5356

HISTORIC NEWFOUNDLAND FLINTLOCK SEALING GUN.

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:750.00 USD Estimated At:1,500.00 - 2,000.00 USD
HISTORIC NEWFOUNDLAND FLINTLOCK SEALING GUN.
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[?]Live Online Auction Starts In 2026 Aug 09 @ 10:00 (UTC-04:00 : AST/EDT)
Cal. 85 (8 Gauge). S# NSN. Bbl. 60 3/8" without sights and secured to stock with 3 brass bands; some used copper bands with purpose of longevity in salt air environment. Mfg. in England (early 1800's) having 1812-1855 Birmingham proofs. Dog lock (small safety latch dog to engage rear of hammer) is faintly marked Elwell (Henry Elwell; active in Birmingham from 1838-1857) whose locks are associated with Newfoundland sealing guns. These long barreled shotguns were used for seal hunting during the early 1800's in Newfoundland and neighboring maritime provinces. Some are credited to the Northwest Hudson Bay area and sometimes referred to as trade guns or Boucaniers (also spelled Buccaneers). Made without trigger guards for ease of use with gloved hands in the cold environments. Buttstock is end grained wood without a buttplate. Overall length is 77 7/8" with 15 1/2" LOP; weight of 13 pounds. Typically loaded with a 3 and 2 finger load consisting of 3 fingers of black powder, a wad, 2 fingers of shot and a final wad. Info for this piece derrived from February 1966 Canadian Journal of Arms Collecting, The Northwest Gun by Charles Hanson and its sales literature from Butterfield and Butterfield dated November of 1997 that listed it as a "Northwest Flintlock Trade Gun Circa 1840. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: B&B sales invoice from 1997, various pieces of correspondence about this piece as well as slight history of its owner prior to B&B sale. Prior referenced Canadian Arms Journal. CONDITION: most of these examples are in poor condition due to the environments they were used in. Those in a Newfoundland museum attest to this. This example is far superior to most known examples having cleaned patina appearance with light pitting. Numerous marks on stock set but no damage. Trigger is difficult to manipulate for hammer release. Bore is dark but relatively smooth with no major pits. Fine example of a Newfoundland sealing gun. (01-29199/NW). ANTIQUE. $1,500-2,000.