Hollenbeck - Three-Barrel - Royal

[Researcher]

A question asked of me on another site caused me to tabulate the rifle calibers the Frank Hollenbeck designed drilling made in West Virginia came in from the ledger passed on to me by the late R.W. Harris. The ledger started with the Three-Barrel Gun Co. but includes the remaining inventory from the Hollenbeck Gun Co. and continues into the Royal Gun Co. It is 57 pages with 26 serial numbers per page but quite a few lines aren't filled in. At any rate it confirmed my feeling that of the ten cartridges in the ledger the .32-40 was far and away the most common with 878 with the .30-30 a distant second with 208. Third place was the .25-25 Stevens with 59 and fourth was .32-20 with 52. Fifth was the .32 Ideal with 26 and sixth was .25-20 SS with 24, followed closely by the .25-35 Winchester with 21. Rarer was the .25-36 Marlin with 10, .25-20 with nine, the .22 WCF with two and the rarest the .25-21 Stevens with one.

My father's old cigar box of rifle shells didn't have a .25-21 Stevens.

[Stan Hillis]

Dave, was this the Rob't. Harris from Montana, who sold me my Parker DHE? If so I am truly saddened to hear of his passing. When did he die?

[Researcher]

No Stan. R.W. Harris of Defuniak Springs, Florida. The same gentleman who gifted the A.H. Fox Collectors Association the photocopies of the production cards.

[Foxnut]

Dave,
Thank you very much for the tabulation of rifle calibers. Very interesting. I could have guessed regarding the .32-40 and .30-.30 being the most prevalent given how often they are encountered when you run across one of the Drillings. Now to find that elusive 22 WCF with two and the rarest the .25-21 Stevens with one!!!! Brett

[Foxnut]

For those not as familiar with the Hollenbeck/Three Barrel Gun Co/Royal Arms Gun Co. drillings here is SN 114. It’s a 20 gauge Grade 2 with 25.20 rifle. It is in the ledger but no shipment date is given which is not uncommon. I would estimate between 1903 - 1905 but who knows!

[Researcher]

The ledger lists 114 as a 20x20x.25-20SS while similar 113 is listed as 20x20x.25-25 both Grade 2.

[Foxnut]

The ledger lists 114 as a 20x20x.25-20SS while similar 113 is listed as 20x20x.25-25 both Grade 2.

Yep, 25-20 SS. If the pic below is expanded it will show that the gun is marked on the left barrel flat as 25 20 S. Not sure why it was marked that way. Brett

[Researcher]

Dave,
Thank you very much for the tabulation of rifle calibers. Very interesting. I could have guessed regarding the .32-40 and .30-.30 being the most prevalent given how often they are encountered when you run across one of the Drillings. Now to find that elusive 22 WCF with two and the rarest the .25-21 Stevens with one!!!! Brett

For several years there was a very low serial number Hollenbeck Gun Co. 28 x 28 x .22 WCF kicking around the Pennsylvania gun shows that I suspect was a salesman's/showroom sample as it had one Damascus shot barrel and one steel shot barrel. It is not in the ledger I have. About a decade or so later it showed up refinished in Jack Puglisis's booth in the winter Beinfeld Show at the old Riviera in Las Vegas. Jack had it tagged as a 28 x 28 x .22 Hornet!! I doubt Frank Hollenbeck ever considered Hornet pressure when he designed his drilling!