12 Bore Percussion Shotgun by D. Egg London.

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Durs Egg is considered to be one of the best English gunmakers. He worked from London but was Swiss born. Durs Egg started in the business in 1772. Durs Egg worked in the trade for 53 years. He was gunmaker to the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York and King George III.

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This is the guy that alledgedly taught Purdy and a few other top London Gun makers, how to make a London Best Gun.

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It is written in the History of Guns that this guy designed and built and patented the first Percussion Shotgun, maybe this gun was the first percussion shotgun he made in 1825 ? He was also indicated as being the designer of the percussion firing system. I do not have the facility to trace the numbers of an Egg, see the picture with the numbers on, if you have that ability then you may become the proud owner of an extremely important piece. Percussion caps became available in 1830 and Durs Egg died in 1836, he had been blind for a number of years before he died.

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The barrels are flush gold inlaid D. Egg London on the top rib and are proof marked 13 bore, so they are choked, they are London Black Powder proofed, they are twist browned barrels 33 and half inches long and they shine inside. This gun was tested October last year and it is in shooting order.

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There are some nicks out of the edges of the forend where the barrels sit, see pic. for that detail.

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The locks are nice and tight and both actions work well, locking off on half cock also performs correctly and all fittings appear to be original, all metalwork is engraved.

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The stock, as you can see from the pictures, is particularly pretty.

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This is the same Egg that took a Tower .577 and converted it to the Snider action for tests by the British Army, his conversion saw action in the American Civil War.

Item number:220246060944

Note, this the first case that I have seen that will take the length of barrels on the Durs Egg gun I am auctioning.