"Dan," I would advise, 'no,' concerning this particular W & C Scott hammer-gun. In my opinion, it is over-priced and appears to have been gussied up just for resale. As much as I greatly admire Kirk Merrington's highly professional work, this means nothing with respect to the appropriateness of your contemplated purchase here. Nor would I want an antique gun, especially a hammer-gun, altered to accept Briley chokes, which is simply unseemly and perhaps mechanically unsound at one.
I have viewed many a 10- or 12-bore W & C Scott gun sell at auction, both here and abroad, for much, much less than this asking price. For example, I recall that a 10-bore W & C Scott from approximately the same era sold at the recent James D. Julia auction for 1/3rd the retail price of the gun you are considering for purchase. As well, the auction house gun was in first rate, unaltered condition.
I often recommend the purchase of a W & C Scott hammer-gun to those interested in the purchase of a hammer-gun, as it is an excellent, quality and sturdy gun usually obtainable for a reasonable price. I also recommend the Charles Daly hammer-gun for the same reasons.
Although, in my opinion, this gun is not to be recommended because it would not begin to pass my initial personal inspection (A prescient aside: There should be a special area reserved in Hades for those who blue or black the hammers of antique or vintage hammer-guns.). And if I would not personally consider its purchase, there is no chance it would be recommended by me for purchase by someone else.
Good luck with your search!
Regards,
Edwardian
