Any antique gun experts on here? Step inside.

[Midnight Goat]

I have an antique shotgun my father gave me that was passed onto him by my great grandfather. I am having a terrible time getting information on this thing. Check out this thread for more info. http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?p=76 3300#763300

Sorry to send you someplace else to view it but Its late and I dont feel like posting all those pics again. Hopefully somebody can give me a hand on here.


(and yes that is a bathroom rug under the chair. Dont wanna scratch up those wood floors!)

[speeddemon]

holy hell that things old

[-db-]

Are you sure it's a shotgun? Normally the term "twist" when referring to firearm barrels denotes rifling (as in rifles) or spiral grooves milled into the inside of the barrel to increase accuracy by imparting spin on the projectile. Shotguns are normally smooth bored (some shotgun slugs feature this kind of grooving on the slug itself for the same reason).

Decorative engraving as seen in the pictures is typical of finer expensive weapons, especially on guns as old as this one. Workhorse (which tend to be cheaper/lower quality) guns usually don't have such features. Might be really worth something. Good luck on finding out what you have and keep us posted.

[speeddemon]

I dunno what it is but I would never fire it from my arm :drink:

[KWBSales]

Don't know what it is worth, but looks to be an English black power double barrel shotgun (possibly British proof marks). Seems to be missing the wooden ramrod which should be located under the barrels. It could probably be dated pretty easily. I recall seeing an episode on the History Channel about the development of the shotgun, as yours has the band down the center of the two barrels and the two nipples at the rear for the percussion caps. Try calling/sending pics to www.collectorsfirearms.com , and ask for Jerry, he might be able to help you out as they deal with a lot of antique firearms. Good luck!

[hardball75006]

You need to find a local antique gun collector and let them appraise it. Anything else would just be a guess.

[BANANAGOAT]

Well it looks like this shotgun is a damascus side by side probably from the mid to late 1800's since it is percussion cap and not flintlock. It seems to have proofmarks but then these marks were x'ed out? It sounds like it is a British maker and it is missing it's ramrod. I would definitely not fire it. You should go on the NRA website and look for info there on how to send an email to their gun corner and they are great about telling you the history of any guns.

Hope this helped some.

Mr. O

[Nightclaw]

Glad I found this thread. I have a 1936 Japanese Chuo Kogyo Type 94 Shiki Kenju 8mm pistol that my grandfather had squirreled away that is in desperate need of a thorough disassembly and cleaning for preservation purposes. Haven't been able to find any dis-/re-assembly instructions for it (people are afraid of firing this gun for safety reasons), and this thread gave me some good antique firearm research leads. Thanks! :)

[2K6 GTO]

If it is indeed Damascus, as the "fine twist" appears to refer to, definitely don't try to shoot it! Damascus has the tendency to deteriorate over time to become weaker for barrels like this. When new, they appeared to be stronger than the steel available, but not over time...
It is black powder only, but it probably would NOT hold up under even a moderately light load.
It will make a beautiful wall hanger and an interesting conversation piece. It's worth looking into, but I doubt it's worth too much...

[Midnight Goat]

Are you sure it's a shotgun? Normally the term "twist" when referring to firearm barrels denotes rifling (as in rifles) or spiral grooves milled into the inside of the barrel to increase accuracy by imparting spin on the projectile. Shotguns are normally smooth bored (some shotgun slugs feature this kind of grooving on the slug itself for the same reason).

Decorative engraving as seen in the pictures is typical of finer expensive weapons, especially on guns as old as this one. Workhorse (which tend to be cheaper/lower quality) guns usually don't have such features. Might be really worth something. Good luck on finding out what you have and keep us posted.

After seeing the fine twist I started to think it might be a rifle but I took a bore light and looked down the barrels and its a smoothbore. And dont worry fellas I dont plan on firing this thing ahaha. If it turns out to be worth something decent I think ill have it restored and give it to my dad as a present. The ramrod I still have, just didnt include it in the picture because it blocks the markings. The markings also arent x-ed out its part of the symbol. Looks like a coat of arms. Im gonna give the markings a rub down with some powder solvent and see if it clears it up at all.


Edit: I just used a little bit of powder solvent and a pick and I can decipher the symbols a lot better now. One symbol has "BP" engraved and a crown over it. Then the next symbol has 2 swords and a crown on top of it. Then the next symbol is an 11 but it looks horizontal so more like captains bars. Then the next symbol is 2 swords again with a crown on top but there are 3 initials. It looks like b, p, c but the b and the p are extremely hard to decipher. The p could be an f. Hope this helps.

[paco04]

I don't have any reference books in front of me, but if I recall, the BP mark is a black powder proof (don't shoot it!). The crossed swords with the letters are the date codes.
Old damascus barreled guns, especially muzzleloaders like yours appears to be, are rarely worth any more than nice "wallhangers", except when there is historical provenance, i.e. royalty or important person owned, or there is military significance (which would be reflected in another proof mark). Even very high grade damascus barreled Purdey's are only worth a fraction of their nitro proofed counterparts.
Shotgun collectors like guns that they can shoot, and they run from refinished guns like the plague. Gentle cleaning with stainless steel wool will remove some of the loose patina (you can buy the stuff at gun shows), and follow up with light gun oil. Never use WD-40 on a firearm.

Go to this website www.hallowellco.com and e-mail Morris Hallowell some of your pictures. He is a very well known and respected individual when it comes to English guns.

[Max Rockatansky]

Nice gun!

Please be careful in considering any restoration, any "improvement" that you make to the gun will probably lower its value. This is the biggest mistake people make with old guns. If there is any active rust, by all means stop the rust; but anything else will lower the value of the gun to a collector. The brown finish on the metal is "patina" and is considered part of the guns finish and any sanding of rough areas of the stock will remove the original finish and possibly markings.

Get the opinion of those who really know these old guns, you are headed in the right direction with the post you have on the shotgun board. They will be able to help you make the best decisions on how to take care of this fine old heirloom.

[Midnight Goat]

John Probin, of London and Birmingham, gunmaker to the Prince of Wales, later George IV. If thats who made this gun it might be of some historical significance . apparently he was a witness in a trial of sorts. This doesnt really apply to my gun but its interesting nevertheless http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/html_units/1830s/t1 8310407-29.html

[terryk]

I haven't heard about a Damascus Steel Twisted Barrel since the 60's during hunter's safety course. It was presented to us as "shoot one of these guns and it will kill your whole family". I move it up the list ahead of communism and blasting caps "Remember, don't tuh-zzz them......"

Great collectors item but I wouldn't shoot it unless it was with a small load only loud enough to sound like a fire-cracker. I did shoot one back then for fun but it was owned by a collector buddy of my dad's so either it was either checked out or dad wanted to thin the herd....