Need info on Occidental Shotgun

[colesteele]

My wife's Grandmother who is 84 gave to me her recently deceased husband's 2 guns. One of which is a Double Barrel Shotgun with dble triggers and Hammers. It is missing a screw that holds one of the hammers on. I would really appreciate it if there is anybody here who can give me some information on this gun and where to get parts. On the left side of the frame it has the words "OCCIDENTAL ", on the right side of the frame it has the words "THE INTERCHANGEABLE". Engraved on the rib between the two barrels near the chambers reads ' BELGIUM LAMINATED STEEL. On the left barrel it reads "Choke Bore". That is all of the visible markings on the exterior of the gun. The Forearm is removeable. On the underside of the barrel there are other markings visible when the forearm is removed. They are Choke 182 or 18.2, I can't really tell, and directly below is the same numerical marking. The underside of the chambers have some sort of royal type marking. It is an oval with a crown on top with the letters "E", "L" & "G" within the oval. The "E" is on top with the "L" below left and the "G" below right. Centered below the "L" and "G" is a star. The serial number is a five digit one. The first three numbers are "117".

 

[SDC]

"The Interchangeable" was a popular name for shotguns back around the turn of the century (when mass-produced interchangeable parts were apparently something of an oddity); your shotgun has standard Belgian proof-marks, but I can't find anything on an "Occidental" gun company. There are a number of gun-parts suppliers that should have the screw you're looking for, but I'd be wary of shooting it for at least two reasons; one, it may have Damascus barrels (barrels made by winding flat strips of steel and/or iron around a rod, "hammer-welding" it as they wrap around ; not known for being very strong at all), and two, it almost certainly has shorter-than-standard chambers (2" or 2 1/2", rather than the 2 3/4" or longer you usually see today). HTH.

 

[Jagermeister]

The only thing I can find on Occidental is that it is Belgium made in/around 1880

JM

 

[bigjim]

Dont Call Them Occidental.... That is a rug.

Asian......ASIAN!!!

 

[colesteele]

Damascus Barrel

It has been aloooong time since I have laid eyes on a Damascus Barrel. IIRC, shouldn't you be able to see the twist in the metal and isn't the finish a gray color. If this is correct then I can see no twist in the metal and it has more of a brownish colored finish, I guess due to age. I don't think it is a Damascus Barrel.

 

[Combat-wombat]

"Dont Call Them Occidental.... That is a rug. "

I thought it was a petro-chemical company.

 

[Jim K]

Hi, Colesteel and guys,

"Laminated steel" is not Damascus, but it is also prone to failure, especially after many years.

Damascus barrels were made by twisting rods of iron and steel together, then wrapping the resulting bars around an iron rod called a mandrel and welding them together (by heating white hot and pounding - gas or arc welding had not been invented) into a tube. The tube was then reamed inside and turned on the outside to the right shape and bore, welded to the lugs, and finished.

Laminated steel was made differently and more cheaply. Instead of starting with rods, the maker began with thin steel plates which were wrapped around a mandrel and the joints welded together. Then another layer of plates was added, overlapping the first. These were welded to each other and to the first layer. The thicker part of the barrel (at the breech) got the most layers, the muzzle the least. It is sometimes possible to see the layers at the breech end of the barrel.

So you won't see the twist pattern in a laminated steel barrel like you will in a Damascus barrel, and laminated steel does not have the beauty of high quality Damascus. But it is not that much stronger, since the weld seams still are weak points and places where corrosion can be trapped and rust can occur. So the advice about not shooting Damascus barrels also applies to laminated steel.

HTH

Jim

 

[colesteele]

Thank you Jim. You are a virtual fountain, or in this case, a gunsafe of knowledge.

 

[Jim K]

Thanks for the kind words. A couple of more pieces of information. The ELG mark you describe is the Liege (Belgium) proof mark, indicating that the gun was actually made and proved in Belgium, not made here with Belgian barrels, as some were. The CHOKE 18,2 marking (Europeans use a comma instead of a period to indicate a decimal point) is the millimeter marking for the barrel diameter at the muzzle, or .716". IIRC, nominal bore diameter for the 12 gauge is .729", so that is .013" constriction, or slightly more than improved cylinder.

Jim