I bumped into another 12 last nite hid in the back of my closet. It's my Grandaddy's ole muzzle stuffer. No name though. Be interesting to shoot it,but I think I'll just leave it where it is. HWD
Allow me to relate a true story that happend in my family when it comes to on old 'muzzle stuffer' that has been laying around.
When I was young, my Great Grandmother let uu romp around in the attic. Up in one corner was an old hammer shotgun that belonged to her father (my great, great grand father) when he was still alive and we used to get out and look at this thing and touch it and do what kids do.
A few years later one of my younger cousins was up in the attic playing with cap guns and a roll of caps. He placed a cap over one of the nipples of the shotgun, lowered the barrel to the floor and pulled the trigger.
You guessed it ! That shotgun sat loaded in the attic for over 50 years and nobody knew it until disaster almost happened, just because a kid placed a cap over the nipple. Nobody was hurt that day, but I can tell you everyone involed was lucky.
I suggest that you don't take for granted that the shotgun you reference is not loaded. I would definitely assume it is loaded until you 'fire' it.
I know this is off topic, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Especially when it comes to those antique corner dwellers.