.com will usually pull a one up.
