Besides those, there were some cheap Belgian doubles made and marked Scott, designed to hook in those who knew Scotts were good shotguns but not much more.
In 8 gauge, this is much more likely to be from one of the class makers. And 8 gauges were pure and simple waterfowlers.These were used in places like Barnegat Bay, Chesapeake Bay, the Outer Banks and so on to reach way out and bring to bag huge numbers of large fowl, swans, cranes, geese etc.
At a time when a buck's hide was indeed worth a buck, swans sold in New York for $2. Canvasback ducks went for two for a quarter. When a farm laborer made a dollar a day for a 12 hour day of back breaking labor, market hunting looked pretty good.
More 8 gauges were used by market hunters than casual sportsmen. Market hunting was an honorable profession then, and many fine folks harvested a bounty they could see no end to. And while it was a hard life full of toil, bad weather and a hint of danger, many loved it. I was privileged as a boy to know a few of the last. They were old men of wonderful stories and abilities, who could pull in geese from off the horizon like they were on a string.
When Federal legislation outlawed shotguns larger than 10 gauge for waterfowl, the 8 gauge was extinct in many folk's eyes. Some were sleeved down to 10 gauge, more were just hung on walls and admired.
There's an old Elsie 8 or 10 gauge in the family someplace, owned by a couple ancestors and now a cousin that appreciates it highly. I'd like to get it for a month, check it out, load some ammo specially for it, and wait, hunkered down in a grass blind, while geese rode the wind down to meet me, the next link in the food chain.
Back to practical matters. While 8 gauge ammo is scarce, components and hulls can be obtained from Ballistic Specialties, among others.
Or course, all old shotguns should be inspected by a qualified gunsmith BEFORE use. Any use.
While borderline expensive,companies like Briley may make a set of tubes that will turn your 8 gauge into a working, though heavy, 10 or 12.
Meanwhile, raise it to your shoulder, swing it along an imaginary flight line or two, and think about your ancestors using this. This hunk of crafted wood and metal may have had more to do with your making and shaping than our minds can conceive...
