Hi everyone,
Trying to help a friend id a gun he saw over the weekend. The details are sparse, but here is what he told me.
Joseph Manton maker, Damascus barreled, side locks, hammers. Marked "Quail Special" on the bbl. Proof marks on the water table included the letter "L" and I believe a crown. The interesting part is that apparently the bores were smaller than .410. The owner, whom he encountered in a hardware store trying to buy 410 shells, had just gotten it as a gift and couldn't shoot it b/c he couldn't find ammo that would fit it.
I was thinking this possibly had Belgian bbls and proofs with the L representing Liege. As far as the boring I wondered if this was a double rifle bored out into a shotgun, but that wouldn't make sense w/ the Quail Special inscription which looked factory. Also my friend said this was a very "dainty" looking gun weighing perhaps less than 5 lbs. Could this be some odd-ball, pinfire shotgun chambering? I obviously don't know anything about the firm of Joseph Manton and would appreciate any help.
TIA,
Bill

It is most likely a 44XL. Here is more information about the 44XL, the American version of the .410.

http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbt...df792#Post20243

I made a mistake in the above thread and that was the 1st use of the 44-40 shot. It was originally developed for the Winchester 1873. So the .44 Shot was around for over 40 years. A word of caution. None of these guns can be shot with normal .44-40 ammunition without danger of destroying the firearm.



He should measure the bore to be sure. The chamber should be under 2" for a 44XL.

The majority of 44XL sxs guns were produced in Belgium, though I have seen a few that were produced in the states.

Pete