Parkhurst 12-gauge, pretty sure it's a cheapo trade gun. Yeah, whoever chopped and polished it ruined the antique value, but there really wasn't any to begin with.
Unfortunately the barrels are Belgian laminated steel, may a tad stronger than Damascus, but still, built for black powder. I'll run low brass birdshot and 20-gauge with adapters. If it's not obvious, there are a couple of 1-3/4" "hater tots" in there, not afraid to shoot those either.
Interestingly, the common wisdom is to never fire modern loads, pressure too high. I'll never find the video again, but a couple of old white guys tested this with 6 or 8 crappy Damascus barrels, no issue. They both had some sort of materials/engineering background and laid out why these old barrels won't explode. Thoughts? FUD?
Only thing I don't like is the loose hammers. If both are cocked, they'll almost always both go off. That's not normal is it? Only other 100+ year-old shotgun I have is a Remington 1894 with internal hammers, works flawlessly. I've tightened the screws on the sides, but the wear on the firing pins tells me the insides have to be worn. Any advice? Thought about taking the hammers off and maybe putting a washer in there?
"Contact your PC administrator for permissions."
I AM about the best gunsmith around this town. There's no one in the entire metro area that could inspect the chamber any better than I, let alone magnaflux the barrel. I know that sounds a bold claim, and I'd never advertise myself as a gunsmith, but I've been around the block. The gunsmiths touted as experts around here aren't so expert. Only real option would be to mail it off for inspection, can't afford it, not a big deal ATM, just gathering opinions.
Even the gunsmith/FFL I pick up from is about on my level, and I've done shit he won't even try. He has better tools and more money though. :(
What do you think about the hammers slipping? That can't be normal? I put really thin washers on the other night, haven't tested, but that's the best I can figure. Getting to the internals is a non-starter ATM. I'm certain I could get it done, but the risk vs. reward ain't there ATM.