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Condition: Antique - Restored
Manufacturer: Pecklers & Son Belgium
WE ASK YOU TO PLEASE NOTE: WE CANNOT ACCEPT PAYMENTS THROUGH PAYPAL FOR ANY OF OUR ANTIQUE FIREARMS. PLEASE PAY BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER ONLY. THANK YOU. JM
Incredible workmanship!
Rare Pecklers & Fils (Pecklers & Sons) Muzzle loading percussion double barrel hammer shotgun. Approximately a 12-gauge shotgun with a beautiful
hand carved ash or chestnut hardwood stock and the gun maker’s name applied in gold overlay onto the barrel's center rib. Yes.... I said Gold! <smile>
This is a gun I have been working on for a long time. As you'll see by reading my notes on some of the photo pages, the stock on this old beauty was all but cut in half
when I bought it. I also had to refit and re-bend two hammers as well as rebuild both lock mechanisms to get this old scattergun back into working order. This is one of those rare guns that really gets me wondering just how we
have become so far removed from the skill and the pride of workmanship that was required in order for our ancestors to make this fantastic shotgun. I think the notes I’ve included with some of the photos will explain about
everything that is important about this gun, as well as bear witness to the fact that Pecklers and his Sons were truly master gun makers. What is also interesting to note is that for a time, both generations of the Pecklers were employed by the famed gun builder, Leige of Belgium.
Leige was the best-known gun maker in the world in the early to mid 1800's and produced a great many of the guns that were used during the Civil War. This shotgun was likely
not a Civil War gun, at least not of a type one could consider as anything of standard issue, but it does carry the Leige markings and a lot of other inspection and coded stampings on the underside of the
barrels and it does pre-date that great conflict, so who can say what role it may have played in shaping the world as we know it today?
The barrels themselves are very worn, but are still easy to identify as having been made in what was called a Damascus, three iron, stub twist pattern. This pattern of Damascus barrel was one of the most difficult to make and one of the most prized for its strength and its unique look.
The ramrod is one I made to look like the type used with this gun. The shotgun was made sometime between the late 1830's and early 1840's.
The price is based on the time it took to do all the repairs that were needed, plus the cost of buying it, (even though it was a relic, the gun was still relatively expensive because parts for a shotgun like this are all but impossible to find.) and finally, because the carving done on the stock of this hammer gun is a true work of art.
To buy this wonderful antique shotgun from a high-end gun dealer, the price would undoubtedly begin somewhere upwards of five to seven thousand dollars. I don’t profess to be a high-end gun dealer and frankly I wouldn't feel right selling a gun such a high price.
Who knows, perhaps this old double barrel is an historic firearm and worth ten times the price I’ve chosen, but even if it is not some long lost and rare, high sought relic, I doubt there exists another shotgun like this anywhere and that alone makes it something very special.
No matter if you buy this old shotgun or you do not, you will surely enjoy having a look. JM
Please be ready to supply proof that you are at least 21 years of age if you plan to buy this gun. Also check your state laws regarding handguns. Remember, in the eyes of the Federal Government, this gun is a true antique and does not require all the paperwork that comes with buying a modern pistol, but some states do not agree, so check yours to be certain.
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