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SXS Hammer Shotgun info

trainman115
Hi I have gotten this SXS Hammer shotgun and I was wondering if anyone would happen to know anything about it, it is a Wm Moore & Co. the top of the barrel says Laimanated Steel I will try to post a picrure of the bottom of the barrels maybe that will help. Thanks Ed
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8 comments

Date Votes
  • 11b6r
    The company was founded by William Moore in 1833 in London. In 1844 he was joined by William Grey and the company was known as "Moore & W. Grey" until 1853. The company changed names several times and in 1908 the firm was bought by Cogswell & Harrison. They discontinued business in 1915. If you remove the barrels, you should see markings on the water table, and there will likely be Birmingham proof marks,
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  • trainman115
    Hi Thanks for the info if you go to this address you can see the bottom of the gun barrels again thats for all the help Ed http://userweb.intergrafix.net/trainman/gunbarrel.jpg
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  • perry shooter
    Your shot gun is NOT a high Grade British made shot gun but rather a Belgian made Knock-off that used an English name in an attempt to deceive.[V]worth about 10% of a real English made shotgun [:(]It has Belgian made proof marks.
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  • trainman115
    Thanks Guys at least I dont fell bad about cutting it down and making a coach gun out of it think it safe to shoot with low brass?? Thanks again Ed
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  • 11b6r
    Ed- the ELG in the oval is the Belgian proof- Leige Belgium. I would not shoot it with any smokeless round- that is twist or damascus type steel, made by winding a heated wire around a rod, and hammering it down. Matter of fact, I would not shoot it with anything until a competent shotgun smith pronounced it safe to shoot.
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  • rufe-snow
    quote:Originally posted by trainman115
    Thanks Guys at least I dont fell bad about cutting it down and making a coach gun out of it think it safe to shoot with low brass?? Thanks again Ed



    If the barrels are marked "Laminated Steel", likely they are the same as Damascus. These Damascus barrels were used during the late 19th early 20th Centuries when low pressure Black Powder shells were used. Using them with modern high pressure smokeless shells is taking a chance, IMHO. At least take it to a competent gunsmith for inspection and test firing, the chambers might be to short for 2 3/4" shells.
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  • trainman115
    Thanks guys now that I see I have junk or a wall hanger I will look for something different anyone want to buy it for parts?? howevre I did shoot 4 low brass shells out of it and it worked fine but no more I should have waited for a cimarron to come out Thanks again for all your help Ed
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  • nord
    Please understand... Failure usually comes in degrees. Three or four rounds are shot with no discernible problem. A few more rounds and maybe you notice the gun is slightly looser but you put that off to imagination. Possibly the tubes begin to bulge but so slightly as not to be noticeable.

    And then that last round where the gun suffers a catastrophic failure. Usually the culmination of progressive failures, not just one as so many of us seem to believe. Now it becomes a matter of bodily harm. Fingers, eyes, face, arms... Do you care to take the risk?

    The problem is a combination of design, construction quality, and age. Some damascus-type tubes withstand modern loads quite happily. Even cheap Belgian tubes. Others don't. All a roll of the dice when thousands of tiny welds are holding your tubes together and a hundred years of use and corrosion have had time to degrade your barrels.

    Since we have no proof houses in the US and since I doubt you'd wish to send the tubes to England, you'll never really know if your tubes are safe. And since proofing is a potentially destructive process (not to mention the expense), I'd probably retire the old gun to wallhanger status.
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