Love or Hate?
 

I’ve given up on finding a Parker 20 hammer gun so I couldn’t pass this up. Picked it up at the Ft. Worth gun show today.
Belgium 20ga hammer gun. 26 inch fine damascus barrels with what appears to be 2 3/4 chambers. I’ll have to check that and the choke constriction later.
Now....I’d like to hear some honest opinions, do you hate this gun or kind of like it. I paid $700.00 for it so be sure to factor that in. I have tough skin so don’t be afraid to voice negative opinions.

If the handling dynamics are all right, what is not to like.

Smacks of Lou Smith's Fox hunting gun --

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I don’t hate it but I would wish the stock hadn’t been opened like that.
How does it balance now... a little barrel heavy maybe?

I’ve seen that lion head ball grip carving before somewhere. Maybe there’s another one like it out there somewhere.

I kinda like it.





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I thought the same about the cut out. I guess I finally convinced myself it added to the absurdity. :rotf:
It is a little barrel heavy, balances about 1 inch into the fore end.

A quart of Bondo will fix that large crack and will help with the balance, also. Nice gun for sure.

It's a head turner for sure. If you bought it to use, and not just as a conversation piece, I would want a reputable gunsmith to check it out. That being said....I think it is kind of cool.

Not my cup of tea, but it’s a 20 gauge hammer gun. I don’t hate it..

Are 20 gauge hammer guns really that uncommon ?


If you're are happy with it thats all that matters .
I have read Belgium made sxs's dont have the best reputations but I have one and have no faults with it .
A antique firearms group I am member of on Facebook . Someone posted a picture of their great grandfarthers 16 ga sxs and the stock is carved almost exactly like your 20 ga .Except his 16 gauge has blue eyes in the head carving instead of amber .

Overall it looks like a lower quality belgian gun that is still together and sound. If the gun is operable, is not a rattle trap and goes bang/hits targets then enjoy it. I have seen a few skeletonized butts like that before, interesting to say the least.

It is certainly interesting. Look at it this way, when you take it out with your buddies, no one will have another like it and it is something to talk about.

It will never become my go to gun, but I will give it a try, probably next week on dove. It will definitely get checked out. The bores are very nice and bright so I’ll definitely be checking minimum wall thickness. It also has a dent in the left barrel I’ll need to lift.

I agree with both of these quotes as I bought quite a few Belgium guns when I first started shooting doubles forty five years ago because they were within my budget. I was smart enough to stay away from the poorest quality or rattle trap guns. For the most part I had good luck with them but sold them off to upgrade to better quality guns as the opportunity arose. Once I got my first Parker Bros gun I was hooked on them although I bought other American made guns and a few German and English guns also. This is the first Belgium double I’ve bought in probably thirty years! I just want to have some fun with it and show off it’s novelty, although with a bit of embarrassment. :p

Didn't James Palmer just have a nice little 20 hammer gun with two sets of barrels for sale?
Some Belgian guns may have iffy reputations, but Louis Christofe won't fit that category. His guns were very high quality, and the insides were as pretty as the outside.

I just checked out James’s 20 gauge gun. It is a very nice gun for sure.

I beg to differ Bruce!!,,

Have had this gun about 20 years, I have shot it sparingly. Also a Belgian 20.

That's a beauty Mark!




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I have a Pal, that is also a collector, (hyper focused on Browning Belgium bolt guns), that says my collection is like “Fibber McGee’s closet!!,,

A little bit too European for my taste.

From what I understand from reading the forums , 20 ga hammer guns are uncommon . So if you have one that shoots it would be hard not to like it regardless of appearance .