[1Funkymonkey]

I'm trying to authenticate a double barrel, smooth bore, percussion muzzle loader I got from my Father-in-law's estate. It's about a .68 caliber, 8 inches muzzle to hooks and there are no obvious identifying marks on the barrels. There is, however, a faint "12" stamped into the stock under the breeches.

From my research, it appears to fit the description of a Howdah. The most unique feature is the manner in which the hammers are attached. Instead of screws, the hammers are fastened with spanner nuts fitted onto studs that appear peened over (or just worn).

The stock shows tool marks on the unexposed surfaces and looks hand carved. The checkering on the grip is shallow and indistinct (possibly from wear) and it lacks the reinforcements at the wedge. There is no indication that it ever had them. It is not of the quality that I've seen in many of the European examples.

Thorough disassembly revealed that the fastener threads are not of a common pitch, either standard or metric. I took my calipers to them and calculated them out to be around 29 tpi. None of my thread gauges fit. Even the nipples are an odd size.

I intend to make minor repairs and fire it occasionally, if only "blanks" on the Fourth of July or New Years, but I don't plan to go nuts on it. I just need to fix a bent sear, take the dent out of the R/H barrel, get new nipples and a bit of minor rust control. I'm just trying to figure out if this is an authentic old gun or if it was someone's garage project from the 1920s or something.

I have plenty of hi-res pictures but this forum limits the size. I can tweak and add them if necessary.

Thanks, 1FM