This is a 10 gage, double barrel, black powder, percussion shotgun from the 1850's. The gun has an overall length of 48", with the barrels measuring 31 3/4" in length. The Damascus barrels have a smooth exterior, with no pitting. Both the barrels have an even dark patina. The bores are turning dark and have light pitting over the entire length of the barrels. There are no stamps visible on the top side of the barrels. 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 the same dark patina as the lock plates. There is no fancy scroll engraving on this old shootin iron! All the hardware on this shotgun is iron. The ram rod thimbles and nose cap are securely attached. The wooden ram rod is capped with a copper tip and has a portion of a worm attached to the opposite end. The stock has a beautiful, reddish brown appearance. There are the normal bumps and dings present in the wood. There is no wood loss or cracks present. Attached to the rear ramrod thimble and the bottom of the stock are sling swivels. It's entirely possible that this could have been a Confederate used shotgun early in the war. A lot of young southerners left home to fight the Yankees with shotguns and squirrel guns! This one was definitely around during that terrible war, who knows, maybe it was pressed into service for some southern boy to defend his way of life!

Item # AA1308

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