Parkhurst 12-gauge, pretty sure it's a cheapo trade gun. Yeah, whoever chopped and polished it ruined the antique value, but there really wasn't any to begin with.
Unfortunately the barrels are Belgian laminated steel, may a tad stronger than Damascus, but still, built for black powder. I'll run low brass birdshot and 20-gauge with adapters. If it's not obvious, there are a couple of 1-3/4" "hater tots" in there, not afraid to shoot those either.
Interestingly, the common wisdom is to never fire modern loads, pressure too high. I'll never find the video again, but a couple of old white guys tested this with 6 or 8 crappy Damascus barrels, no issue. They both had some sort of materials/engineering background and laid out why these old barrels won't explode. Thoughts? FUD?
Only thing I don't like is the loose hammers. If both are cocked, they'll almost always both go off. That's not normal is it? Only other 100+ year-old shotgun I have is a Remington 1894 with internal hammers, works flawlessly. I've tightened the screws on the sides, but the wear on the firing pins tells me the insides have to be worn. Any advice? Thought about taking the hammers off and maybe putting a washer in there?
The barrel is as perfect as it can be to a visual inspection. I've checked not only the chamber, but the outside edge, it's tight as can be, not one tiny pit, no evidence any bit was ground down. Even the outside shows good care. Without precision micrometers and a magnaflux, you couldn't eyeball an issue.
I've got reloading gear, and roll my own BP, just haven't got too far into it. Wouldn't the BP foul the internals pretty quick? I can't get the hammers off, not without some risk, and even then the insides, yikes. First gun I ever restored was a 70s Mossberg 500, but at least I could find a little online instruction. Be all alone on this animal!
Thoughts on tightening the hammers? Is it normal for both to go off? My 1894 doesn't do that, but it's better quality.
Thoughts on the 20-gauge adapters? Feeling safe with those, still not running anything hot through them, but they're a pain to clear.