You will need to post a lot more information on the gun for anyone to be of much help. All info off the frame in pictures might be a start. Your gun is worth between $40.00 and $4000.00. I don't mean to be mean, but it's like saying "what is my Ford car worth"?

 

Thank you, I will take photos and add what inscriptions are on this shotgun.

 

Thank you. I will look the gun over again. However, There are no other markings that I can see. I have the serial number from the trigger area and also a macthing serial number after removal of the but plate on the wood stock. Other than that there are no other markings. I will attempt to post some pictures. The gun has double hammers with fireing pins if that helps any.

 

Buy the way it is a 12ga.

 

All thing belgiums are not necessarily fine, even if they say so.

National Belgium seems like its intended to sound similar to Fabrique National which has made firearms for military and other companies (including browning).

But I don't think "national belgium" is associated with them.

More likely than not it is one of the myriad of assorted low level shotguns sold by hardware stores and sears etc. for 10$ or what have you.

Damascus barrels can be pretty to look at but do not shoot it with modern ammunition, It would perhaps be wise to not shoot it even with low pressure handloads unless you pay to have it checked out by a gunsmith. Those barrels were intended for much lower pressures than modern cartridges supply.

 

I found two references to the name National used on Belgian made doubles. The first states guns using this name were made by Jules Kaufmann & C0, a Belgian maker located in Leige, Belgium from 1790 to 1975. The second states that another Belgian maker named Henri
Pieper from 1877 to 1898 and Anciens Establissment Pieper 1905 to 1957 made guns with the name National Arms Co. Whichever your gun is, it was made some time between 1880 and 1914 when World War One cut off exports from Belgium. The gun will have damascus barrels and short chambers. I do not recommend that you try to shoot it.

 

If there are no proof marks under the barrels (you will have to take the barrels off), there is a chance that the gun could be a Crescent. One of their brand names was National Arms Company. I am not sure if they ever used belgium Damascus barrels, however. Ned Fall may be able to tell us.

 

I just wanted to add that damascus barrels are not necessarily a terrible thing. They were used for many many years, being the best there was at the time. If a competent gunsmith says the barrels are in good condition, he can also tell you what chamber pressure they were built for. Black powder loads and reduced pressure smokeless loads are readily available, and you could always load your own to match your gun's safe chamber pressure (psi) requirements. The key is getting it inspected by a qualified professional. I love old shotguns. I recently bought an Ithaca Flues with smokeless powder barrels that I'm planning to shoot with reduced pressure loads.

 

You can get, and many guns were made for, Nitro proof with Damascus barrels. I shoot several guns with damascus barrels that are still in proof or have been reproofed for Nitro.

Still, you must know what you are doing shooting these guns or have a knowlegeable smith. Shooting a JABC with modern ammo is a very dangerous situation.

 

And often its not just the barrels you need to worry about, more Flues were destroyed when the actions cracked under the additional strain of higher pressure loads.

Proofing in itself is a funny concept, they just fire a extra power shell and see if it blows up.

 

Get a 50' string!

 

Why in the world would anyone shoot high pressure shells in a Flues? For one thing, the older ones didn't even have 2 3/4" chambers. Ruining one of these guns like that is a shame. I would have a hard time parting with mine. I don't usually get attatched to any of my guns, but this one is different. A 12 that feels like a 20 ga.

 

I didn't mention any of the others because the correspondent said Belgium. There are others including National Arms Co, a maker located in Baltimore,D from 1898 to 1899; National Arms Co, a dealer located in New Orleans,LA from 1918 to 1920; National Arms Arms Co, name used by Crescent Fire Arms on both doubles and singles and Marlin Firearms on slide action guns; National Arms Co-R. Murdock, used by Hopkins & Allen on single guns; National Arms & Ammunition, an English maker from 1873 to 1896; National Fire Arms Co, used by Marlin Firearms Co on Model 20 shotguns; National Firearms, marking found on 8 gauge Martini type single gun with an 1887 patent date. Possibly made by National Arms & Ammunition and National Gun Company, a gun maker located in Baltimore,MD 1897 to 1898. One has to be careful when asking about some old "Trade Brand Name" shotgun giving the name and markings just as they appear on the gun with no additions, deletions and contractions. As far as I know Crescent did not make shotguns using Belgian made barrels. They and their parent company H & D Folsome did import many whole guns made entirely in Belgium.

 

Why in the world would anyone shoot high pressure shells in a Flues? For one thing, the older ones didn't even have 2 3/4" chambers. Ruining one of these guns like that is a shame.

More were destroyed during the transistion, figure before the internet you go down to your local hardware store and purchase a new box of 12 gauge ammo, you wouldn't readily know that your shotgun wasn't able to deal with the higher pressures. And if your buddy bought a new 12 gauge capable of dealing with the new shells you wouldn't naturally know it could be a hazard to your firearm.

When you get down to it, people today aren't even that good at using the proper ammunition.

I've personally been hunting with a guy who was shooting 3" shells out of a 2 3/4" chambered 20 gauge. I noticed when we stopped for lunch and he didn't understand what the problem was, the shells fit in the gun and ejected, and fired fine. But he was likely well above the recommended chamber pressures. I've also seen people at walmart asking the sales staff about firing .22 LR in .22 Mags, and being told it was alright to do. If these days people can't keep up with differences imagine when the guns and ammo were changing and you couldn't just look it up.

 

That is one of the reasons I don't recommend that these old guns be fired. Shooters know nothing about chamber lengths and pressures, After all if it's a 12 gauge then any 12 gauge shell must be safe,right? Also American shooters seen to believe that a more powerful shell or cartridge can insure hits and/or kills. They must, given 3 inch magnum shells and +P cartridges to bust clays and punch holes in a paper target.

 

I have a double barrel side by side shotgun. This gun has double triggers and hammers. The only markings I can find on it are "National Belgium" and "Fine Damascus Belgium" along with a SN#. The gun appears to be quite old. Can anyone help me with where to find information about this gun. I can
try to post pictures, however, I'm not real computer savvy.

Take the barrels off and turn them over. There should be proof marks on the barrels and on the receiver. You can look up the Belgain proof marks here:
http://damascus-barrels.com/bp.html