Old SXS I Picked Up Pics!

[Mulebrain]

I saw this old girl laying on a table at a show I recently went too. The stock has an ugly old crack repair, and the barrels have a loose top rib. I will repair the loose top rib, and clean out the bores. There is no bulges or dents in the barrels at all! The locks work as new! The makers name is Robert Jones, and I think the gun is English. I dug in one of the barrels, and got this piece of newspaper, and some powder out of it but no load. I have never seen a keyhole plate used as a stock reinforcement, but that is what is on top of the wrist.

This might be a shooter again!

 

[BLAHMAN]

Of coarse it could be a shooter...congrats! :hatsoff:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Unless this is an expensive English made gun with collector's value, even in its current condition, you might consider having a new stock made for the gun by one of the stockmakers. Dick Greensides at Pecatonica can reproduce the existing stock, without the repair furniture for you in whatever grade of wood you want on it. If you are going to spend the effort to clean up the metal work on that piece, so it can be a shooter again, this might be a good thing to do to make sure that stock will be able to take being fired again in more than 100 years!

I am surprised that you didn't find old black powder under that 1903 paper. That is usually what we find in these old guns. And the powder still burns.

 

[mazo kid]

I have purchased 2 old guns that when I got them home had paper wadding with powder underneath. Both of these guns were stored for a long time; one was in the joists of an old blacksmith shop. Maybe the over shot wads weren't snug and the shot eventually "escaped"?

 

[paulvallandigham]

I doubt it. It was a fairly common practice to load the powder down the barrel, and then put paper wadding in after it. The paper was tamped down, and may even have been damp when put in the barrel, so it would dry and form a good wad. This allowed the gun to be fired with any load of shot desired, or RB, by simply deciding what you needed for that shot. You quickly poured in the shot, then put down an OS card, or more paper wadding, capped the nipples, and you were ready to go.

Leaving the gun with a powder charge, but only the paper wad in it was considered a safe practice, since any accidental fireing of the gun by idiots, would result in soiled underwear, but no bullet holes in anyone or any thing! :nono: :shocked2: :rotf:

I have even seen guns that had caps on the nipples loaded this way( totally UNSAFE- or would any one want to volunteer to load the shot in a barrel with caps on the nipple????)! :shake: :youcrazy: :nono:

I have long ceased to be amazed about gun "accidents " occuring. I am more amazed that more such accidents don't occur! :hmm:

 

[Raider2000]

A very nice find indeed even with the repair.

Yeah my grandfather used to keep a old single 12ga. loaded similarly back in the day & I was amazed at how fast he could pop out the #7, BB, or 0 Buck from a cardboard tube & OSC & have that thing ready.
Yet like you said, thinking aout it now makes you wonder how we didn't have more A.D.

 

[Mulebrain]

Unless this is an expensive English made gun with collector's value, even in its current condition, you might consider having a new stock made for the gun by one of the stockmakers. Dick Greensides at Pecatonica can reproduce the existing stock, without the repair furniture for you in whatever grade of wood you want on it. If you are going to spend the effort to clean up the metal work on that piece, so it can be a shooter again, this might be a good thing to do to make sure that stock will be able to take being fired again in more than 100 years!

I am surprised that you didn't find old black powder under that 1903 paper. That is usually what we find in these old guns. And the powder still burns.

I got some powder out of it, and it still looked good!

Any info on the maker???

I laid down a hundred for it

 

[jtmattison]

That's an incredible find.

Have fun with it!

HD

 

[PitchyPine]

Nice find, gotta love side by sides :thumbsup:

 

[mazo kid]

Yeah, I guess that WOULD make sense....thinking back now I do remember something about that being fairly common.

 

[gonzomann]

Excellent find, Mulebrain! Looks like it is just begging for a restock!

 

[Ken Morrison]

Are you planning to shot it after making repairs and cleaning the bores? I have an old Belgian 10 GA, that was my Grandfather's, it's bores look like those.
Great find. Good shooting.

 

[Mulebrain]

I am soaking the bores with PB blaster at the moment. I will try to get the nipples out without heating them up!

There is some rust underneath that loose upper rib, that needs tended to. I have a large blast cabinet, where I can sand blast that rust out of there.

My goal is to make it shoot, but want to keep that old patina at the same time!

 

[54mountain]

Ya' done good, there ain't nothin' like shootin' an old original SxS I gave $200 for mine and it's a shooter

14 ga Belgium made

 

[freeonthree]

Don't use sand when you blast it use bakeing soda.
it will just take the rust off with out damaging the metal.