Percussion O/U Question

[MN284]

My dad called this firearm "his father's gun". Grandpa was a German immigrant who came to the US in 1888; he was a butcher.

The gun is an O/U percussion, rifle on top, about .45 caliber, with a 12- or 14-gauge shotgun barrel on the bottom. Looks like back-action sidelock mechanism. No makers' marks of any kind anywhere, just a Belgian proofmark on the barrel. Have seen an engraving of a similar gun in one of the "Old Gun Catalogs" reprints.

Any ideas out there? Is it American make or did he bring it over from Germany? My Dad never talked about it being used; my brother and I put lots of paper caps on the nipples and ruined the heck out of them (lucky no load in either barrel!)

Thanks a bunch

Tom H, Minnesota

 

[Flint311]

This would only be a guess, on what little I know about them. But, Germans brought over many "duel" purpose combination guns when they came over. (Some were taken over from WWII vets). Not knowing what game they would encounter, many guns have one or two shotgun barrels with a rifle barrel, also.

My dad has a "zwilling", as opposed to a drilling. Zwilling have one shotgun barrel, around a 16-20 guage and one rifle barrel. The drillings have two shotgun barrels and a rifle barrel. These are CF, not caplocks.

Typically, they have one trigger, with a slide lever that sets which barrel to fire. Once set for the rifle barrel, a back sight also flipped up to sight with. That's a very interesting gun you have there and it's great you know some of the history of it.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Could you post some close ups of the breech and locks? It is a very interesting gun. :hmm:

 

[James Kelly]

Looks American, Michigan, New York, New England, whatever. A lot of American made barrels were used on these O/U guns, barrels from Remington (NY) being popular, also Postly & Nelson of Pittsburgh, Lull & Loosey of NY, Hitchcock & Muzzy of MA, so it would make sense that some Belgian barrels were imported as well.
Another guy & meself are finishing up a book on Michigan Gunsmiths, something over 700 names. So I have info on mid-19th century stuff to hand these days.