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Need help to identify percussion double barrel shotgun

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Busher

32 Cal
Joined
May 20, 2020
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Barrel is about 33", engravings on metal, one hammer arm doesn't have fancy design maybe a replacement?
Tried to research it not exactly sure, It's a family item I was told was used in the civil war? The relative that was a musket expert is no longer with us and the knowledge was lost.
I am into medieval history and am just getting into muskets. Thanks for your time.
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photos taken on my cellphone, will try to get better quality.
 
Update: it says "Fine Twist" in-between the barrels, is it a William Moore & Co. Double Barrel Shotgun? or maybe a copy of the design as it doesn't say the company name on it like others do. The base of the barrel is also different from the others I have seen. It looks like a Pedersoli SXS 12 Guage double barrel Shotgun too... Trying to pinpoint the model and year.
 
If I may suggest, take the barrels out and photograph the marks you find there. Among them you should see proof marks that will tell you the country of origin (of the barrels). It's not uncommon to find mismatched hammers. Shotguns were used hard and hammers suffered. It looks to be in quite good shape.
 
Update: the base of the barrels near the hammers says "W VV" or "U W" and is kinda crudely marked and small.
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Says "Fine Twist" but nothing else like other examples show.
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You'll need to remove the barrels, not difficult at all. The marks are on the very bottom of the barrels near the breech covered by the forearm. Put the hammers on half cock. You have determined it's unloaded right? Push the wedge in the forearm out from left to right, grab the wrist of the stock with one hand and the barrels out near the muzzle with the other. Lift up on the muzzle ends and the barrels should come free. They are held at the back by the breech plugs which hook into that piece of metal between the hammers. There is no need to loosen or remove the screw on that piece, it stays in the stock.

Looking at the photo where it says fine twist I see file marks on the rib and the top of the barrel as well as punch parks on the rib. I wonder if the rib might have come unsoldered and someone repaired it. They may not have been able to get the rib back down where it was, soldered it and filed the high spot back down.
 
There also seems to be a Z with a crown over it, and a V with a crown over it on on each barrel, and maybe a LC initials and possibly some numbers. Currently trying to find out what that all means.
 
Crowned letters are the stamps of individual inspectors - they might be any letter of the alphabet. However this format lasted only from 1853 to 1877, after that the crown was replaced by a *
 
it is a GARDEN VARIETY BELGIUM DBL. shot gun. in good shape. it looks to be one that is a candidate for shooting, at least I would make smoke with it.
 
Light loads, please, or the next set of images you show us will be the components. So get it checked out by a knowledgeable gunsmith before doing ANYTHING by way of shooting it. BTW, you HAVE checked that is it unloaded, right?

Don't take it for granted - these pages are littered with posts about buying or acquiring an older gun, only to find that it is already to shoot.....:eek:

BTW, the 17.2 is the bore in mm, a very tight 12 gauge.
 
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