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Thread: 20 ga coach
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February 27th, 2010, 04:42 PM #1
20 ga coach
Novice to shotguns here but had a question, will try to use right terms - lol. I bouth a 20 ga 18 14" double barrel triggered shotgun today at gunshow. Seller says it is from 1896 andit looked novel and I was looking for a triggered shotgun. I had no idea what shells to buy so I just got some winchester
2 3/4 8 shot. When I tried to put a couple shells in, the slipped right over the little double helf circle "ejector piece" i am guessing it is called, and seated right into the barrel, then you couldn' close the barrels down. If I carefully placed the shells on the ridge of the ejector, I coud get the barrel to close but obviously not right. When the sells are in the gun, there is play all around the shell. My question and I know it will be hard w/o seeing the gun, but could it just be wear on the ejectore, or could the gun be a 16 ga or something ? ( definitly not a 12 ga, and not sure if 16 ga was around 100 years ago ). Just a little baffled. The gun has no markings of guage, dealer says it is european, it has a hunting dog in brush on both sides on plates behind the triggers, a bird on each side, and in front of the bird what looks be a "sliced pie" like figure. Any thoughts ?
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February 27th, 2010, 05:02 PM #2
Re: 20 ga coach
ok, should have checked the spelling and grammer before hitting submit - lol. hopefully it still makes sense, and it's a 18 1/4" barrel on the shotgun I "bought" today and the shells "slipped" past the ejector and couldn't close.
any thoughts however speculative would be appreciated
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February 27th, 2010, 05:29 PM #3
Re: 20 ga coach
Last post, promise - thought I'd add some pictures showing the shotgun - any id would be appreciated, and they way the shell bypasses the ejector, and the play around the shell. Thanks again !
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February 27th, 2010, 07:24 PM #4
Re: 20 ga coach
Looks to be a Belgian import double barrel shotgun. From the pictures you provided, it looks to be a 16 gauge. Make sure to examine the barrels closely, and see if they look "striped" in appearance, as this indicates a damascus rolled steel barrel (better yet, post a good picture of a chunk of the barrels). Look for roll marks on either the top or underside of the barrel that say either "fluid steel" or "fine twist steel".
Last edited by Kiski Cowboy; February 27th, 2010 at 07:28 PM.
"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
United States Constitution - 2nd Amendment
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February 27th, 2010, 07:37 PM #5
Re: 20 ga coach
Thanks Kiski Cowboy, I am very anxious to get some info.. I'm a real novice with shotguns, but I swear this is a 16 ga, unless there are radically different sizes of 20 ga ! I am posting 3 more pics of the barrel to see if you can tell anything else. I can faintly make out a word on side of the barrel that looks like the word " triomphe" ? Thanks again - hopefully I can get some more info. - if posting a pic of stock helps, let me know
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February 27th, 2010, 07:54 PM #6Super Member
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Re: 20 ga coach
As Kiski Cowboy said, if the inside diameter of the barrels are striped in appearance, this would indicate they are damascus barrels. It would be unsafe to fire smokeless powder ammo, unless its loaded to black powder pressure level.
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February 27th, 2010, 07:59 PM #7
Re: 20 ga coach
I concur with Kiski Cowboy.. It does appear to be a Belgian shotty. Two give-aways are the grip and the word "triomphe", which is French, which is also what is spoken in Belgium.
You might want to check the bore diameter. Those 20ga shells look kinda loose. Its possible it may be a 16ga, or even some mid-gauge like 17, 18, or 19. (yes, there were odd-ball gauge guns made) With it being a coachgun I doubt there is any choke/constriction so you may get an accurate gauging by measuring the bore diameter.
The barrels dont appear to be damascus twist from the photos, but may still be mild steel. I wouldn't use anything more than mid-power/pressure shells once the gauge is absolutely determined. You might also want to measure the depth of the chamber. Some of those old guns were only 2-1/2" chambers, which a 2-3/4" shell will fit in with folded crimps. But once fired the crimp unfolds into the throat and forcing cone making an obstruction and a potential grenade. Just take a ruler or other straight object and place it down the chamber until you get to the edge of the throat, mark it, pull it out, then measure.RIP: SFN, 1861, twoeggsup, Lambo, jamesjo, JayBell, 32 Magnum, Pro2A, mrwildroot, dregan, Frenchy, Fragger, ungawa, Mtn Jack, Grapeshot, R.W.J., PennsyPlinker, Statkowski, Deanimator, roland, aubie515
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February 27th, 2010, 09:05 PM #8
Re: 20 ga coach
Great info. everyone - keep it coming I just went out and bought a box of 16 ga and they seat perfectly ! I'm not sure if that's enough to say it's absolute, but they sure look it ! Tough to measure the inside of the barrel but it seems to be about 2 3/4 from end load point to the ribs/roughness in the barrel which I assume is as long a shell as it should take ? Man, I've got a lot to learn about shotguns, will have to start playing a bit more than I do with my auto's, revolvers and AR's Here's a few more shots, let me know if you can tell any more ! Thanks again All !
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February 27th, 2010, 09:28 PM #9
Re: 20 ga coach
Somebody spent some bucks having a custom buttstock made for that, very nicely figured walnut in the last picture. From the pictures, it looks to be a steel barrel (could not spot any damascus lines when I enlarged the pics), however, due to it's age, I'd use only blackpowder shells, or low pressure smokeless shells in it. Nice find my friend.
"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
United States Constitution - 2nd Amendment
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February 27th, 2010, 09:35 PM #10
Re: 20 ga coach
Thanks again, so the $200 cash in hand and out the door I paid was decent I would think ? I bought some Winchester game load - don't think I should shoot them 'eh ? Where would be the best place to get the shells you suggest, any on line sites ? If it were yours, would you pay to have it re-blued or would you keep it original ? I thought the stock looked pretty sweet for a 100+ y.o. shotgun, and everything fits perfectly. Do you think they could possibly be original or do you think someone replaced originals ? I've said it before, but I appreciate all the info. !
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