Gentlemen:
Hello! I just took delivery of a new "toy".
Is this the right place to discuss these sort of things?
I know that it's a mostly-unadorned #1 Frame 12-bore that was completed in 1887, I also know that it is referred-to as being a "Fish Tail" gun, it has 30-inch "Twist" tubes and an English stock. I intend to hunt it, so because of it's reportedly 2 5/8-inch chambers I will be using low-pressure 2 1/2-inch shells in it (RST). The tubes have adequate thickness (26k in the thinnest section) and are not pitted. I own several other Damascus hammer guns (American and otherwise) so this isn't a new adventure for me. I have a copy of one of Mr. Muderlak's books (Old Reliable) but it's not giving me very much about the technical nature of this artifact.
This gun has no grade designation marked upon it and there are only minimal stampings on it's barrel flats (I'm used to English guns), including a capitol "T" with semi-circles over and under it, and a big 3 with a smaller 12 next to it. I'm presuming the the "T" is for the "Twist" form of Damascus tubes and that the barrels originally weighed 3lbs12 upon completion?
Can anyone here educate me further on the fine points of this old Parker hammergun?