doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com What do you think of this Lang muzzleloader?

I've been offered this. What do we think of it?

14 bore, 30" barrels, 14.5" LOP, 6lb10oz with the rod. You can see the condition- well-used but perhaps not bad for its age? Stock has been cleaned up and checkering gone over. It is being marketed as very shoot-able considering its generous LOP and very good bores.

Cockspur address, serial puts it at 1861.

The box is cool- not original of course, and with a repro label. But it is in decent shape.

Any thoughts on it? What kind of value?

Thanks, and enjoy the photos.

The barrels are Laminated Steel, appropriate for the age and quality of the gun

Looks pretty good from here, nice quality gun with pretty good browning, and case colors. I have a number of muzzle loaders from that era. I would want to know the actual bore diameters and the wall thickness. Good bores tend to mean "honed" given the gun's age.

Case certainly looks to be of the right time period, although label is a replacement (as you said). I would say 2 to 4 grand, though the small size of the market means that appraisal and actual sale can be disparate, or at least slow to move.

I would recommend looking up Vintagedoubles.com Kirby had a few guns in the same ball park, and of course, they have prices (he's in Eastern Washington State). You could also peruse Henry Krank in England for prices on what he has in stock.

The outside of the gun is quite good. The question is how about the bore measurements, wall thickness, and bore condition [pits?]. I think the case is much better than most we see.

I agree with Lorne but on his lower end and yes I too agree the case is correct, redone inside.
The color case harden colors don't look correct. Especially when compared to the trigger bow photo. The colors look to be heat induced, i.e. like someone took a torch to it to give it some color.
I'd venture to say based on the comparison photos again of the trigger bow and those of the underside of the stock forend, that the barrels have been redone. With the amount of wear that some of the photos show of the stock, the barrels would be worn at muzzles and especially worn where the forehand is in contact. They have a nice pattern though.
The locks are 3 pin bridal and are probably very nice inside - I hope.
Bring it to the Nationals at Friendship in June and we'll shoot it all day!
Looks like a good solid shooter!
Thanks
Rick

That's a very nice shooter, it appears, and I'd venture to say, from what I can see in the photos, not ever used a lot. Evidence being the almost total lack of pitting and erosion inside the fences, around the nipples. It has been my experience that originals that were well used exhibit this pitting as effected by the corrosive compounds used in the caps. The recess in the hammer face catches the blowback through the nipple and it is redirected down around the nipple onto the breech surface there. I can't see any of that in the "overhead" pic of the hammers and breech area. It doesn't mean that a gun with that pitting is unsound or unvaluable, just that the lack of it is notable.

I have a Manton which has that same lack of corrosion and pitting. Just something I have learned to look for now, when examining them.

SRH

Stan:

That's a nice piece of information to have and I thank you for it. I'll use it when I'm looking at muzzle loaders in the future.

Rem

Good shooting with it, Rem. Taking a limit of doves with one is big fun. Have you hunted with m/l side by sides before?

SRH

I really like the buttstock -shaped powder flask and the case. Looks like the gun is in great shape for shooting.

Stan:

Never owned a muzzle loader, but as I get older I find that I'm attracted to the idea. So I look at them a fair bit, but have hesitated so far to buy one. I'm down to just a couple of guns on my "I really want to own one of these" list and a good quality flintlock rifle and a muzzle loading shotgun are two of those items. Yours is simply outstanding.

Rem