This muzzle-loading shotgun was a wall hanger at my wife's grandparents house for as long as she can remember. I don't know if it was ever used by anyone in her family for anything other than decoration and sadly, there's nobody left who knows any history of this gun.
Anyway, I didn't measure the bore (can't believe I missed that) but it looks like a 12-gauge. The barrel is 39-5/8" long measured from the inside.
The only makings I can make out on the side plate is an OOD. It's hard to tell if the preceding marks are characters or just scratches.
The barrel has a couple of proof marks and a bead set in a shallow dovetail.
I believe the stock has been repaired as evidenced by the two screws set behind the tang.
The bore has some rust, but no bulges and there are a couple of brass pins missing that secure the wooden ramrod guide to the underside of the barrel.
Can you tell by the pictures where this gun was made and when? There's what looks like a name plate on the left side of the stock, but if it ever had anything on it I can't tell now.
I'd like to know if you think this shotgun could or should be restored to shooting condition (probably to fire a dozen times and put back on the wall for the next generation). The hammer feels real sluggish and doesn't lock back. It may just need to be pulled back further, but I'm reluctant to force things. Does the screw on the left side hold the side plate on? I'd like to strip the thing down a bit to give it a good cleaning and see if I can do anything with the lock work.
Thanks in advance for any insight you can lend.
Anyway, I didn't measure the bore (can't believe I missed that) but it looks like a 12-gauge. The barrel is 39-5/8" long measured from the inside.
The only makings I can make out on the side plate is an OOD. It's hard to tell if the preceding marks are characters or just scratches.
The barrel has a couple of proof marks and a bead set in a shallow dovetail.
I believe the stock has been repaired as evidenced by the two screws set behind the tang.
The bore has some rust, but no bulges and there are a couple of brass pins missing that secure the wooden ramrod guide to the underside of the barrel.
Can you tell by the pictures where this gun was made and when? There's what looks like a name plate on the left side of the stock, but if it ever had anything on it I can't tell now.
I'd like to know if you think this shotgun could or should be restored to shooting condition (probably to fire a dozen times and put back on the wall for the next generation). The hammer feels real sluggish and doesn't lock back. It may just need to be pulled back further, but I'm reluctant to force things. Does the screw on the left side hold the side plate on? I'd like to strip the thing down a bit to give it a good cleaning and see if I can do anything with the lock work.
Thanks in advance for any insight you can lend.
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