indiucky
Grandmaster
A customer came in the shop the other day...He had bought an M 1 carbine and a original flintlock horse pistol from me the day before and called and asked if he could come by and do some show and tell..."Absolutely" said I.....A bit later he came in with the first Cane Gun to come in the shop...A very beautiful and well made weapon patented in 1829 in England....I asked how he acquired it and learned a little something about "Gun Registration" across the pond...
My customer was over in England visiting a friend of his who married an English gal after he got out of the service and became a British citizen...He began collecting Cane Guns as a sort of hobby...They were legal but had to be registered with the police...No problem...No problem that is until Great Britain joined the European Union....Germany has a law against ANY firearm (no matter how old) to be made to appear as if it is something else....Soon after that he was contacted by the authorities and was told he had until January 1st to either provide proof he had sold the guns, or to have them picked up and destroyed....It was still three months away...My customer was visiting and said, "They are not my thing but I'll buy one from you just to save it.." Being a friend he paid him a good price, signed a bill of sale etc....He then contacted ATF to ask how he can get it home and the ATF person said, "What year was it made?" Customer said "1829-1835 roughly"...ATF said, "Just get a box and mail it to your house...It's before 1898 so as far as we are concerned it's just a curio..."
So unintended consequences brought this gun to the States and into the shop for a visit...Here is the weapon being held by the good half of me...Kind of a neat piece...
It's a .50 caliber smooth bore....You unscrew the barrel, drop in the ball followed by about 35 grains of powder, cap it and you are ready for the Werewolves of London (If said ball is silver that is). Here is a little information I was able to glean off of the internet...
VERY GOOD DAY'S PATENT 28 Ga. UNDER-HAMMER PERCUSSION CANE-GUN, ca. 1830s: In overall very good lightly cleaned condition. The sighted, 28", round, 28 gauge, smoothbore, (.56) caliber barrel with smooth steel-gray surfaces, some light pitting, a fine bore and scattered light patches of discoloration. Marked, on the topside of the frame, with a "Day's Patent" and a "JR" marking. John Day of Devonshire, UK worked at Giltspur Street, West Smithfield (1831-38), was a noted maker of walking stick guns and was "granted Eng. Patent No. 4861" for an "Under-hammer percussion-cap lock" (Please see H. L. Blackmore's: "Gunmakers of London 1350-1850", pg. 79). The rounded integral frame with matching gunmetal-gray surfaces and its original lock components: pop-out trigger and semi-flush fitting hammer with a button-type spur. Retains its original nipple with some scattered wear, discoloration and pitting. In mechanically functional order with all of its original components. Plain hardwood grips with a rounded profile and some scattered loss of finish. In overall very good condition with fine edges and smooth surfaces: some scattered light pitting and wear to the Patent markings. Very good boxwood? grips with some scattered handling marks and abrasions. Retains 45% finish with virtually no cracks and chips. A nice example of an unusual and scarce Day's Patent Percussion Cane Gun, ca. 1830s. ***The type of concealable arm often associated with poachers, during the 19th century. Overall length, 34".
My customer was over in England visiting a friend of his who married an English gal after he got out of the service and became a British citizen...He began collecting Cane Guns as a sort of hobby...They were legal but had to be registered with the police...No problem...No problem that is until Great Britain joined the European Union....Germany has a law against ANY firearm (no matter how old) to be made to appear as if it is something else....Soon after that he was contacted by the authorities and was told he had until January 1st to either provide proof he had sold the guns, or to have them picked up and destroyed....It was still three months away...My customer was visiting and said, "They are not my thing but I'll buy one from you just to save it.." Being a friend he paid him a good price, signed a bill of sale etc....He then contacted ATF to ask how he can get it home and the ATF person said, "What year was it made?" Customer said "1829-1835 roughly"...ATF said, "Just get a box and mail it to your house...It's before 1898 so as far as we are concerned it's just a curio..."
So unintended consequences brought this gun to the States and into the shop for a visit...Here is the weapon being held by the good half of me...Kind of a neat piece...
It's a .50 caliber smooth bore....You unscrew the barrel, drop in the ball followed by about 35 grains of powder, cap it and you are ready for the Werewolves of London (If said ball is silver that is). Here is a little information I was able to glean off of the internet...
VERY GOOD DAY'S PATENT 28 Ga. UNDER-HAMMER PERCUSSION CANE-GUN, ca. 1830s: In overall very good lightly cleaned condition. The sighted, 28", round, 28 gauge, smoothbore, (.56) caliber barrel with smooth steel-gray surfaces, some light pitting, a fine bore and scattered light patches of discoloration. Marked, on the topside of the frame, with a "Day's Patent" and a "JR" marking. John Day of Devonshire, UK worked at Giltspur Street, West Smithfield (1831-38), was a noted maker of walking stick guns and was "granted Eng. Patent No. 4861" for an "Under-hammer percussion-cap lock" (Please see H. L. Blackmore's: "Gunmakers of London 1350-1850", pg. 79). The rounded integral frame with matching gunmetal-gray surfaces and its original lock components: pop-out trigger and semi-flush fitting hammer with a button-type spur. Retains its original nipple with some scattered wear, discoloration and pitting. In mechanically functional order with all of its original components. Plain hardwood grips with a rounded profile and some scattered loss of finish. In overall very good condition with fine edges and smooth surfaces: some scattered light pitting and wear to the Patent markings. Very good boxwood? grips with some scattered handling marks and abrasions. Retains 45% finish with virtually no cracks and chips. A nice example of an unusual and scarce Day's Patent Percussion Cane Gun, ca. 1830s. ***The type of concealable arm often associated with poachers, during the 19th century. Overall length, 34".
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