doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 15 bore percussion double?

I recently came across a Hollis & Sheath (1849-1861, Boothroyd) percussion double. The barrels look pretty clean and I measure the bores at .674 & .683, somewhere between a 14 and a 16 bore. 29" barrels, 7lbs.-8oz.
The best I can figure is a wall thickness of .050 about halfway down. I also got short choke cones of .010 &.020 but choke boring wasn't supposed to be introduced until 1874 by Greener.
Were there such animals as 15 bores or were percussion guns made on a different methodology?


thanks,

Rob

Looks like a nice old gun. From what I hear bore sizes ran that gambit. 15 bore wasn't that uncommon....most I've saw and owned were stamped with a bore size.
I've often wondered how much platinum weight is in the vent plugs....might be worth more than some guns ?
I suspect the little choke you are measuring might have been caused by barrel honing who's to say if it was intentional choke or not.

Those silver discs are platinum? Were they safety plugs that blew out before the barrel would blow?


thanks,

Rob

Platinum vents so the powder could breath better on ignition.

There's a tiny hole in the center of each one...sometimes you'll see guns with the holes peened shut.

When percussion cap guns first appeared..the flint lock makers claimed their guns shot harder because the system was more open. So the vent evolved...some later, cheaper made guns didn't utilize them.

So there's a small hole in the platinum?

Visible in the top picture

Thanks Joe.

Rob

Judging from the rest of the gun I'd bet the top tang screw is a poor replacement.

Any one know what the fish/serpant engraving on the hammers symbolizes ? (They were fairly common on muzzleloaders).

I believe that all older engraving symbolized something other than just art work.

"To the ancient Greeks and Romans sailors, dolphins were a symbol of divine protection and guidance because they aided the sailors by surfing the bow wave of ships at sea."

Other than that I think the ancient depictions of dolphins lends itself very well to the shape of a hammer.