A friend invited me to look at some guns he inherited from his father. The one on the photos below really had us wondering. To me it appears to be a very early firearm, not a hunting gun, but more or less on old version of a riot gun. Is it an old gun or just a modern replica of one?
As can be seen it uses a match-lock and has sort of a safety which can cover up the pan, and the trigger is certainly not very modern in design. I am not sure if the trigger mechanism works because I did not want to take a chance on breaking anything. The wood and everything else seems to be in good condition. The bore size is about .75 caliber and I wonder if it was intended to shot a single slug or a shot charge.
The outside of the barrel has a surface which to me almost looks like a braded rope. Was it a damascus barrel that was never smoothed down on the outside? Or was it a cast iron barrel with a texture to be asthetically pleasing?
Anyone have any ideas where time may have come from and when? If it is old, what would be its value. If it is a modern relica, would it have any value?
