Got a percussion shotgun at a gun show!

[Marplot]

I am showing a .666 at the muzzle. The barrels at the breech look small to me. I originally thought it must be 16ga, but the marking on the barrels does show 184. maybe 18.4. The sidelocks have the same stamp. The barrels look thin at the muzzle. Though I have a few dents in the barrels, but the muzzle is round, not elongated.

A 3/8 inch shouldered (don't try to use 3/8") deep well socket fits tight fit into the muzzle and it is measured, on the outside shows .664, so my caliper is correct, I did set it zeroed begin measuring.

I checked and the metric system was initiated in France in 1795.

 

[Kansas Jake]

The 184 may be parts assembly numbers since the locks are also stamped with it.

 

[Arrow139]

Absolutely! It is a beaut. You have been given good advice about loads. I will just say, if it is choked, loading can be an issue. You will need to experiment a lot to learn how you want to do this. Some will call me a heretic, but if it is choked and was mine I would have the chokes honed out to cylinder bore. That is based on previously owning a choked dbl perc. shotgun. My experience, my opinion.

I will throw in my own 2 cents here, as this is likely mid-19th century, quite possibly before 1860, I would be treating this as a collectors firearm rather than a standard shooter. Beautiful gun to be studied and used as a model for others to build. Love the fish-scale checkering.

 

[azmntman]

I am showing a .666 at the muzzle.

Oh My. String fired first shots for sure.

 

[Wncman]

I am very new at BP. Just bought this shotgun.

Seems to be a Belgian somewhere near 1810 plus. One of the nipples is badly damaged, but was able to remove it. Love the carving. Interested in shooting it, but never fired a BP gun. I think it was a good buy at $300. Some dents to the barrel, otherwise usable. One of the barrels was plugged by wadding got it out and clean. No charge in it. Apparently it is a 12 ga.

Learning about BP.

Given it’s a Damascus barrel, use a low load maybe 50 grains and make sure it’s FFg not Any finer. Maybe even Fg (cannon powder) will work.
It’s an absolute Beauty.

 

[Butch Martin]

I am very new at BP. Just bought this shotgun.

Seems to be a Belgian somewhere near 1810 plus. One of the nipples is badly damaged, but was able to remove it. Love the carving. Interested in shooting it, but never fired a BP gun. I think it was a good buy at $300. Some dents to the barrel, otherwise usable. One of the barrels was plugged by wadding got it out and clean. No charge in it. Apparently it is a 12 ga.

Learning about BP.

Good buy! Welcome to the sport and hobby.

 

[oldschoolhunter55]

I am very new at BP. Just bought this shotgun.

Seems to be a Belgian somewhere near 1810 plus. One of the nipples is badly damaged, but was able to remove it. Love the carving. Interested in shooting it, but never fired a BP gun. I think it was a good buy at $300. Some dents to the barrel, otherwise usable. One of the barrels was plugged by wadding got it out and clean. No charge in it. Apparently it is a 12 ga.

Learning about BP.

i like that