W. Moore & Co. coach gun

Popsicle

New member
My father in law just purchased a very old, exposed hammer coach gun marked "W. Moore & Co.". It appears to be 12ga. and has the words "laminated steel" on the solid barrel rib. There is a brass reinforcement plate on the wrist of the stock, and a badge on the buttstock that says "deputy U.S. marshall". Also, a leather recoil pad is on the gun. The gun is in decent shape, considering it's age, and breaks open via a side lever. Any further information on this old shotgun, and estimated worth, would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

Pat Brophy
 
I did a little search on the name and the following was the only thing that came up.

" HISTORIC W. MOORE & CO. LAW ENFORCEMENT DOUBLE - BARRELED SHOTGUN FROM THE PRESCOTT, ARIZONA SHERRIF'S OFFICE CA. 1880-1912. Ser. none - "4" engraved on wrist medallion. Guage: .12 metallic ammunition. This "sawed off" English manufacture shotgun was Number 4 in the rack at the Prescott, Arizona sheriff's office for many years, and is a significant relic of "The Old West." When replaced by Winchester Model 1897 Shotguns in 1912, these relics of the frontier days were sold as surplus. An early collector, William Ralston, of Royal Oak, Michigan, purchased it at the time, and sold it to me in 1960, shortly prior to his death. This shotgun is of very good quality, of rebounding double hammer design, and is engraved on the twin lockplates: "W. Moore & Co." The barrel rib is marked, "Damascus," while the underside of each barrel shows English proofs, "12" and "14" with "H.M." stamped on the bottom center rib. Both barrels are 20" in length, making the shotgun 36-1/2" overall. The stock is of English walnut, having a pistol grip deeply checkered at the wrist, but the slender walnut forearm shows a small checkered pattern. An oval silver medallion (5/8") is set into the stock at the wrist, and is crudely stamped "4" (designating the arm's rack no.). The front sight is a low profile brass bead, and the gun features double triggers, with conventional, top break, lever-actuated loading. It fires a black powder shot shell with a 2-1/2" long brass casing. The butt stock has the scarce skeletal design (checkered wood center section with metal top and toe plate). CONDITION: This shotgun remains in very good condition, showing wear and use, and the metal surfaces have a pleasing brown patina which is fading in spots. There is no pitting, and the wood surfaces are very good and clean, with some minor scratches. The forearm, however, is very worn from frequent carrying. "

Apparently, what you have is a very old and pretty high quality english manufactured gun that was primarily made for law enforcement purposes. I would assume that if you could find out it's history and if any documents could be located it would have a nice value. Hope this helps, Pat.
 
check with some of the Cowboy Action Shooters.. after they stop drooling they should be able to at least point you in the right directions...
 
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