set to inherit shotgun made by WALTERS AND SON

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.

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.