Lewis & Tomes of London built this big-bore percussion fowler for the market shooter. The muzzle mikes .903 inch, roughly 7 gauge, on a 42-inch tube, and the whole gun stretches 59 inches. The barrel starts octagonal, steps through a faceted section and ends round, and the Damascus figure survives end to end, set off by platinum bands at the breech. Scroll and floral engraving covers the lock, the hammer, the tang, the guard and the butt plate, all cut to match.

What sets it apart is how little has been lost. The blue on the small parts is complete, the stock keeps every bit of its varnish, the two barrel wedges and their German silver fittings are in place, and each screw slot lines up from one end to the other. The bore is clean and the mechanism cycles as it should. For a North Carolina collector this is a wall-worthy fowling piece from the era of market hunting, not a gun for a modern blind.

Key features

• About 7 gauge, .903 inch at the muzzle
• Percussion lock, 42-inch barrel, 59 inches overall
• Damascus barrel with platinum breech bands
• Scroll and floral engraving en suite
• Excellent bore, action works

Antique long guns ship to a licensed North Carolina dealer for pickup.