Center fire, Breech loader, I don't know... need some direction

[Gatorfan]

I found this detecting at a site i frequent ( my own yard). I've looked through what books on civil war era artifacts i have to no avail. I do not believe this gun is quite "civil war" old but the large smooth pitting on the barrel lead me for some reason to believe it is fairly old. There doesn't seem to be any "modern" fasteners on it anywhere, seem more like rivets? I can find no makers marks or any numbers what so ever. I've mainly just lightly cleaned the dirt off of it, to try and investigate just in case there is a chance of some historical value. Any help leading me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated as the mystery of it is driving me nuts.

What i do know,
No visible markings of any kind.
The barrel is 32" long from tip to breech
The barrel shows no sign of rifeling. bit to dirty to know for sure.
The inside diameter at the end of the barrel is 11/16" approx.
And i believe that piece behing the ring trigger? is whats left of a trigger guard.

Thanks again, would just like to know where i can go from here to try i.d. this thing

 

[GoGoGopher]

Looks like a single shot 12GA shotgun with a set trigger and ring trigger???

HH,

 

[taz42o]

The ring trigger is to open the action, the other is the firing trigger. I think your gun was made by C.S. Shattuck, Hatfield, Mass. 1878 to 1908. There should be numbers on the barrel if you could open it.

 

[Ant]

I would say centefire shotgun, 12 gage or 10 gage breech loaded single shot.

 

[Ant]

Oh I forgot to add that I think it's modern, and I think that the ring is used to crack or unlock the breech for loading and unloading.

 

[Gatorfan]

Thanks for the suggestions, i believe you are right Taz. I guess i will have to do some more investigating to get that number off the reciever. Maybe soak the whole thing in oil? From what research i have done it doesn't seem to be of much value, but still a very cool thing to find none the less, it was just under the surface, would have hated to hit that thing with my lawnmower one day.

 

[taz42o]

I would soak it in diesel fuel its thinner than regular oil and penetrates better,take it out every couple weeks and try to work the moving parts maybe even light tapping with wood then back in diesel. Sooner or later it will open.

 

[Ant]

Before I would soak it I would use electrolysis on it, the do what 420 said.

It

 

[taz42o]

The gun is not an iver johnson semi hammerless.
C.S. Shattuck marketed guns made by Iver Johnson and they were similar.
As you can see in pics below semi hammerless means no thumb hook on the hammer.

 

[Ant]

I stand corrected 420 as far as the hammerless feature goes, other than that it looks like you nailed it.

But like I first wrote, as did other, that the gun is a center fire shotgun (most like 12 gage) and the ring was to open the breech for loading and ejecting rounds.