Billy Miner shotgun

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I am told this shotgun was siezed from Billy Miners cabin after he was arrested. It is a SXS 12 gauge hammer gun marked Western Arms Company and Warranted Good Test.

Ithaca used the name Western Arms Company long after Billy Miners time, but I think those guns were hammerless.

Bacon Arms used the Western Arms Company name (according to Flayderman) for pistols of civil war vintage, but no mention of shot guns.

I would be interested in any insights...
 
Warranted Good Test suggests to me that the gun was made in Belgium. They could easily have put on a merchants name or merchandising name

cheers mooncoon
 
If you have the gun in your hot little hands, there should be an ELG in an oval on the bottom of the barrels at the breach. If the gun was bought new at the time of the robberies (1903) it would also have a crown over the oval. Those are belgian proof marks.

cheers mooncoon
 
Yes it has such proof marks. ELG in an oval with a crown on top. The stock also has a Law shield inlayed in the bottom of the stock about six inches from the pistol grip. (3/4 by 7/8 in) gold in color. no marking in shield.
 
that shield is a pretty common inlay and potentially had the owner's initials engraved in it. Potentially because most inexpensive guns did not and it was just decoration

cheers mooncoon
 
Just out of curiousity, who told you it was Billy Miners'?
He lived here in the Princeton area undeer the name George Edwards, and his cabin is up a draw in the mountain just across the river from my house You can still see the old trail to get there, and the remains of his cabin are still visible. Been there several times with the grandkids.
 
The gun and the story has been passed down. Do I believe it? I would like to. Any way you look at it it is still worth checking out
 
As I understand it, after the train robbery at Ducks, near Kamloops, Bill Minner and his gang rode through Westwold (may have been known as Grand Prarie then) and stayed at a cabin on Woods Lk.
I have camped there myself.
 
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