The US military purchased a small number of Remington Model 10 shotguns during World War One to supplement its Winchester 1897s. They were made in both “riot” and “trench” configuration, with the trench guns using a unique Remington bayonet mount and handguard design (to avoid paying royalties to use Winchester’s patented model). The original purchases consisted of only about 3500 trench guns, and many of those were converted to riot models over the years, as spare parts for the handguard and bayonet lug were not available. The serial numbers fall into a range from 117,731 to 165,566 but most are between 160k and 165k. Between the small original purchase and the many conversions, these are the scarcest American trench shotguns today.
Many thanks to the US National WW1 Museum & Memorial for pulling this example out of their exhibit for me to film! If you are in Kansas City, make sure to stop by and see the museum:
https://www.theworldwar.org
That’s a great museum! Made a trip to visit there a couple years ago. They feature a French 75 in one room – I have one of the T-shirts from Forgotten Weapons featuring that artillery piece and drink 🙂
I believe that all the military purchased Model 10s were marked US/flaming bomb on the left side of the receiver only, and NONE were marked with a bomb on the barrel. At least that has been my experience with a pretty large sample of Remington 10 training, trench and riot guns both made as such and converted from trench configuration.
Remington Model 10s almost always are found with mismatched serial number on the frame and barrel, so the one in the video is extra special as it is still matching.
Springfield Armory listed repairs or modification to small numbers of Remington Model 10s in several years during the inter-war period.
I still want to know what genius came up with the idea of sending paper-cartridge weapons into the trenches…
The fact that they didn’t have full-brass shotgun cases for those weapons always blew my mind, but there ya go.
It is called “What cheap and clueless bureaucrats do”.
I used to work just a block and a busy highway distant from the Armory Museum in Frankfort, KY. I would sometimes bring my lunch, and after quickly eating it go over for a very interesting half hour or so looking around. The place has since been extensively renovated, but back then was more like a military surplus store than a museum.
One of the exhibits was a “trench” shotgun with a sword bayonet. Unusually, it was attached with the blade edge on top. (That is, facing the stream of shot.) After far too many years I don’t remember any other details, except that it was a short-barrelled (typical trench shotgun) pump.
MINOT USAF Base 1974-77. We had a couple of Remingtons with those bayonets sitting in storage. I never checked serial numbers, so I assume there were WWII models with copies of the original bayonets. Or were they all original?
The Model 10 was long out of production by 1840. The guns in Minot were from 1918.
Oops 1940.
Love the video. I got to handle a Model 10 Trench Clone when I was in Kansas City over the summer. Currently working on a “Guns of NY” display for a Gun Show out there next year. Also funny tidbit, the Remington Berthiers were manufactured at the Bridgeport Connecticut plant, though I am sure you already knew that.