Found in the trash pile!

[lonehunter]

Pretty beat up, Writing on the top flat and behind the hammer on the lock, Cant read or make out any of it.
30 inch oct to round barrel
43 inches overall
looks to be about a 20ga (have not measured it yet)
Just looking for any information about it.
Its gonna hang on the wall, but would be nice to know what it is :wink:
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Thanks for looking! :v

 

[BadHeart]

wish I had trash piles like that here, great find..

 

[lonehunter]

A friend of mine found it, The people told him two others had gone to the dump the day before!
Kinda makes ya sick, Dont it?

 

[Many Klatch]

I'll take a run at it. My guess is English, 1880's, probably a high quality gun. The empty square on the back of the barrel may have been a gold inlay. It can probably be fixed up to shoot.

Many Klatch

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Wow, I have a back action perc lock, single barrel smoothie that is not quite as fancy and the stock is broken at the identical spot. Which I got out of a junk pile about 20 years ago. At auctions around here, they pile up broken items and scrap metal into piles and somebody buys them for scrap metal. I spied the gun in the junk and paid a dollar for the pile. Got a maytag washer engine last year in such a pile for $2.00. But I was actually bidding for the pieces of brass plate in the pile.

 

[TFoley]

I'll take a run at it. My guess is English, 1880's, probably a high quality gun. The empty square on the back of the barrel may have been a gold inlay. It can probably be fixed up to shoot.

Many Klatch

Sir - my bet is French or Belgian - from a lot earlier - try 1850 or so. The back-action lock is not very English. And if it had been English, by this time it would have had proof stamps all over the breech.

We need to see stamps to tell.

tac
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund

 

[410-er]

I think too the sides look Belgium.

 

[lonehunter]

Stamps! Duh....
I will pull the barrel later and see what i can find.
Thanks!

 

[54mountain]

The trigger guard and cap box look identical to my 1850's Belgian double, also the engraving on the lock and tang looks the same.

So I'm guessing 1850's Belgian :grin: :grin:

Oh! by the way, GREAT find. :thumbsup:

 

[trent/OH]

A friend of mine found it, The people told him two others had gone to the dump the day before!
Kinda makes ya sick, Dont it?

My hunch is that it is stolen, the thief took the gold inlay, then dumped the gun. Sad, but very plausible.

 

[lonehunter]

It was in a house that had been foreclosed on.
He also got a mini-14 that had been taken apart. Bunch of power tools, a lot of good stuff!

 

[GreyWhiskers]

Nice find, James. I took pics of a friend's gun a few years ago and while I don't remember all the details, a few of it's features look similar.

 

[lonehunter]

Hmm! You are right some details are very similar, Looks like that lock has LONDON stamped on it. This one had some writing on it (several words) i cant make out any of it even with a magnifying glass, Also has writing on the top barrel flat, The kids will be here soon and I will get some younger eyes to look at it. :haha:
Thanks for the input everyone :bow:
I will look on the bottom of the barrel for stamps, take picts and post them. :v

 

[lonehunter]

No stamps on the barrel, Younger eyes and a 10x magnifier tell me the top barrel flat says London Fine Twist, The lock has Lewis and James on it.
Anybody know anything about these marks?
Thanks! :v

 

[flintlock75]

Lewis and James are listed as London Gun Makers who made high quality double and single barrel fowlers during the 1850's.

 

[lonehunter]

Thank you! :bow:

 

[shmrck1]

lonehunter,
You may want to have it appraised by
a reputable person.If it is low I would take
it off the wall,and do what is needed to use in the field. BTW,if that appraiser values it low and offers to buy it,take your gun and run. :hmm: