Help identify my hand me down shotgun

[Dippah]

I started to clean this with oil and thought about using muriatic acid to remove some of the rust but let me know if this is a wall piece or something worthy of being restored

 

[Bertfish]

Probably a wall hanger...

Any text on the barrel or receiver?

 

[Dippah]

Seems to be a flintlock shotgun under 12 gauge

 

[Dippah]

Probably a wall hanger...

Any text on the barrel or receiver?

It’s hard to read due to the rust. Any cleaning recommendations to see?

 

[The Saint]

Seems to be a flintlock shotgun under 12 gauge

Definitely isn't a flintlock...there's no frizzen or pan...nor jaws for a flint...and on top of that it's a breechloader LOL.

 

[Rocinante]

Knockoff Boss Hammer Gun

 

[The Saint]

It’s hard to read due to the rust. Any cleaning recommendations to see?

0000 Steel wool and gun oil will knock off a lot...won't damage anything past what is already damaged. Bronze brush in the hard to scrub areas. Lots of oil....

 

[toppkatt]

Might it be a pin fire? Looking at where the hammer would fall...

 

[GuitarmanNick]

Big45 pads used with oil will remove rust without damaging what might be left of the finish on most guns. I have had good luck using some of it wrapped on a wire brush to clean a couple of bores, too. A little JB's bore paste and some elbow grease brought them back to life.

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The rust on yours is advanced and may have rendered it unsafe to fire. If the inside of the barrel is okay, perhaps it can be made to function again.

It should look good as a wall hanger after being cleaned up, if not salvageable.

 

[jr355]

Try Evapo-Rust, Amazon product ASIN B00M0TLQ66
Works good and nowhere near as dangerous as an acid.

 

[Busa]

Single barrel pinfire shotgun. Back locks indicate manufacture around 1850. Probably of German or Italian origin due to the underlever extending to the trigger guard. I would say wall hanger but still neat.

 

[Jimgoespewpew]

 

[Jimgoespewpew]

24 hours in white vinegar will work wonders

 

[Dippah]

It’s hard to read due to the rust. Any cleaning recommendations to see?

Single barrel pinfire shotgun. Back locks indicate manufacture around 1850. Probably of German or Italian origin due to the underlever extending to the trigger guard. I would say wall hanger but still neat.

Wow, I had no clue it could be quite that old. Thanks

 

[Dippah]

I started to clean this with oil and thought about using muriatic acid to remove some of the rust but let me know if this is a wall piece or something worthy of being restored
View attachment 419426

I appreciate the tips and info, thanks!

 

[somd_mustangs]

Evapo-rust and/or vinegar will for sure remove any old finish that's left, if that's of any concern at this point.
If you leave the item in too long Evaporust can even start a nice dark layer of converted metal.
Muriatic acid would be a big no-go for me (same with naval jelly) but if used extremely carefully might be ok I guess.

Any of these soaking methods means getting the wood off it without breaking anything or shearing screws, so back to using PBlaster, Kroil, or similar penetrating oil to soak the screws first. Since it appears to be really old you may need to make screwdriver bits to fit as modern gunsmithing bits may not fit snugly. Otherwise you'll booger the screw slots for sure... a Craftsman flat screwdriver isn't the way to go LOL.

Big 45 Frontier is great stuff.

Whatever method, keep the cloth/Big45/0000 clean because the embedded rust particles will act like sandpaper.

My personal recommendation would be to carefully remove the wood, soak the metal in a pot of Kroil or kerosene for a week or two, wipe it down carefully, repeat until the loose stuff is gone then go after it with a soft toothbrush to free up any more junk (I wouldn't disassemble the lockwork unless you're comfortable with that level of effort and have the right bits, etc). If that's not good enough then go to the 45 pad.

Start with the most non-invasive process and work up. It takes patience. Just jumping straight to the grinder and sandpaper (ok that's extreme) is how stuff gets messed up permanently... you can always get more aggressive with the cleaning approach, but you can't go the other way

 

[kshaw]

0000 Steel wool and gun oil will knock off a lot...won't damage anything past what is already damaged. Bronze brush in the hard to scrub areas. Lots of oil....

I prefer to use stainless steel wool because otherwise you will get a lot of rust flakes over everything.

 

[Lafayette]

Boil it to convert the rust, then card it.



Do. The. Maintenance!

 

[sxs]

I prefer to use stainless steel wool because otherwise you will get a lot of rust flakes over everything.

I prefer very fine bronze wool. Softer than steel of any kind. Use G96 or kroil or similar. Wet the rust areas well. Let sit for several minutes then rub light with the bronze wool. After wipe off the dissolved rust and oil and look to see how much more remains. Repeat .