Help ! What do I have ? (pics)

[sartwell]

I just got this old dbl. barrel shotgun. All I can make out on it is "Wm Moore". I'm pretty sure it's 12 gauge and the action seems to work fine. I'm just wandering if it might be worth fixing up or if it is a collectable?

 

[gregkl]

Don't know much about them, others more knowledgeable will chime in, I'm sure.

It is English made and I have seen them for sale for as little as $200 and as much as $850.

It I had it, I would restore it. It wouldn't matter if it wasn't worth a lot. It is always educational to repair and restore a firearm. Good practice for when you come across that firearm that has a 5 figure value and it needs some work.

 

[Chapparal]

Is this a family piece or something you just bought?

It might cost more to have it properly restored than the piece is worth. But it is a fairly nice looking piece with only a couple of things missing.

How good are you at finishing the wood? It will be very, very nice when done properly.

How deep is the pitting in the metal? I cannot tell the type of metal but I want to see the swirls of Damascus Steel. If so, I would not shoot it.

Properly refinished it will be a beautiful piece. If it is not Damascus then you might actually end up with a cowboy action shooter. I would run it past a knowledgeable gunsmith before I would shoot it. If you have no experience with these pieces and want to make a shooter I would suggest sending to someone who could accommodate you. If you wish to make a wall hanger then I suggest you undertake the tasks yourself.

All you really need is the forestock for a wall hanger. Look around some old gunsmiths shops, they might have an old forestock laying around. You might also find one on the internet. If you can get the dimensions then you can make your own. Refinish the wood, clean up the metal. Treat, polish, hang, enjoy! Get your kids to work with you! Oh, and use nitrile or rubber gloves for chemical protection and work in a well ventilated area, safety and such.

If you want a shooter I could ask two friends of mine if they would be willing to work on your piece. Keep in mind, they will likely charge a nice price and it might be you will realize little to no profit on the gun. You would have to mail it out of state. If you go this route, make sure you have an end value in mind for the gun and add up all the costs involved. Something would also have to be done to repair what appears to be a crack in the left side of the stock or a replacement stock might need be utilized.

Of course, if it were a family piece then it comes down to whether you want a fully restored or wall hanger restored piece.

Oh, and with the barrel length I would lay a bet this was a bird hunter or target gun, but without the fancy metal work I am, without any expertise on my part mind you, guessing this was a mass produced (for the age) bird gun.

Best!

 

[DRob]

Cool

Do a search on "Wm Moore shotgun". You'll come up with a lot of info. I particularly liked this article. It mentions a company in NY which made shotguns which were stamped with London gunmaker's names for buyers who wanted "quality" shotguns at cheap prices. We call it counterfeiting today.

Guns, Firearms, Projectile Weapon Sports: shot gun identification, side by side shotguns, double barrel shotgun

 

[padawan]

I inherited my Grandfathers 12g Winchester dbl bbl and had to have a firing pin made for it. The recommendation of the LGS and the Gunsmith was to not shoot it unless I had to. Then, only use light loads. The logic being that modern loads are much higher pressure than old loads. Why ruin a family piece when you don't need to.

 

[leggers]

I inherited my Grandfathers 12g Winchester dbl bbl and had to have a firing pin made for it. The recommendation of the LGS and the Gunsmith was to not shoot it unless I had to. Then, only use light loads. The logic being that modern loads are much higher pressure than old loads. Why ruin a family piece when you don't need to.

This.

Restore it if you want, but make it a wall hanger. There's no sense in having a gun blow up or even worse injure yourself in the process. Its a very cool piece and you should keep it as a show and tell

Lucas