This antique double barrel percussion shotgun is stocked in checkered walnut with damascus 12 gauge barrels. The barrels have Belgian proof marks, but otherwise this shotgun is unsigned. The furniture is iron with a brass cap box and nickel silver escutcheon plates around the wedge key. The stock has some sanding marks, and a gloss finish has been applied. Trigger reach is 13-7/8" and 13", and this shotgun weighs 8 pounds.
The 32" barrels measure 0.719" (right) and 0.716" (left) at the muzzle. Both bores are shootable, with scattered light pitting over the length of the bore. We suggest our 13-gauge wads and cards for use with this shotgun. The exterior of the damascus barrels appears to have been polished and browned long ago. The damascus pattern is not visible under the brown finish, which is very worn from handling and cleaning. Marked Laminated Steel Barrels, which appear to have faded from the polishing. A small brass bead serves as the front sight. The left-hand barrel has a small Belgian "perron" proof mark. The short-stepped tang is engraved with a few lines of scrolls. We note that the tang stands proud of the stock. The tang bolt appears to be a modern replacement.
The shotgun is stocked in European walnut with a checkered wrist and forearm. The checkering on the forearm appears to be much more worn than the wrist. The stock has a repaired 1"-long crack ahead of the right-hand lock panel. The stock has coats of a gloss finish applied, but they are not evenly applied, with some areas much flatter in appearance. The metal stands proud of the wood in most areas due to wood shrinkage. You can see how much the design of the late 19th-century English gunmakers influenced modern shotguns with buttstock shapes. The buttplate is wide and nearly flat to spread the felt recoil over a large area. The buttplate has a dark brown patina and has been shaped with a short-stepped comb that is hand-engraved with scrolls. The buttstock is fitted with a brass cap box with a small storage area. The cap box is engraved with a border and a bird that appears to be either a snipe or a woodcock. The barrels are secured to the forearm with a single captured wedge key. The right-hand escutcheon plate has many small dents from removing the wedge key. The key is captured to prevent loss. The rounded toe of the stock has many small, scattered handling marks. The bow of the triggerguard is engraved with scrolls. The urn-shaped triggerplate finial and ramrod entry pipe are both hand-engraved. The ramrod passes through two pipes that are soldered to the bottom barrel rib. The tapered ramrod is an old replacement with an antique tip on one end and no tip fitted on the hidden end. We recommend our #RAMROD-C-36-10 to service this shotgun.
The front action locks have aged to a dark brown patina, and both have coats of glossy finish applied to them. The locks are crisp, with secure half-cock and full-cock notches. Both hammers align at the half-cock and full-cock positions. Both hammers have a very small amount of movement on the tumbler shanks. The tails of the lock plates have a step filed into them to blend the lock into the wrist. We have encountered this design on French-influenced shotguns. Both locks are decorated with hand-engraved with scroll patterns. The tang is shaped with a high flash fence to protect the wood at the breech from cap spray. Modern Ampco bronze nipples are installed in the breech, the right barrel is .280-28 and the left barrel is 255-28.
An antique percussion double barrel shotgun that would have been typical of many 19th-century hardware store shotguns imported into 19th-century America. The locks are crisp, and the bores are shootable. It will be a joy to shoot or display. Order it for a ten-day visual inspection. You will be delighted. Otherwise, if it does not fit you, return it in unfired condition for a same-day refund. Postage is your only risk when you order any one-of-a-kind gun from Track, whether new, used, or antique.
