“LONG TOM”

[leVieux]

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Copied from “Guns International”:

‘’ORIGINAL LONG TOM 12 GA.”

“Description:
For sale is a original Long Tom 12 Ga. shotgun. The internet says that the original LONG TOM shotgun was mfg. for Sears and Roebuck by Crescent Arms Co. in the early 1900’s and is the only made single shot with LONG TOM stamped into the receiver. I guess that all other 36” single barrel shotguns are said to be long tom’s, are not the original.”

https://dygtyjqp7pi0m.cloudfront.net/i/26037/23377611_1.jpg?v=8D2D1B2A5E4A430

Me, continuing: Way back when I was young in the WWII era, many still swore by their 12GA “Long Tom’s’; although most I recall were the Winchester single shot models with bbl of at least 36”

I can even recall a few Mod.12’s with extra long bbls being referred to a “Long Tom’s”

Windham: Where did the name ‘Long Tom’ come from?

I happened to be reading Wednesday’s copy of the North Platte Telegraph’s Connect while sipping coffee recently with some fellow outdoorsmen and noticed an auction that listed items from the

nptelegraph.com

A story: https://www.hutchnews.com/story/news/2013/02/17/tale-long-tom/20873052007/

p.s. Another internet post said that the Crescent Tool Co was also originator of the even more famous “Crescent Wrench”.

Not to be confused with the even older “punt guns” The punt guns, unlike “Long Tom’s”, were not meant to be shoulder fired by a single person, but were attached to a “punt-boat”, thus their name.

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Please tell us your memories of the “Long Tom’s”

leVieux

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[G O B]

My Dad had an Iver Johnson 36" he called a long tom. Was his goose gun. Rounds were paper hulls with the shot wound with twine and hard wax.

 

[Texasjack]

I have an old family 16 gauge single shot with a 36" barrel, an H&R Model 6, full choke. My great-uncle claimed he shot squirrels at 100 yards with it. (He claimed a lot of things, so I think it's just one of those magic legends.) It has a Damascus barrel, so it's no longer safe to shoot with modern ammo. I think the original price for it was $4.

In movies and TV shows, people back in the "old days" all shot Model 1873 Army pistols, Winchester rifles, double barrel shotguns, and Gatling guns were common. In reality, most people bought what they could afford, and that meant cheap pistols, single shot rifles or shotguns, and Gatling guns were as rare as 10 carat diamonds. Once you fired a round or two, you had to stop and wait for the smoke to clear to be able to take aim again. My grandfather kept an old double barrel shotgun that was cut down to a foot long. When some animal got in the chicken house, they'd put the shotgun under the door and let loose.

 

[cckirk]

My first new gun was a HR 12ga single shot with 36' barrel, 3" chamber and a full choke. I had turned 18 and thought a Long Tom with Magnum ammo was needed for goose hunting. I will never forget the first Time I pointed that monster straight up and fired a big mag throught it. I think it drove me about 6" deeper in the mud. I'll never know if I got the goose or not as it dislodged my glasses. I sold it and the goose ammo to it next victim soon after that hunt.

 

[Mohawk600]

My grandfather kept an old double barrel shotgun that was cut down to a foot long. When some animal got in the chicken house, they'd put the shotgun under the door and let loose.

Must have been eatin' lots of chicken after that.

 

[paknheat]

In my teens, I hunted a lot with my cousin who used a single shot 12 gauge. I don’t remember what make it was, thing rode in the gun rack in his old Chevy pickup truck.

Put quite a few squirrels and ducks on the table with that old shotgun. Next time I see him I’ll have to ask if he still has it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Texasjack]

Must have been eatin' lots of chicken after that.

Apparently the chickens would mostly fly around and the coon or fox would be at ground level and take the bulk of the shot. There were 9 children, so a couple of dead chickens would disappear in a single meal.