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Help identifying 12 ga double barrel

1K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  UnknownShotgunGuy 
#1 ·
My buddy bought a 12 ga hammerless double barrel over the weekend and I'm having trouble trying to identify it. There's no makers marks or proof marks anywhere except for the serial and some patent dates on the action that isn't turning anything up when I search for it. The butt-plate looks to have been replaced and an ape with a hammer went to town on the rear action pin. Here's the imgur link with an album:

The guy he bought it from said it's Belgian, but I'm not seeing any signs of that anywhere.
 
#2 ·
Can you pleasure us w/ an image or 2 of the breech end and a few more side-shots of the mechanism on the tubeset?

Martin Bye, of Worcester, Mass for Sullivan Forehand, found protection under Nr. US441395A, No. 441,395. Patented Nov. 25, 1890. Not sure if the stamped date is 1890 or 1899?

Serbus,

Raimey
rse
 
#3 ·
Martin Bye also had a novel advancement for breech-loaders that found protection under No. 535,528, Patented Mar. 12, 1895. The date seems to fit but I do not see that the longarm wears typical ejectors for now?? Maybe that Martin Bye was just touting his protections on the water-table?

Serbus,

Raimey
rse
 
#13 ·
It is a Hopkins and Allen no. 0112. Every single one that I have handled has had 2 5/8 chambers instead of 2 3/4. The hammer pin on your friends was replaced and had the ends crudely peened over to prevent it from working out. The barrels are made of Bessemer process decarbonized steel, and are not as strong as modern gun steel. They were intended for early smokeless loads that developed around 8000-9000 PSI. I have, however, seen one that was a main skeet gun and survived thousands of modern 2 3/4 target shells. But that in no way guarantees that your friends shotgun will. Shooting modern shells in it is a dangerous game
 
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