Maynard No. 3 Sportsman's Favorite
Massachusetts Arms Company · Shotgun · Out Of Production · 1873
Also known as: Maynard Improved Breech-Loading Shotgun No. 3, Maynard Number Three Shotgun
Overview
The Maynard No. 3 Sportsman's Favorite is a single-shot, break-action shotgun built on Dr. Edward Maynard's tip-up barrel breechloading design and manufactured by the Massachusetts Arms Company of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. It is one of three grades of Maynard smoothbore shotgun offered in the Model 1873 and Model 1882 lines, chambered for the standard 20-gauge paper shell as well as Maynard brass shells. Like the company's rifles, it uses a hinged breech with a tip-up barrel and can be fitted with interchangeable barrels of differing bore and length on a single receiver and buttstock.
Specifications
| Barrel Length | 711 mm (27.99") |
| Action Type | Break Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 380 m/s (1247 fps) |
| Effective Range | 35 m (38 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 20 Gauge · primary — also known as 20GA, 20 Bore
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Tip Up Barrel, Hinged Breech, Interchangeable Barrels, Single Shot, Smoothbore Barrel
Service history
Operators
- Civilian sportsmen and hunters · adopted 1873
Production
Production years: 1873-1890
Produced by the Massachusetts Arms Company as one grade of the Maynard breech-loading shotgun line; exact production figures are not recorded
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Edward Maynard
Discontinued: 1890
Notes
Maynard shotguns were offered in three grades with barrels from 26 to 32 inches and chambered for the regular 20-gauge paper shell as well as Maynard cals. .55 and .64 brass shells. The 'Sportsman's Favorite' name appears in Maynard catalogs as the Number Three grade of the improved breech-loading shotgun. Weight and overall length vary by barrel length and are not precisely documented for this grade.
Background
Dr. Edward Maynard was a prominent Washington dentist turned prolific firearms inventor whose tip-up breechloaders gained a devoted following among 19th-century sportsmen; a single Maynard receiver could be paired with interchangeable rifle and shotgun barrels, letting one 'gun' serve for both game birds and big game.