James
I am looking for a smith to help me on the inspection and possible relining/re-rifling of the barrel. I was asking about the legal aspects since I didn't know if putting a MODERN rifled liner greater than .50 " bore would be ok regardless of its age.The Zulu shotguns began life as a French M1853/M1857 MLE front stuffer rifled caplock musket main battle rifles. Circa 1866-67, they were converted to M1867 fixed cartridge breech loaders (Trabatieres) using a patented breech whose patent was shared by a Frenchman named Schneider and American Jacob Snider (who invented the Snider breech conversion for the British Snider Enfields). The main difference between the two being the breech being hinged on the right or left. During the Franco-Prussian war these were replaced by the Chassepot, but were still used as a second line battle rifle. After the war a number of Belgian gunmakers bought most of the Trabatieres from the French govt. as govt. war surplus, bored them out to smoothbore to approx.12gauge forselling as Zulú or Hunter branded single shot shot guns. They were dirt cheap @ $3 each in the mid 1870s and shipped all over the world, even to the US Western frontier from the Sears Roebuck mail order catalog in the 1880s. As time progress production of newer and almost ad cheap double sxs cartridge 12 gauge replaced the older Zulu single shots.Good originals of the rifled Tabatier can go for over $1000, since almost all of them were converted to Zulu smoothbore shotguns. The Zulus over the past several decades were quite numerous and cheap until recently, but now they seem to be increasing in price, but are still available for around $300.
Per the ordanance officer of the Grand Army of the Frontier, Missouri Division, I can shoot the bp cartridge Trabatier in the impression of a French infantry officer or enlisted infantryman during the Franco-Prussian war or a cartridge bp smoothbore in the impression of a Colonial French Legionaire scout along with my 1858 cb revolvers
