Thread: shotgun;a project,work in progress.

this is a 12ga shotgun i acquired some years ago.of course it cannot talk,but in its latter years it fell on hard times,some butcher had a go at it and failed and eventually i bought it.excuse my poor photos but it is covered in exquisite engraving,and i loved the celtic imagery,wildly popular today,but unusual when this gun was made in 1867.yes it is an irish gun,made by w.kavanagh,the man to whom stephen grant did his apprenticeship under,grant was later to manage boss and co before branching out on his own.it has the most beautiful damascus patterned barrels that i have ever seen/held.sorry i do not have a picture but they are away at the moment getting some work.the stock which is a magnificent peice of (irish?) walnut has been smashed through the wrist and it has a series of holes bolts through it in an attempt for a repair.the butt stock has two engraved end plates,toe and heel.at first i thought i would keep it as a curiosity peice,but then the idea grew about restoring it,in order to shoot it on it's 150th aniversary,say a brace or two of quail,i pictured them in flight right between the hammers.i began to do the maths and it became a little daunting and fiscally unjustifiable.so it lay there in the safe. but this week i made a start.the barrels will be first.