Ed Rayl makes very good ML barrels I've shot several guns that were built around his barrels . Matter of fact a friend was having a SxS 12 gauge flinter built around a set of Rayl barrels unfortunately my friend met his demise before the gun was finished .

Most decent ML builders are going to charge a good fee to build any ML much less a SxS .:eek:

I could have had a single 8 or 4 bore flinterbuilt for around 2,000$ but I really wanted a sxs in 8 gauge pretty much my dream shotgun . I think the single 4 bore would probably have weighed 16lbs which is way too light to me for a 4 bore .

I found a parker 8 gauge that could possibly be mine eventually .
This 8 gauge muzzleloader looked to be in better shape than alot of the ones I was looking at on gunsinternational so I jumped on it .

As near as I can figure my friends SxS would have cost him about 16G's by the time it was finished . I'll refrain from naming the builder as I tend to think he was taking advantage of my friend . I think for a flinter double 8-10 G's is certainly in the spectrum .

I know a custom sxs builder who does both cartridge and muzzleloading sxs . He took on a build once for 10k and it ended up taking 1,000 hours to complete. He said he'd never build one again at that price . I appreciate the work that goes into making a good sxs . I have got to hold and shoot alot of fine sxs from when I worked on a quail plantation . The best looking sxs I seen was a Abercrombie & Fitch . I have never seen another A&F gun like it either . The stock looked almost as if it was solid ebony and it wasn't dark for years of oil either . The color case hardened was the most striking I have ever seen and the bluing on the barrels was dark as the abyss and very well polished . I have never seen another like it . Abercrombie and Fitch I believe they were just the importers wish I had known who made it .

Id say 99% of the clients we had wouldn't pay for than 5gs for a sxs or o/u . Beretta and browning were the most popular.

I seen a identical one to this one today that had sold in the past .
It had iron fittings instead of brass but looked just like this one.
The seller stated the family who had owned it used it for punt shooting back in the market days . And the loop on the bottom of the iron grip they used to tie it into place when it was mounted in the punt . Just something interesting I thought I would share .

Often, guns which were secured to the punt, when fired, would collapse the boat. I think they finally figured out that the best thing to do was cushion the recoil with tight bags of marsh grass as recoil pads behind the gun, in front of the transom

I've seen some punt guns with rope to absorb recoil much like the cannon aboard sailing ships. This in addition to what John mentioned.

Seems like these 8 gauge market guns are kind of a in between of a true punt gun and a shoulder fired gun . I have read a little of them being used for both . At 16lbs it is heavy but still litter than a 4 bore fowling piece haha .

I had the good fortune to know a market hunter when I first started hunting. He was a cousin to my hunting partner and a taxidermist that would mount and sell the birds we shot and we could pick up the meat the next day. He told us of baiting a pond near his house morning and night then using 2 10 doubles, 2 barrels on the water rested on a log the second 2 as the survivors rose then shooting the cripples with a Winchester 97 with an extended magazine. He gathered them up and sent them to Boston on the morning train getting payment on the return train.He did this twice a day until '' the law came on them. An 8 would have made his work easier

Reminds me of the hunters who would have 8 gauge shells made with 10 gauge headstamps so they could still use them for waterfowl :rotf: .

I suppose even back when they were legal 8 gauges were not common.