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W.H. Hamilton 12ga. double barrel

magicmanml2
My uncle is looking at a WH Hamilton 12ga SxS shotgun. The is a picture of at auction # 148911877. My question is just general info about these shotguns. Are they any good? This one is definately old.
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4 comments

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  • rufe-snow
    Shotgun book shows it to be a late 19th Century, Damascus barreled, Belgian made hammer gun. Something like this would only have value as a decorator or conversation piece. To dangerous to shoot with modern high pressure ammo. Value would be based on cosmetic condition only, very little collector interest/value.
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  • magicmanml2
    Yeah after i made this post i actually found some info on these guns. Thanks for replying though.
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  • Ned Fall
    I have two,actually three references to the name W. W. Hamilton and yes the gun is old. The gun is what I call a "Trade Brand Name" shotgun. That is a shotgun made by a major maker for and sold by a wholesaler or retailer who chose the name to go on the gun. In this case the gun was made in Belgium by a maker named F. Dumoulin of Liege, Belgium and imported by a dealer and importer named Thomas Leary of New York City who was in business until 1904. The second reference is to a marking used on guns made by Torrison & Son of Liege Belgium. That marking reads W.H. HAMILTON N.Y. N.Y. The third reference is to another importer named W.H. Hamilton who was also located in New York City from 1875 to 1885. This was before the big importation of Belgian made shotguns which was from about 1880 to 1914. You can confirm that the gun was made in Belgium by looking for proof marks on the bottom of the barrels under the forearm. These will consist of the letters "ELG" in am oval with a crown over that. Belgian made shotguns of this time period have damascus barrels, were designed for the ammunition in use at the time which was black powder and have short chambers. They were not designed for smokeless powder of any kind and certainly not three inch magnum shells or steel shot. DON"T ATTEMPT TO SHOOT THE GUN!
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  • magicmanml2
    Trust me I'm not gunna shoot it. I dont buy guns that I cant shoot, niether does my uncle. Thanks for the extra info and history.
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