doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Tatum & Egg

A friend of mine has in his collection one of the most interesting shot and ball guns I’ve ever seen. It’s a Tatum & Egg (Joseph, not Durs) 12 bore O/U flintlock made in 1805. It features 32” barrels that mic out at .729 perfectly all the way down both bores, which is quite remarkable given the date. The barrels begin as octagon for about 10 inches then transition to 16 sides for another 8 or so inches and then become round for the remainder. There is a retractable bayonet on the right side of the barrels that is so subtle that you don’t even know it’s there. The bayonet was made by the cutler to the crown (can’t remember his name).

The front bead is nestled right in the center of a Sterling Sliver inlay of a Templar’s Cross. All silverwork and engraving is done by Henry Tatum, who was the beltmaker and silversmith to the crown.

The double locks are classic Joseph Egg and of the highest quality. One of the most impressive things about this gun is that both hammers are at the same height at half cock, full cock and fired position…What a feat of engineering!

I have photos I could post if I could ever figure out how to post photos on this forum.

I’m a sometimes writer for some of the popular gun magazines and I’d like to write about this gun. Problem is, I can’t find any information on Tatum & Egg. There’s tons of stuff on Durs, but not a whole lot on Joseph, and next to nothing on the Tatum & Egg partnership. Can anyone here steer me in the right direction?

Hello Kevin,

Sounds like a GREAT gun.

I can help you posting pictures if needed.
Do you have copies of them in electronic/digital (files) format or just prints/slides from film?
If they are in a file I can either talk you thru positng them or you can send them to me and I can post them for you.
If they are prints I can scan them and do the same.

You can contact me at goobr01@comcast.net

If they are in files you can attach them to the email and I can take care of them.

if you only have prints let me know and I will give you an address to send copies to.

Regards,
Lee Scroggins

Here are some pictures of the gun.
I resized the ones displayed inside this thread but the original larger versions can be found
H E R E
and
H E R E

A very nice and interesting piece. During our morning coffee round-table at the cyber cafe one member suggested that your gun might be by Tatham & Egg as in Henry Tatham.

Fascinating! The only other O/U flintlock I've ever seen is at the Philadelphia Museum of Art......yes, where Rocky ran the steps. It's a Pennsylvania type rifle of approx. .36 caliber. Where it differs from the gun above is that it is made for the barrels to be rotated to be fired. Each barrel has it's own lock system attached and when that particular barrel is rotated beneath the gun, it is inverted. Really cool!

What of the English Ferguson Rifles of that era?

What about them?

If only Lynton McKenzie was still alive! He'd either know a bit about this maker or could point you in the right direction. Shooting in the dark I have this suggestion: contact Lewis Drake ( http://www.drake.net ) and ask for his help. He can certainly point you in the right direction. While you're visiting with Lewis you might ask him for the phone number of Michael Ehinger, who would also be a super contact for your needs. Incidently, Michael Ehinger has built double flint shotguns of London best quality.