FACTORY ENGRAVED Antique ONION & WHEELOCK Double Barrel PERCUSSION Shotgun Desirable NEW YORK RETAILER 12 Gauge SIDE x SIDE

Description:
FACTORY ENGRAVED Antique ONION & WHEELOCK Double Barrel PERCUSSION Shotgun

Desirable NEW YORK RETAILER 12 Gauge SIDE x SIDE

Here Ancestry Guns presents an antique Factory Engraved Onion & Wheelock Retailer Marked Double Barrel Side by Side Percussion Hammer Shotgun, made circa the late 1850s to the early 1860s. Onion & Wheelock acted as retail agents and importers for Ethan Allen and other manufacturers, acquiring arms from both domestic and international sources and selling them to customers in the U.S. market. They were known for handling high?quality percussion firearms, including double?barrel shotguns and single?barrel rifles.

William H. Onion, son of Clarissa Allen (Ethan Allen’s sister) and her husband Leonard Onion, co-founded an importing firm with Thomas Wheelock in 1850. Their business, Onion & Wheelock, was originally located at 99 Maiden Lane in New York City. Around 1860, the firm moved to 366 Broadway, where it remained until Wheelock’s death in 1864. Following Wheelock’s passing, Onion formed several new partnerships to continue operations: Onion, Bliss & Co. (1864–1866), Onion, Haigh & Cornwall (1867–1874), and finally Onion & Cornwall (1874–1878).
This gun features a double trigger system. The early doubles used two triggers, one for each barrel, located front to back inside the trigger guard. The index finger was used to pull either trigger, as having two fingers inside the trigger guard can cause a very undesirable recoil-induced double-discharge. Double-trigger designs are typically set up for right-handed users. In double-trigger designs, it is often possible to pull both triggers at once, firing both barrels simultaneously, though this is generally not recommended as it doubles the recoil, battering both shotgun and shooter, particularly if it was unanticipated or unintended. Discharging both barrels at the same time has long been a hunting trick employed by hunters using 8 gauge elephant shotguns, firing the two two-ounce slugs for sheer stopping power at close range.

The overall condition is good. Original gray patinas. Strong actions. Both bores have dimmed, and remain smooth. Sharp wrist and forend checkering. Light handling evidence on the buttstock. Markings are sharp. Floral engraved locks, hammers and trigger guards.

Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.

Barrels are 29-3/8 inches.

Caliber: 12 Gauge

LOP: 14-1/4 inches.

Overall condition as seen in photos.

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Guaranteed AUTHENTIC & Includes CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.

$1700

#262022
 

Antique: Yes

Price: $1,700.00