shot dispenser

[George]

Bulk shot and powder used to be sold over the counter in country stores, and I am fortunate to have original pieces they were dispensed with. The shot dispenser is of butternut with poplar secondary wood, has 8 compartments for shot. The bottom of the compartments are steeply slanted so shot pours very easily when the cast iron gates are opened. Each gate has a gravity lock.

The powder dispenser holds about a half-gallon, is made of spark-free metal, and the cap is also the measure.

Spence

 

[Stumpkiller]

Outrageously cool!

 

[William O.]

I'm sure glad you posted a pic and explanation of that and always marvel at the elegant simplicity of such devices.

 

[Cascade Pete]

Beyond Cool. That is Fantastic!!! Where did You ever find such a treasure..????

 

[George]

Beyond Cool. That is Fantastic!!! Where did You ever find such a treasure..????

Back when I was first learning about BP shotguns I made the acquaintance of a man, Paul Blakeman, who became my mentor. We were close friends for several years. His thing was shotguns and everything about them and anything associated with them. He was elderly and not in good health, and began disposing of some of his accumulated gear. I was lucky enough to be offered this set and a Greener shotgun, and I grabbed them both. That was 25 years ago, or thereabouts, I guess.

Spence

 

[onepaw]

i want one...might have to add to myshop uild to do list, where to find the hardware though...

verynice, thanks for sharing

 

[Roy]

:thumbsup: Thanks for sharing.. That is cool :hatsoff:

 

[roundball]

Bob, that is just an outstanding antique...thanks for sharing those photos !!

 

[hoochiepapa]

Spence, you never cease to amaze.

 

[wattlebuster]

Very cool Spence. Thats the first one of those I ever saw. Thanks for posting :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

 

[Jim Blair]

Hard to find and expensive pieces not often found,thanks for posting pictures of your treasures. :hatsoff:

 

[SgtSchutzen]

Those are very nice antiques, I`m big time envious. Thanks a bunch for sharing :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

Wondering if that would be from the early 1900's...or possibly even the late 1800's ??

Makes me think of square head nails but don't know about the porcelain drawer pulls...although they could have been added as replacements much later

 

[Jim Blair]

Most of the ones I've seen or looked at pictures of appear to be late 1800s early 1900s manufacture.Some had patent dates and ID plates on them with the manufacturers names.Here's one similiar sold a couple of years ago at Cowan's-
http://www.cowanauctions.com/auctions/past-item.aspx?ItemId=88990

Here's one of a slightly different pattern-
http://bid.dakotaplainsauctions.com/Antique-self-weighing-general-store-shot-dispenser_i9457281

 

[jtmattison]

That's awesome Spence. Thank you for sharing a piece of history with us.

:hatsoff:

HD

 

[smo]

Great piece of history Spence. One i'm sure most of us would love to have. :thumbsup:

 

[RushCC]

Beautiful piece of fine antiquery! :thumbsup:

 

[Trench]

Spence, how old would you put this?

 

[George]

Spence, how old would you put this?

Well, I have no accurate idea, but I have given it some thought. The iron work looks similar to that I see on other antiques from 1880-1910, but that's not a strong clue. One way to approach it is to consider when its use would have been practical. How long was bulk power and shot sold in a situation where this piece would be useful? Depends on the part of the country, of course. It would probably be found much later in backwoods rural areas than in large urban areas. It's obviously a commercial item, which could mean there was some larger company behind it which provided the case to dispense their product. How late would that be likely to happen?

If anyone has any useful thoughts I'd like to hear them,

Spence

 

[Jim Blair]

The 1885 Hartley & Graham catalog has a self weighing shot case listed and the 1902 M.Hartley Arms and Ammunition catalog has the same self weighing shot case listed as well as one that appears to be like yours.It's listed as the "Dunscomb Shot Case",eight compartments,each holding about 35 pounds:size 2 feet long,9 inches deep,and 13 1/2 inches high.Price each $5.The self weighing cases were considerably more expensive at $12.

You have to keep in mind when breech loading shotguns became common post-Civil War there were no factory loaded shells available until the late 1870s early 1880s although the demand was there.There was no machinery to produce shot shells in commercially profitable quantities till then.Empty hulls,wads,primers,and shot yes.Small companies and hardware stores and the like loaded and marketed "house" brand shells until then and long after as well as individual sportsmen.Some of the earliest patents for reloading tools and self-contained ammunition concerned shotshells.

Most of the shot cases I've looked at over the years appear to date from the 1880s to about 1910 by their design and construction.This was the heyday of gunning and market hunters.Reloading shotshells took very little in the way of equipment,some accounts of market hunters indicate they took their tools to the field and reloaded shells they shot in the morning while waiting for the birds to come back in the afternoon flights.I've never seen a shot case with pre-CW provenance,there may be one out there,I just haven't seen or heard of it.