This is a 12 gage double barrel black powder percussion shotgun from the 1850's. The gun has an overall length of 46 1/4". the barrels measuring 30" in length. The barrels have a smooth exterior, no pitting with light pinpricking around the bolster areas. The left barrel has an even plum patina, while the right barrel has a lightly cleaned area just forward of the nipple. The bores are in excellent condition, bright and slick as a whistle. There are three stamps visible on the side of the left barrel, Belgian markings. The under side of the barrels are covered in Belgian stamps. These are the only stampings on the weapon. The side plates have no markings and have a smooth appearance. The hammers match the side plates in appearance and lack of markings of any kind. The mechanics work perfectly, locking in half and full cock. They both snap forward when their respective trigger is depressed. The trigger guard and butt plate have a slightly darker patina than the lock plates. There is no fancy scroll engraving on this old shootin iron! All the hardware on this shotgun is iron, except the escutcheon plates, which are made of brass. The ram rod thimbles and nose cap are securely attached. The wooden ram rod is capped with a copper tip. The stock has a beautiful, dark appearance. There are a couple of flaws however. The wrist area below the right lock plate is cracked. There is a stress crack on the left side of the stock about 2" long. There is also one on the right side about 1 1/2" in length. The peculiar thing is the stamps that appear all over the stock. The letter Z has been stamped on the bottom of the stock between the escutcheon plates, bottom of the stock comb behind the trigger guard, another by the bottom of the butt plate, one at the top of the stock comb forward of the butt plate and one beside each lock plate. I've heard that the Confederate armories used to stamp on Z on repaired weapons. This one was definitely around during that terrible war, who knows, maybe it was pressed into service and repaired for some southern boy to defend his way of life!

Item # AA1271