Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Iver Johnson 410 champion...a treasure found

A couple weeks ago I snagged a treasure at the local gun show. It's an Iver Johnson Champion in 410. Very similar to the first shotgun I ever shot. That particular gun belonged to my grandpa, inherited by my uncle and he loaned it to my dad to get me started shooting and hunting. That gun, if I remember was not serial numbered. It did have lettering on the barrel that said it was full choked and 2 1/2 " chamber. The one I just bought has nothing about chamber length on it, although it will shoot and extract 3" shell just fine. The one quirk I find interesting is that this gun has a serial number and all major parts of it are serial numbered ( stock, forend wood and metal, butt plate and the barrel). I was just curious if we have anyone on here that is expert in Iver Johnson shotgun history.

Iby no means would be considered an expert but I have a couple and personally feel the IJ champions were some of the best looking single barrels as to lines and proportion ever made. I have a couple of the deluxe models with a ribbed barrel and they are very nice handling old guns.

Congrats on snagging that fine old shotgun. I've long wanted one of those.

Something does not add up here. I have an Iver Johnson handgun. Five shot .38,
it's in good condition and yet I can barely give it away. Not trying to be a wise azz...
but what makes the Iver Johnson Champion .410 such a treasure. Can I ask
how much you paid for it ?

Someone who's nearly ready to find a buyer..

Remember the story of Tom Sawyer who got a friend to paint his fence by saying what a opportunity it was?? (feeble memory re: details, but you get my drift)...

I dunno,

Old (pre-war) .410 singles generally command higher prices than larger bore singles. Does that necessarily add up? I don't know that demand for I-J shotguns translates into demand for I-J handguns.

OP, I'm no expert, but I'd guess your I-J .410 was made in the 1930's. The earliest I-J Champions("new model" Champions, that is, introduced about 1915 or so) had "round knob" pistol grips and very slender "splinter" type forearm wood. Like I said, I'm guessing.

Redneck - I get your drift. Thanks

The "treasure" is just the fact that it looks and is so similar to the first shotgun I ever fired. That gun, that belonged to my uncle, was given to his son(who hunts and shoots very little) even though I asked him for it many times. I gave a C note for it. More than alot of people would give, but it is something I don't plan on parting with. letting my grandson learn to shoot with it and probably passing it on to him one day.

We have one just like yours. It actually belongs to my father in law. We use it to take my seven year old daughter squirrel hunting. Both she and her little brother will grow up using this gun. We have one in 12 ga. too. Great guns!!!

There is no treasure really except when you compare it to the single barrel choices that have been offered over the past 25 years with their pallet grade mystery grade wood that is is cut proud and fitted by a blind man so that you could build another stock out of the excess wood. IJ's were never "fine" guns but the lines were fairly clean and the frames and barrel taper were somewhat graceful compared to the shaping of some of the competition.

I agree that the early singles just outdo the modern ones 100% on workmanship and balance.

I SUSPECT that your .410 has a 2 1/2" chamber--many 2 1/2" .410s will load 3" shells. But the chamber pressure when you shoot them in the short chamber is higher than the shell it was chambered for.

That said, I have never heard of anybody having a worse problem than a pierced primer from shooting the longer shells in the shorter chamber. I still wouldn't do it--treasure your "treasure"!

I used to "ranch sit" for a friend to give him and his wife a little vacation time. I usually just brought my Ruger Bearcat along to keep me company, but he had serious jackrabbit problems. The bunnies would come into the apple orchard and girdle the young trees. They would also eat the kitchen garden flat if you left them to it. I shot a bunch of them with the .22 before I found an Iver Johnson .410 and a sack of 2 1/2" #6s behind the tool shed door. Then I burned up all those paper shells and tossed the bunny carcasses over the fence into the woods. No more rabbit damage after a week or so of slaughter. So I had to start in on the ground squirrels.....

Nice IJ, love 'em...

Killed my first deer (at the age of 6) with an Iver Johnson .410 single shot. Still have that shotgun.

I too have a Champion 410. Just picked it up two days ago. It must be a very early one as it has a four digit serial which is stamped on the barrel, receiver, etc. This one has no finish left on it, and all markings are scrubbed off of the barrel, with evidence of some pitting, and the thin forearm is cracked. The muzzle is very worn, so I'll have a gunsmith check it to see if it needs to be cut back. As ugly as this old shotgun is, I fell in love with it when I first saw it. I may Duracoat it since it has no finish and looks terrible.

The first shotgun that I ever shot was a Iver Johnson Champion 20 ga. My dad bought it new when he came back from Germany in WW 2 . He said it and a box of shells cost him a whole 8.00 at the local hardware store. LOL My dad has been gone for 3 years but I still have the gun.A few years ago I picked up a Champion .410 at a gun show. I will have to dig it out of the safe and check but I don't believe it has any serial numbers. I think it also has the " splinter " forearm.

I got mine as a first gun 62 years ago......still works fine....and looks good....seldom shoot it any more.

Bill Goforth was the Iver Johnson expert, but he passed a couple of years ago.

He told me that the owl on the butt plate was Mr. Jonson's Masonic symbol.