inherited bp shotgun

[lemonsbunch]

I am in waaay over my head on this one! I have inherited an old shotgun. it is engraved on the side of what looks to be R Tomes or maybe even R Comes. I is a side x side double barrell, with the wooden push rod. It also is very ornate with lots of scrollwork on all the metal. On the plate where the name is engraved, is what looks to be reeds with a crane sitting in the reeds and another flying over head. I know it is old, as it was handed down in my family, I am just unsure of the mfr and possible dating on it.

[arcticap]

Here's some photo links to it:

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/8617/thingsthatkeepmebusy009.jpg

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/3217/thingsthatkeepmebusy006.jpg

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/1258/thingsthatkeepmebusy007.jpg

I noticed that there's a flying dragon [or Pegasus?] on the sideplate near the hammer screw in photo #6.

[Dave K]

Here is a guess and that is all I can give with out seeing the bottom of the barrel. I would guess it to be made in either Belgium or England, due to the back action lock. The longing tang on the butt plate would have me thinking as early as the 1840's but possibly later than that. Because it has a back action lock, I can't place it much earlier than that.

[lemonsbunch]

thank you I was told by my great great uncle that it dates back to before the civil war, but i cant be sure of that, since he was in his 90's when he told me that! lol It was given to him, and was supposedly came from some famous outlaws.

[lemonsbunch]

oh, Dave, there is also a hand etched "M" on the underside, in front of the trigger guard. You cant really make it out in the pics, but its there. There is no way of taking the wooden rod out from under the barrell, but i can take pics of that if you would think it would help

[JV Puleo]

Tomes was a NYC importer and sporting goods dealer. I am certain they imported Birmingham guns. I don't know if the imported Belgian ones... you'll have to take off the barrels and look at the proofs... crossed scepters and initials are British, an oval enclosing "ELG" is Belgian.  It looks to have been a low grade gun to begin with.

It probably does pre-date the CW because by then the company was known as "Tomes Melavin & Co" although having the marking correspond exactly to the company name isn't a positive dating tool...they weren't going to pitch the gun out because it had an older version of the name on it.