Unusual Walking Stick

[Feltwad]

Enclosed is a image of a unusual walking stick also a small bore percussion gun of Victorian period and and used mostly by the UK Victorian taxidermist collector for shooting small birds for their collection which was quite common in that period .
Feltwad

 

[Grenadier1758]

Very nice little firearm. I wonder what is the gauge and what sized shot would have been employed.

 

[andy52]

Is the muzzle recessed to keep it from getting clogged up with dirt?

 

[Feltwad]

Very nice little firearm. I wonder what is the gauge and what sized shot would have been employed.

The gun is a 28 bore with a 20 inch barrel and a overall length of 36 inches The most common shot for these guns was number 12 shot better known has dust or sparrow shot has not to do too much damage to a small bird . The muzzle is fitted with a wood or rubber like plug which is V spring attaché which is inserted into the muzzle which can be removed when the gun is ready to fire
Feltwad

 

[FishDFly]

When was the Victorian period?

 

[Brokennock]

Wow, pretty neat.
It looks too slender for a 28 gauge, I would have thought 410 or so.
Why would the collector not use a regular small bore shotgun or fowling piece? Did they gave a need to keep the fact they were carrying a gun "discreet" for some reason?

 

[Roundball2319]

Thank you so much for sharing this with us. That is such a neat piece and a neat bit of history.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Wow, pretty neat.
It looks too slender for a 28 gauge, I would have thought 410 or so.
Why would the collector not use a regular small bore shotgun or fowling piece? Did they gave a need to keep the fact they were carrying a gun "discreet" for some reason?

Personally I always thought they were for personal protection. Similar to the sword walking sticks.

 

[Britsmoothy]

When was the Victorian period?

Probably around the time Queen Victoria reigned.

 

[Feltwad]

Wow, pretty neat.
It looks too slender for a 28 gauge, I would have thought 410 or so.
Why would the collector not use a regular small bore shotgun or fowling piece? Did they gave a need to keep the fact they were carrying a gun "discreet" for some reason?

The bore size is diffidently a 28 bore on the later ones made by [Days Patent} these mostly had a horn or hard wood handle and the bore size did vary but not much . It was not until the breach loading period that they did vary a lot in bore size some were smaller than a 410 and some were 16 and 20 bore size and some in a .22 rifle The most common was the 410 often referred to has a poachers gun and were mostly Belgium made ,it has also been mentioned for self defence that could be so .
Feltwad

 

[Loyalist Dave]

When was the Victorian period?

1837 - 1901

LD

 

[GREENSWLDE]

Let's not forget the Ubiquitous 9mm Rimfire Flobert with it's paper case blowing up the tube And some times staying there. We fortunately have metalic case ones now.Don't get so many Nastry surpriess. Sorry..These are Unmentionables and we may be straying !! But GOOD for tree rats in the garden & Maggies..OLD DOG..

 

[toot]

now that is just the CAT.S A$$!!

 

[GREENSWLDE]

My last words were MAGGIES not MOGGIES..O.D.

 

[FishDFly]

1837 - 1901

LD

Thank you.

 

[Mousegunguy]

Too cool!

 

[hanshi]

I marvel to think of all the possibilities for that interesting device.

 

[Mad L]

Willmington, California there is a place called The Drum Barracks that is a Union Civil War post (yes, there was/is a Civil War post in California.
They have on display a walking cane that is a shotgun too.
Sorry but my photos of it are buried deep somewhere right now. Its handle (stock) as I recall, was just a simple curve, not so fancy as this one. I often wondered too how the kept from clogging the barrel.

 

[Mad L]

I guess they weren't so buried after all.
They call it "Grandpa's Cane Shotgun".
The fellow manning the display would not let me touch it and had no information to offer me, as I recall he just wasn't very friendly at all.
But claims to be dated 1860.