Lets see them single shots
- Thread starter brybenn
- Start date
Did some looking on the internet and they were like this thing?? No idea what they were
In the late 19th century and well into the 20th, there was a market for cheap shotguns. Many of the large bore obsolete single shot service rifles were converted into shotguns to meet this demand. Most were rebuilt in Belgium.
Tabatiere rifles became the Zulu shotguns. Remington Rolling blocks were altered. Chassepot and Gras rifles, along with 1871 Mausers were converted. The one in the photo appears to have started out as a 71 Mauser. Sometimes the original stocks were retained, sometimes new ones were made. I have the remains of a 91 Mosin Nagant converted to a single shot .410, complete with turned down butterknife bolt handle. It was restocked.
After the First War, the Geha shoguns appeared; same idea, take something that is salvaged surplus and produce a marketable item.
Tabatiere rifles became the Zulu shotguns. Remington Rolling blocks were altered. Chassepot and Gras rifles, along with 1871 Mausers were converted. The one in the photo appears to have started out as a 71 Mauser. Sometimes the original stocks were retained, sometimes new ones were made. I have the remains of a 91 Mosin Nagant converted to a single shot .410, complete with turned down butterknife bolt handle. It was restocked.
After the First War, the Geha shoguns appeared; same idea, take something that is salvaged surplus and produce a marketable item.
No admission ticket required, Ashcroft, I hope you make it to this part of the country sometime!
These were indeed belgium. I picked up three in a bulk buy of guns. One in 10, 12 and 16 ga. All looked identical
There was no market I could find locally so handed them into a gun shop for free just before the LGR
Now please don't tell me they were worth anything
Thanks for chiming in
Joe
Cgn sxs classic. Good of place as any lol
Impressive. Make my sxs 10ga seem light lol
One of the realities of narrow, thematic collecting is that you find very few pieces in high condition, let alone ones in their original case, with tools and label. Sometimes you find a bit of a wreck, but it has unusual features that make it worthwhile to acquire, and learn from. While the Internet is a wonderful marketplace, sometime you are buying almost sight unseen and you don’t know what you have until you get it in hand. And when you are starting out, it is tempting to say “I’ll wait for a better one to come around!”. Years later, you realise the ones you passed on are likely the only ones of that type/maker you’ll ever see. I can remember every gun I passed on, with remarkable clarity. Damn.
So when a clapped-out single pinfire turned up, I decided to go for it regardless. It is a 12-bore, made sometime in the 1870s, probably in a Birmingham back-alley. It has a pitted 31 1/8” damascus barrel, no serial number, and the maker’s or retailer’s name inscribed on the short sighting rib is too indistinct to make out (“J. &…….NS”). It has the Birmingham proof reserved for single-barreled guns, and the fairly generic foliate scroll engraving has seen much better days. The action is a single-bite swinging side-lever and sliding bolt, which I had not come across on a pinfire before (but is commonly seen on cheap Belgian-made guns into the 1880s). The side-lever return spring and mainspring were broken, and a crude replacement hammer had been welded (welded..?) on the tumbler stem. Still, it is a pinfire single-shot, and I’d learned my lesson, I wasn’t waiting for the next one to come along.
So when a clapped-out single pinfire turned up, I decided to go for it regardless. It is a 12-bore, made sometime in the 1870s, probably in a Birmingham back-alley. It has a pitted 31 1/8” damascus barrel, no serial number, and the maker’s or retailer’s name inscribed on the short sighting rib is too indistinct to make out (“J. &…….NS”). It has the Birmingham proof reserved for single-barreled guns, and the fairly generic foliate scroll engraving has seen much better days. The action is a single-bite swinging side-lever and sliding bolt, which I had not come across on a pinfire before (but is commonly seen on cheap Belgian-made guns into the 1880s). The side-lever return spring and mainspring were broken, and a crude replacement hammer had been welded (welded..?) on the tumbler stem. Still, it is a pinfire single-shot, and I’d learned my lesson, I wasn’t waiting for the next one to come along.
- Location
- West coast of Vancouver Island
Well, the only one who has seen these pics so far is Victory XC. So since we are on single shots. It's a model 84 28 gauge Cooey. My artist friend graciously painted my past and present hunting dogs, 6 different dogs, (and me) on it. I haven't assembled it yet as I'm waiting for it to warm up to put a protective spray on it. Worthless to anyone else but priceless to me.
Looking forward to seeing this one when you have it finished and back together.
I have 3 to add:
1. - first year Winchester Model 37 (1935) . First year production is unique with the "Rat Tail" top lever and the narrow hammer. The very early M37's had the choke marked as "Full". This was soon changed to just "Choke". The pre-war 37's had a nicer buttstock and a fuller forearm. These were the "Red Letter" guns.
2. - post war M37
3. - 1871 Mauser converted to 12 ga shotgun. The receiver is stamper 1875. This was my Dad's younger brother's shotgun when he was a young boy. His pheasant notches are clearly marked on the stock.
1. - first year Winchester Model 37 (1935) . First year production is unique with the "Rat Tail" top lever and the narrow hammer. The very early M37's had the choke marked as "Full". This was soon changed to just "Choke". The pre-war 37's had a nicer buttstock and a fuller forearm. These were the "Red Letter" guns.
2. - post war M37
3. - 1871 Mauser converted to 12 ga shotgun. The receiver is stamper 1875. This was my Dad's younger brother's shotgun when he was a young boy. His pheasant notches are clearly marked on the stock.
I have 3 to add:
3. - 1871 Mauser converted to 12 ga shotgun. The receiver is stamper 1875. This was my Dad's younger brother's shotgun when he was a young boy. His pheasant notches are clearly marked on the stock.
Cool. This one is exactly what I had here but there was one in each gauge 10, 12 and 16. I recall the rear flip safety and big screw with washer
Any value did they have??
Cheers
