[Guest]

I am set to inherate a shotgun which was manufactured by walters and son. It has a serial #11048 stampted on the under side of the barrels. It is double barrelled hammer action.it has also been stamped "laminated steel" and"choke bored". Could someone please provide any info possible regarding this piece.

 

[Guest]

I am set to inherate a shotgun which was manufactured by walters and son. It has a serial #11048 stampted on the under side of the barrels. It is double barrelled hammer action.it has also been stamped "laminated steel" and"choke bored". Could someone please provide any info possible regarding this piece.

 

[All Hat No Horse]

The Laminated Steel and Choke Bored marks are often found on utility guns imported from Belgium c. 1900, but Walters and Son does not show up in my list of about 200 retailer/trade names. I can't find much on any gun-making Walters. An A. Walters is listed in New York (1922 and 1925) and also in Milbury, MA, (1836-37). Same person or 2 or 3 different people?? George Walters worked in London, c. 1836-1857. If you have a breech-loading gun, it could be by George. The dates listed for A. Walters were all too early, but he (they) may have still been in business when cartridge arms came along in the 1850's. Are there any proof marks that might help identify the origin? An "ELG*" in an oval (with or w/o a crown above) or the "Peron" (looks like the Washington Monument in D.C.) would confirm Belgian manufacture. Other crowned initials could point us to other countries of origin, possibly increasing the probability that it might be by George Walters.

 

[vegaspanda]

thanks for the info. You sure know your stuff.It does have an oval with 'ELG' stampted insine. It does have the crown over top of the oval. also is a diamond with20c stampted inside. above this is stampted either the letter I or L or possiblly the #1. above that is the letter H and yet above that is stampted with a star. Do all these symbols have meaning? And if so what do they mean. any other info and values would be greatly appreciated.

 

[All Hat No Horse]

I will add Walters and Son to my list of c. 1900 Belgian imports. The crowned ELG was used after 1893 and means the gun was proofed for black powder ammunition. By 1910 almost everything would have been made for smokeless powder. So I think we can safely date your gun to that period or maybe just a few years later. WWI pretty well ended the import of utility grade shotguns from Belgium. Most likely Walters and Son was a hardware store that retailed the gun. You might be able to turn up something with a google search on that name. The other initials are probably marks identifying craftsmen who made various parts. Gunsmithing was a cottage industry at that time. Parts were made in home workshops then finished and assembled at the factory. Value of these ranges from maybe $50 or less for worn/broken/rusted up to maybe $200 for one that is near mint.

 

[vegaspanda]

thanks for your research. you certainly deserve a horse for your work.