D small bore hammer top action and lifter

[Bruce Day]

Here is the chicken coop gun, a 1904 top action hammer 20ga which had sat for many years neglected and rusty in a chicken coop in Nebraska. It was covered by a fine bloom of red rust, had chicken feathers in dirty bores, had a broken stock wrapped with wire and an ugly metal strap welded to the top tang and screwed to the wood. But the barrels were not chopped, the stock not chopped and had the skeleton butt plate.

The result of careful and skilled preservation. One of only a couple known D grade 20 ga hammer guns. It was initially bought for very little, the farmer just wanted to get rid of it for some pocket money, but many more times that was spent in restoration.