I have a Damascus barreled shotgun. Can anyone tell me about it. It has a patent date of 1891, if that is any help. The old girl is in really good shape. I did a search but found nothing.
Denny

Some info Googled from other blogs:

Henri Pieper and the company he established was a Belgiam maker of shotguns and pistols. Many were made under the trade names of Anciens Establissments Pieper or Bayard. Pieper shotguns were generally solid, strong, reliable guns but not expensive nor high grade. A few may be of higher quality.

Henri Pieper was a Belgian gunmaker operating between the late 1860's and his death around 1898. By the time of his death he had grown his gunmaking firm to quite a large size. The company was re-organised after his death by his heirs
(family). It went into receivership again and was refiananced around 1906 and continued until the firm was wound up in the early 1950's. The company names are variations using the family name Pieper and the guns most closely identified with the firm are pistols that are marked with the trade name Bayard, although they also made shotguns and rifles. I happen to own a very high grade Pieper shotgun made around 1903 with fantastic leaf & vine engraving, along with several others shotguns by Pieper.

Well, I'll get the ball rolling. Pieper, Henri and Nicolas, Liege Belgium. Anciens Etabissments Piper. Founded in 1859, his son reorganized the firm in 1898, and Henri left in 1905 to work on his pistol designs. The firm stayed in business at least until the the 1930's, perhaps longer. Better known for the Piper pistols, the firm also manufactured a wide variety of different types of shotguns and rifles. Your shot gun is a cut above " JAOBS, Just another old Belgium shotgun " because it is from a known established firm . I know of no way to establish a firm manufacture date, but I would guess from the 1880's to 1911. Value, don't know, Belgium shotguns do not have the same following that other countries do, If in excellent condition ( and I'm assuming a field grade ), perhaps 3 to 4 hundred, however your shotgun must be considered in poor condition because of the cracked stock and missing butt plate, perhaps a hundred dollars. BTW, this shot gun would have damascus steel barrels and is unsafe to shoot with modern loads. Best I can do, I might be off on the values, any one else?

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/3106971

END OF GOOGLES

IMHO, unless you have it checked out by a gunsmith EXPERIENCED with twist steel bbl guns and are willing to have it reproofed, I'd hang it on the wall. You can't regrow fingers and twist guns almost always burst right where you're holding the fore end.

Many high grade English Damascus guns have been reproofed for Nitro and work just fine but Piepers were "hardware store" grade guns, so ...........

thank you

whelenman, lets see some pictures... I have an old engraved Pieper hammer gun also... the inscription on the top of the right barrel
Grand Prize
Paris Exhibition 1889

Left barrel says

Modified Diana
Fine Damascus
Belgium

Has double under lugs and a greener style cross bolt.

Neat old gun, plan to restore it one day...

Go to www.doublegunshop.com Scroll down and click on the doublegun BBS fourm. Post pics of all markings on the watertable and barrels and you will find out much about your gun. Lots of damascus barrel shooters over there.

This is my 16 ga.Pieper built Bayard cica 1931 with steel barrels.


Here's a 16 ga. Belgium guild gun with damascus barrels that I hunt with often using low-pressure loads.

That is like mine, only a 12 ga. Mine is really tight, most of the double guns a floppy.

I signed up for the forum. Now I have to wait for approval. Thanks for the heads up.

Another factor in shooting Peipers is that many of his models had monoblocked barrels. I SUSPECT but do NOT know that this strengthens the damascus barrels right where they need strength. Perhaps somebody that knows Peiper shotguns can comment on this issue.

old post getting bumped back up...

Whelenman, does your gun have any engraving? Can you get a good picture of the damascus pattern (maybe under the forearm)?

He clearly made a LOT of designs as yours has a dolls head and mine has a Greener cross bolt.

My gun also has the craziest damascus you will ever see... I will post a picture of it one day... its simply incredible...

The gun pictured has monoblock barrels, you can tell by the lines around the chambers where the monoblock was inserted. I think Peiper invented that system.

yeah, the vast majority of Pieper guns have the breech block that was his creation. Some also have a "saddle block" which is a similar but much shorter block at the muzzle. The block always seem to be made from steel but have either damascus or steel barrels.