Muzzle loading shotgun Question

[Arkaos]

An older gentleman brought in a double barrel shotgun yesterday and told us it was used at Pea Ridge. I looked it over and on the lock plate was a very faint “S.H. Co.” The gun looked nice but I am having my doubts about it being at least 146 years old. For one thing, I am not sure when they started putting the monogram of companies on the bottom of the grip part of the stock, but I am thinking that is a late 19th early 20th century thing. I could be wrong and often am, so what do you think?

I unfortunately do not have any photos of it and only looked at it for a few minutes.

[ACo.]

Re: Muzzle loading shotgun Question

"the monogram of companies on the bottom of the grip part of the stock".

If I am not mistaken you are talking about a grip cap made of India rubber or horn or maybe contrasting wood, correct? If so, you are right, it wasn't done until the late 19th Century. Pardon the dumb question, but was this a breachloading or muzzleloading gun? There were breachloading shotguns (pinfire ignition) at the time of the War but they were few and far between then and expensive, ammunition for them was hard to get. I have never seen a muzzleloading double with a grip cap, nor have I seen a pinfire shotgun with one. I think you are right thinking that it was not Pea Ridge unless it was carried there years after the War was over.

[Bob 125th NYSVI]

Re: Muzzle loading shotgun Question

As mentioned above, unless it was flintlock or percussion it is doubtful that it saw CW service.

I own a french shotgun from about that period and all the makers marks are etched into the metal parts (lockplate, barrel, etc.). Unless the grip is made of metal I don't see why the maker would have put any marks in the wood. And the grip on mine is all wood.

[Arkaos]

Re: Muzzle loading shotgun Question

Thank guys, I thin you confirmed my suspicions about it.

I forgot to mention that it was a muzzleloader and here is the story behind it. A man named Alvin Seamster was very instrumental in the creating of Pea Ridge NMP in 1956. He had a rather large collection of CW era weapons and Pea Ridge related items. In fact he used to pay the local boys, one of whom retired from the park a few years ago, a penny or nickel a bullet for the ones they found on the battlefield, and I wonder why we don’t have too many artifacts. Anyway, the man who owns this shotgun’s father was also on the committee to create the park and Mr. Seamster gave him this shotgun as a result of his work on the getting the bill to pass congress.

The shotgun is a very fine weapon and in very nice shape but with its India rubber (thank you Thomas) I am convinced that it is late 19th Century or early 20th and not something we would want in our collection.

Now what happened to Mr. Seamster’s collection is another story and not a nice one and we’ll save that for another time.