Need help picking an old double

[cetme]

Should finaly make it up to a nice little shop I know of in northern MN that has some old blackpowder breach loading shotguns that I can pick thru. What is the list of things one needs to look at when getting a used double gun? What other additional things should I look for on a BP only shotgun?  If I find a good 10 guage I'll use drop in 12 guage liners if I get a smaller guage I'll make up BP loads for it.

[Fiddler Green]

If it's a hammer gun, you'll want one with the hammers in line with the bores and not all splayed out to the sides. It makes it easier to cock both hammers at once.

Bruce

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Have a good gunsmith approve your choice. If the owner is accomodating, he should allow you to take one "on-approval".

First; look at the overall appearance. Lack of corrosion.  Good wood, properly mated to the metal.  Decent looking metal.  No dents in the barrels.  Smooth bores.  Is it a gun you would be proud to take to the line?

The gun should be tight.  Take off the fore-end and clutch the butt under your arm and twist the barrels,  Look at the breach and put it back if you detect ANY movement.  Look at the locking lugs to see if they have been "bumped".  Hammering the lugs to give an appearance of tightness is a very old fix/deception.

The list goes on.  I have some good ones, and some not-so-good. 

How about posting this on the gunsmiths board.

[Tom Bullweed]

I have a couple of older Stevens (Savage) 311's and 511's.  They were made in the 1950's and are of better quality than the Russian and Chinese shoulder cannons.  I have found them for $150-200, which left a good amount of Yankee dollars to spend on tuning.

Older guns with internal firing pins have to be checked for draggy firing pins.  These pins will stick in the primer once the shell is fired and will make breaking the gun open a real entertainment potential for the rest of your posse.  Any decent gunsmith can fix these.   The easiest way to check them is with a dummy round or by dry firing the gun and examining the pins while slowly opening the chambers.

Many older guns will have cracks around the stock wrist.  These are often fixed with screws, wire or pins.  I refuse to buy or shoot these guns, but some people seem very content with them.