This 12 gauge double barrel shotgun was made sometime during the 1840's or 1850's based on its overall styling. It was originally made as a sporting weapon with 30" barrels. However, at some point during its life the muzzles of the both barrels had been badly dented; making it unserviceable. Despite the damaged muzzles, the rest of the bores were both quite nice; making the gun a perfect platform for a very cool custom project - a Confederate Cavalry Shotgun.
The Southern states pressed thousands of civilian weapons into military service as a result of the large scale arms shortages faced by the Confederacy at the beginning of the war. Among the most popular of these makeshift military small arms was the shotgun; as its smoothbored large caliber barrel was ideal for the popular "buck and ball" cartridge which was so devastating at close ranges. According to author Russ A. Pritchard's book Confederate and Southern Agent Marked Shotguns civilian shotguns were commonly used by both the infantry and cavalry.
Many of the guns adopted for cavalry use were modified for military service. These modifications typically involved the shortening of the barrels to make the gun more handy for use on horse back; as well as the addition of custom sling swivels
We began the work of converting this shotgun by shortening the barrels to 18" - a common barrel length for original Cavalry shotguns. The barrels were trimmed and the ribs were re-soldered to insure that the barrels remained firmly joined together. A custom bead was also turned and mounted to the top rib of the barrels to serve as a front sight.
Custom sling swivels were fabricated and installed in the butt stock and the ram rod thimble - a uniquely Confederate addition.
The work was finished with the addition of a pair of custom "musket cap" nipples in the barrels.
The finished shotgun is an excellent representation of the rare Confederate Cavalry Shotguns used during the Civil War. This shotgun is truly one of a kind and would be right at home at any shooting range, reenactment, or antique gun collection. This shotgun is sure to be the pride and joy of anyone's Southern gun display - don't wait on this one!
