What is this double gun?

[Gazz]

New guy here.
A few years back I bought this at an estate auction and got a good deal (I think) as it was described poorly in the catalog.  It is heavy at about 10 pounds and has nearly 30" long barrels with smooth bores about .575" id.  Seems to heavy to be primarily a shotgun but I suppose it would work as one although a bit ponderous.  The trigger guard and the crescent butt also do not seem to indicate a shotgun.  I am thinking it is some kind of plains rifle intended for use on large game like buffalo, elk or grizzly bear.  There are no markings on it and the springs that power the locks are interesting being basically straight and dovetailed into the lock plate. What do you folks think?

[snapper]

Interesting double.

Any markings under the barrels?

Fleener

[rich pierce]

I’m thinking backup for grizzly bear.

[albert]

That's an interesting mainspring , is the plate a little thicker where the dovetail is cut in ? That design would make the spring easier to make .

[Bob Roller]

Very good looking gun and that trigger guard is great.The lock is a most interesting type and the tumbler rotating past the forward bridle support is the first of this type I have ever seen.
Bob Roller

[ghostdncr]

A lovely double! Knew I'd seen a similar mainspring before and it took some looking, but here it is. The lock mechanism from Lewis and Clark's Girandoni airgun:



Quite a different method of mounting the spring to the plate, though.

[Daryl]

Welcome to the forum.
Appears, therefore might be a ball and shot gun - restocked at some time in the 20th century.
The trigger guard also does not "fit" the "design" of a shot-gun, just as the butt does not as well.
The walls of the muzzle are very thick for a shotgun as well.
Is there any indication on the rib of ever having a rear sight?
I am as curious as Fleener as to markings on the bottom side of the barrels.

[Hungry Horse]

Lacking a rear sight, would imply this was designed to be a shotgun, but the rifle architecture, and rifle hardware are puzzling.

  Hungry Horse

[elee]

Interesting gun. While this is purely a guess, I think the architecture and metal work point to upstate New York. The gun has a similar "look" to work by B.C. Wood of Painted Post, N.Y., who made alot of doubles with one rifled barrel and one smooth barrel, as well as drillings. There were some very innovative makers in that area in the late percussion period, and the unadorned metal work combined with fancy trigger guard were common there. The hammers are particularly reminiscent of that area. Just a thought....I could be way of base.
   ELee

[Gazz]

Thank you all for the comments!
I did check under the barrels and whadayakno, I found some.  There is a, W somewhat italicized almost looking like the Winchester W and, a P with longer serifs especially the bottom or foot of the letter.  Also a couple of witness marks for the breech plugs.  A picture is forthcoming.

[Gazz]

Pic of the under barrels.

[Taylorz1]

I think its a double smooth rifle. Realizing it doesnt have a rear sight I think a gun like this would be adequately accurate for hunting out to 50-75 yards. A sturdy double gun like this would have been at home shooting bear in the NE or big game hunting generally in a lot of places. Nice gun

[Bob Roller]

Some of the very first locks I made had a single leaf mainspring fastened to  a block and held with a scew and a half dovetail.The block was held to the plate by 2 hidden rivets.I used the idea and copied it from P.I.Spence in Marietta,Ohio. I met him when he was 97 in 1957 and he gave me a big sheet of annealed 1075 spring steel that barely fit into the trunk of my car which was a 1952 Packard with a big trunk.Mr.Spence made locks,triggers and adjustable rear sights and sold them thru the gun shop of E.M.Farris,one of the founders of the NMLRA.That was 64 years ago.
Bob Roller