Suggstions Needed for Unusual Shotguns

[Hodgson]

I have found myself wanting something unusual. While I personally love traditional side by sides, I am wanting something that will make my cabinet a bit different, one can't always have the usual.

As such, if anyone has suggestions of unusual shotguns please do write them all out! 

The two difficult point with this however is that it has to be Nitro Proof, the simple reason is I do not shoot black powder!

The second is it has to be (somewhat) reasonably priced.

Many thanks for any and all replies.

Edited February 21, 2020 by Hodgson

[wymberley]

Darne. Beautifully engineered and good looking.

[Gerry78]

Lever action shotgun or bolt action rifle converted to 410 shot one at clay ground years ago and thought it was brilliant 

[Dave at kelton]

Charles Lancaster tip and tilt hammergun. Not selling mine but certainly different if you can find one and a super bit of engineering.

[Demonic69]

The Adler A110 lever action is only £500-ish. I really fancy one! 

[theshootist]

Have a look at a Chiappa 1887. Much better than the Chinese copies. Very pretty case colour hardening and mine works perfectly. A very odd design! 

[Old Boggy]

1 hour ago, wymberley said:

Darne. Beautifully engineered and good looking.

+1 for Darne sliding breech. Not particularly quick to load and unload but as said, very well engineered and certainly different. Also there are a few reasonably priced secondhand ones for sale.

OB

[enfieldspares]

Darne guns are a pain in the rear end for the modern user with his or her car. To take it down you have to hit...yes, hit...the muzzles of the barrel onto a hard floor. They aren't worth the aggravation.

Edited February 21, 2020 by enfieldspares

[Old Boggy]

Whilst on the Darne thread and whilst the OP is looking for something unusual, there is a 20 bore revolving breech Darne in the next Holts auction, but proofed for black powder only. Hen's teeth territory without a doubt.

OB

[vmaxphil]

If you want something different look for a beretta ugb25, there isn't anything much more different 

[bruno22rf]

I don't get it - you want something different but state " I do not shoot Black Powder" - getting a BP licence is no real pain and opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Are you bored with the modern gun and the mundane notion of just being a part of the firing cycle? Black Powder  Shotguns give you far more involvement and a far greater sense of achievement when you have used your skill to load a piece that then brings down a high, jinking bird, it is also satisfying to use a gun the likes of which your great grandfather may have experienced. If you get a chance try one or at least handle a pre 1900 damascus barrelled English gun.

[theshootist]

1 hour ago, vmaxphil said:

If you want something different look for a beretta ugb25, there isn't anything much more different 

Except for the Cosmi? The best semi auto ever made. Slightly pricy though!

[welshwarrior]

Darne

Or more modern that UB beretta semi auto break barrel thing that never really caught on. 

[SxS]

Last time I was in, shop local to me had a single barrelled damascus 16g that from memory was also a slide action.  Can't remember the maker but it certainly classed as unusual!  Wasn't cheap though.

A reasonable number of hammer guns (even those with damascus) are nitro proof.  If you don't shoot them often then well worth going for one with rebounding locks.

[Gunman]

Browning Double Two .  Cosmi now made by Beretta but not cheap . Several French/Italian slide actions , but names escape me . Then there is the weird and wonderful but usualy very pricey stuff you see at the IWA show .

Most hammer guns that are nitro will not be of any great interest as the really odd ones will be BP. You may also find that some quite conventional looking guns have strange internals but you cant see them so on one hand it fits your quest but I guess thats not the point . 

 

[Old farrier]

Or just get a nice over and under that would be different in your cabinet 😊👍

[Dave at kelton]

1 hour ago, bruno22rf said:

I don't get it - you want something different but state " I do not shoot Black Powder" - getting a BP licence is no real pain and opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Are you bored with the modern gun and the mundane notion of just being a part of the firing cycle? Black Powder  Shotguns give you far more involvement and a far greater sense of achievement when you have used your skill to load a piece that then brings down a high, jinking bird, it is also satisfying to use a gun the likes of which your great grandfather may have experienced. If you get a chance try one or at least handle a pre 1900 damascus barrelled English gun.

I’m with you Bruno!

[Lloyd90]

Bloke on our syndicate has a George Bates 16 Bore which has outstanding wood, and the safety is a very unique side button that’s on the side of the action. 
 

It’s a very eye catching piece and he says lovely to shoot, he uses 28g 6’s and has dropped some very nice birds with it. 
 

I think something like that is fairly nice but still very usable as you can easily get cartridges from JustCartridges etc. I wouldn’t want anything too obscure as it just becomes a pain to use. 

[wymberley]

I think you're going to need a bigger cabinet. 

[Zapp]

A Sjogren would be my choice, but all the ones I've seen are S1.

[243ack]

11 hours ago, Old Boggy said:

+1 for Darne sliding breech. Not particularly quick to load and unload but as said, very well engineered and certainly different. Also there are a few reasonably priced secondhand ones for sale.

OB

I have a lovely 16b Darne for sale, if of any interest?.

[lancer425]

7 minutes ago, Zapp said:

A Sjogren would be my choice, but all the ones I've seen are S1.

I agree. Why S1? are they difficult to restrict for S2 is that why.?

[Zapp]

10 minutes ago, lancer425 said:

I agree. Why S1? are they difficult to restrict for S2 is that why.?

Not sure.  I think maybe because they are quite scarce people might not want to modify them perhaps, or that the few examples about have been imported from countries with different laws.

[lancer425]

1 minute ago, Zapp said:

Not sure.  I think maybe because they are quite scarce people might not want to modify them perhaps, or that the few examples about have been imported from countries with different laws.

Makes sense, and they are rare.

[Hodgson]

2 hours ago, bruno22rf said:

I don't get it - you want something different but state " I do not shoot Black Powder" - getting a BP licence is no real pain and opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Are you bored with the modern gun and the mundane notion of just being a part of the firing cycle? Black Powder  Shotguns give you far more involvement and a far greater sense of achievement when you have used your skill to load a piece that then brings down a high, jinking bird, it is also satisfying to use a gun the likes of which your great grandfather may have experienced. If you get a chance try one or at least handle a pre 1900 damascus barrelled English gun.

One of the main reasons for my not shooting black powder is a number of grounds and comps that I go to have black powder bans and I am only really interested in something I can use when I feel like it, rather than something which for me would be in a restricted state. From using black powder otherwise, at the moment I don’t enjoy using it enough to warrant my acquisition of bp shotguns.
 

I will say however that I am very much a fan of muskets, namely a pair of Brown Bess, that were leant to me so I could shoot the warm up compak at a competition that surprisingly allowed me to use, for a laugh, bp. Now hitting anything with those was a proud moment! However all that said, I will still will not be getting one for the time being.

44 minutes ago, wymberley said:

I think you're going to need a bigger cabinet. 

Maybe this time I will have to get one installed underfloor.... every chance that the plus one will disappear me if I were to bolt a second cabinet somewhere; keep the cabinet out of sight so it is out of mind!