Spanish 12 gauge sxs

[Tubby’s Canteen]

good evening gentleman new member here, although I've been reading on this site for several years.

Earlier today I acquired a double 12 sxs made in Spain. The gentleman whom I acquired it from used it for many years as a deer gun until he lost the forestock. Included was a ball mold stamped 14 gauge and a large cast iron spoon obviously used for melting shot.

I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on what I've purchased and an approximate value, also I'd really appreciate it If someone could point me in the direction of a new forestock.

Any help or knowledge would be greatly appreciated as knowledge on quality doubles in eastern Canada has been very hard to find.

 

[Red Leg]

You have a gun not often seen in North America. Spain has been producing SxS guns in Eibar for a long time, but the export market in them didn’t really begin to pick up until the last third of the 20th century. It is a basic hammer gun similar (probably copied from) the many inexpensive Belgian guns that graced hardware store shelves across rural North America until almost WWII. This particular action is similar to Suhl produced hammer guns - though the German version would have also had underlugs.

These were never the sturdiest guns. The only real lock is the square cross bolt. You can see that the top lever is well left of center. Along with the worn screw heads, this indicates a hard used gun. If the previous owner was indeed concocting some sort of home brewed round ball load, Lord knows what it may have been subjected to over the decades.

There are no spares sitting on shelves for a gun like this. A gunmaker would have to build new forearm metal and then carve a new forend. That work would cost far more than the gun’s value. You would still have a gun with an action likely requiring additional expensive work. Even in excellent shape, a Spanish gun like this would fetch only a few hundred dollars.

I would hang it on the wall with the accoutrements that accompanied it and let them tell the story of the ingenuity of the rural hunters who filled their larders each year with venison and fowl.

Someone else may have an idea what the tiger? decal or painting represents.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

That's red leg that is the guns ultimate destination, I very much admired the gentleman I bought it from and would of ordered a new forstock just to complete to gun before hanging it. If that's not possible I understand. I had figured as much beforehand.

The load he used was a 14 gauge round ball waxed into an imperial high brass shell, quite a stout waterfowl load in its day.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

The ball mold spoon and the remainder of the gentlemans shells.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

I believe it's a tiger possibility painted before it was cleared I can't feel a ridge around the edges.

 

[Ridgewalker]

You might search on EBay, or gun parts.com to see if there is a low cost alternative to getting a fore end? It really would make a nice mantel piece or wall hanging.
Best of luck and welcome to AH! Hope someone helps.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Thank you I will check those out.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Has anyone seen a shotgun with a gold tiger? Possibly painted or leafed onto the stock before?

 

[rookhawk]

An extractor forend made and fitted to the gun would run ~$1400 to $3000. Sadly, finding a forend used to fit is billion-to-one odds as they were all hand fitted when new.

I had a hedge fund guy ask me to help him with such a job on a similar gun, but Belgian, that was in his family for a century. (Value was $50-$150 for the gun)

Four years and $750 later, we found a twin gun! The forend wouldn’t function but we had it fitted so far that it would look okay as a wall hanger. All in it was over $2000 to cosmetically address the gun, but it was non-firing.

 

[jtb]

I'd make or have someone make a forearm just for display purposes . You could probably modify an old forearm to the point where it would look relatively original, but would have to be glued or attached by some other jury rigged means. Since it would be a wall hanger, the attachment method wouldn't haven't actually be very solid or even removable.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Thank you for your advice I'm currently working on excactly that. I've got a roughed out forstock and am in the process of matching stain. All then attempt checkering and stain/clear.