Need help

[BruceHuxford]

I met a fellow a few days ago, who is looking to sell a rather odd shotgun, it's a 28 gauge muzzleloading shotgun, percussion lock and Spanish made for the hunting of monkeys in South America. There's seem to be a Crack in the hammer where it strikes the nipple, otherwise it's in decent shape, he's asking 300 plus shipping. I just don't know if it is worth it, so I'm asking for help. I will say that it might be a fairly decent bird gun

 

[Kansas Jake]

Sounds like too much to me.

 

[2 shots]

i remember these in ads as a kid. $19.95 back then. i would pass. do you hunt a lot of monkeys in Ma.?

 

[longcruise]

I will say that it might be a fairly decent bird gun

Perfect for flying monkeys

 

[ppg1949]

I have one marked Dixie Gun Works 28 Gauge. I wood ask the seller what millimeter is marked on the barrel. Need to emphasize that these guns are usually marked 28 gauge but are not. A true 28 gauge would be 13.9mm. Mine is 13.2mm or .526/32gsuge. I have talked to four or five forum members that have them and only one had a true 28 gauge. I only bring this up because of buying wads etc. I’m not sure I have ever seen a crack in the hammer but that should lower the price by $25 at least. One thing I like about mine is the weight. Mine is under four pounds and my go to woods gun. It shoots a .490 round ball decent out to 25 yards with “rabbit ear” rear sights. Mine had a crappy orange finish but underneath was a dark hard wood. I would say $300 plus shipping is on the very high side especially with a cracked hammer. Do a search for “Spanish 28 Gauge” here for more discussion. Good luck.

 

[BruceHuxford]

Thanks y'all

 

[Phil Coffins]

I’d pass at $25.

 

[Sam squanch]

That’s about what they sell for online at the gun websites. Talk him down since it was a broken hammer. I would not give over $200 for one, and it would have to be in very good condition. They are fun to shoot. But the locks are very crude and wear out fast with heavy use.

 

[BruceHuxford]

I knew I would get good advice here when needed, I sure do appreciate y'all

 

[Notchy Bob]

I’d pass at $25.

I agree with @Phil Coffins . I had one of those when I was in my early teens. We still have it in the family. I had a lot of fun with it, and actually killed some squirrels with it.

However, these were very cheaply made. The bore was drilled but not reamed smooth. It has a patent breech, and the breech plug threads were just tapped into the end of the bore, with no counterbore. The nipple was a poor fit, and my dad drilled out the nipple seat and retapped it. The trigger had about a 90 pound pull, which dad was also able to fix by stoning the tumbler/sear engagement. We also fabricated and soldered a ramrod pipe onto the barrel, as the original "ramrod" was essentially a piece of heavy wire with a button on the end. I made a hickory ramrod for it.

So, my dad got it for me as a teaching tool, to show me how to do all of the above. A secondary motive for his purchase was if this gun kept me occupied, I would be less likely to damage one of his originals when unsupervised. With all of that in mind, this gun played an important part in my early muzzleloading experience. However, these were cheap guns, even back then. Cheap to buy and cheaply made. I don't know that I would pick one up now if I found it in the road. I've seen used but shootable T/C Hawkens for $350 - $400. So, $300 for one of these Spanish rough-bores? I wouldn't.

Notchy Bob

 

[bpd303]

If it were a Belgian made trade rifle with a back action lock I would consider it. Do you have any pictures of it?

 

[BruceHuxford]

No pictures, I left my phone in the truck that day. I already gave it a pass, after giving it a good looking over, what I didn't notice at the time was a slight bulge in the barrel. That's a no thank you. I do appreciate all the good advice, gentlemen