I have always wanted a big bore fowler and finally acquired one. Just thought I would post the proof marks as they are so unusual:



Damascus barreled 36" single 8 bore (1878). Not every day you see a 3 1/4" chambered gun proofed for 2 1/8 oz of shot! Weighs about 14 lbs. I have yet to measure the choke. Barrel walls are massively thick.

Unlike the smaller bores, the c in the diamond on this one stands for "cannon"...just kidding, very cool and thanks for sharing.

Wow, that is a BIG gun !!
Thank you for sharing
Mike

Passed reproof, also. Very cool.

Best,
Ted

Very impressive gun.

Are the original proof marks still present under the barrel?

I guess the original Black Powder marks were stamped on the barrel itself. 3 1/4" is about the commonest 8 bore length and they do go up to 4 1/4". All you need now is the fun of making cartridges for it. By the way, you don't mention the make. Lagopus.....

For Lagopus…
Tried to get a shot down the barrel to show the length but it did not focus well. I am not a great photographer.

Thanks Owen, that's where I would expect the old B.P. marks to be found. Some years ago Douglas McDougall produced three excellent books. The first two were in paperback '8 Bore Guns & Their Cartridges' and 'More 8 Bore Loads' then brought out a hardback edition combining the two. This was back in 1985 ISBN. 0 9506710 3 7 Very scarce now but worth it if you can source a copy. They contain much on reloading the Industrial type cartridges and all loads have been Proof House tested.

You still don't mention the Maker. I have a single 8 bore by T. Daintith of Warrington and a double by Joseph Lang. Great fun to use. Lagopus.....

The original proof is London pre-1875?

The breech looks to be Twist, and the barrel crolle damascus.
How was the tube joined to the breech?
If you could post a close up of a section with the greatest contrast I could 'read' the pattern for you.

Samuel Smallwood eight bore. Weight 12 lb. 4 oz.

…a beauty and a double to boot. I purchased a copy of the McDougall book in anticipation of receiving the gun and have been studying it. The industrial Remington cases He primarily used and loaded are quite scarce but I was able to secure some brass shells and unfortunately the McDougall book is short on brass loading information. If there are any sources out there on brass reloading I would appreciate any tips. Here’s a picture that will hopefully satisfy the inquiries and I would appreciate a “read” Dr. Drew!

LGF, that's quite light for a 4" double. My 3 1/4" double weighs 13 pounds as far as I recall.

Owen, you did well to track down a copy of the book as they are now quite scarce and sought after. You might try www.claygame.co.uk for information as they will send out a sheet of information on various calibres. I have no problem with Industrial cases as a local lime works uses them by the thousands. I have some Brass loading information. I will include one that covers components that you can source: WAA 209 Primer 50 grains Blue Dot, card & fibre wadding, and 3 ounce of shot. That is for Nitro Proof guns at 3 1/4 tons per square inch proof. If you can get Cheddite primers and/or Vectan AO powder and also Gualandi 8 bore Industrial wads there are other possibilities. I always find that good old coarse grain black powder and card & felt wads gives the best patterns in these big bores anyway. The plastic wads can be obtained from Claygame in the U.K. without too much problem but sometimes can be a tight fit and not always compatible with the thicker brass cases. Lagopus.....

The link does not work Owen.

You could send a high resolution full size image as a jpg attachment to drewhausemd@yahoo.com and a blessed Resurrection Day.

"English 2 Stripe"



Boss & Co. was at 73 St James Street, London 1862-1908