[SS]

Well, let me try to describe the marks on the bottom of the chambers area of each bbl. There are 5 marks. From front to back there are the letters BA....then a symbol that looks a wide arrowhead on a short shaft.....then what looks like a superimposed script letter S..... then a square with a number 12 over a number 5..... then a symbol best described as an oval with a crown on top and inside the oval as an E over an IG over a star (hard to read).

In front of the block, also on the bottom of the bbls.... left bbl is stamped "choke" and 18.0 over 18.1. Right bbl does not have the word choke, but is stamped 18.2. There are other marks in this area, but I can't make them out. Also stamped on the top of the left bbl next to the rib are the words "Choke Fore" (small but crisp stamps).

 

[SS]

OK, I've pulled up a couple of sites with proof marks and it's obvious that this is a Belgium gun (or at least Belgium Bbls). What I was more interested in is whether or not these "Damascus Like Finish" bbls are actually steel like I suspect. It would be nice to know the maker as well. Can I also assume that Manhattan imported guns from several different makers?

 

[SS]

I bought a flat of Polywad Vintager 2 1/2" 24gram #8s for this gun and took it out to the Skeet field today. The only targets I missed was a High 1 and a Low 7, probably due to the super low comb compared to my target guns. It hit the targets pretty hard. It was fun. When I got home I measured the bores and they are .720 and .718 with no choke at all. Those small bore sizes puzzle me a bit. Can anyone shed some light?

Anyway, this makes me want to buy a modern hammer gun to use for benefit sporting clays shoots when they have special SXS classes. What to buy, what to by?