Joe, I like 'fire in the hole'. My Manton was made for a Philadelphia U.S. buyer c. 1809. I feel confident it was a duck gun, given the weight, the carry strap fittings and the very plentiful waterfowl populations in those days on the Schuylkill River, the Delaware and nearby New Jersey marshes. I think the grip safety was also a great idea for waterfowl hunting where the birds come to you instead of the other way around! It also would have worked well on a river in a float boat where the gunner sat in the bow with the butt resting on the floor of the boat.


Rich