Found in a barn! Gammal Norsk?

[Ebden]

Hei,

Takk till engelsk, other than google my norwegian is pretty poor still.

My friend found this while clearing out his barn. We live in/near Gratangen, up north. Looks like a breech loading .410 shotgun? I'm going to try to get some better pictures, but it has a unique looking hammer with that extra lever recessed into it clear enough in the 'breech open' photo. a clue?  mvh, Ed

[Ebden]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nuP2XMeg1wAtGrTQ9

A better pic of the receiver. Marked 1874! This could be pretty cool.

[Harald]

Hi! It's a Norwegian 12 mm Remington Rolling Block - sorry to say - in quite rough shape. Markings tells it's orginally an M/1867 army/navy rifle, and re-built to smoot bore, cut down stock, shotgun-type back sight. Fairly common to do this after long martial service, maybe by a local gunsmith. Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk (Crowned K) also made shotguns, but this is not one of them, even if it seems to have the proper security device in the hammer, probably changed sometime. (Am I right, guys?)

https://www.kvf.no/vaapen.php?type=Rifle&weaponid=RIF0082

[Old Colt]

I'd say that is spot on, Harald.

The bolts locking plate on the left side is typical. It was quite common to modify these to become shotguns, in many cases to caliber 20. The safety mechanism was often added to the hammer, to prevent it from being blown open at firing, and thus create a dangerous situation. This is probably a modification done be a local gunsmith. The RB shotguns made by Kongsberg later (The M/22) all had that mechanism from the factory.

It is in pretty beat up shape, but will probably clean up quite nicely with some non-aggressive restoration.

Good luck, and enjoy a hstoric heirloom! Not much value though; apart from the nostalgia. Looking into the family history could be an interasting exercise.

Kind regards, Old Colt

[Per-S]

The original barrel was too thin for ca 20 shotgun cartridges. The normal conversions used a 24 cal brass case, and the 24 cal shotgun was popular in rural Norway for hunting ptarmigan and grouse. Cheap wepon and eaysy reloded brass (blackpowder and loose shot). 

[Ebden]

Hei Alle, tusen takk for this explanation. I would have replied earlier but I wasn't getting any email notification of replies.

My friend is going to clean it up a little and hang it back in the barn, maybe use it as a small carving project to make a new stock.
So this was converted from the 12mm to a 20g  shotgun, and doctored with a butterfly kind of rear sight I've never seen before (I have some shooting background from the US, but not so terribly much).

I imagine there must be thousands of these operational in Norway though, still serviceable given how simple the mechanisms are.

Did this originally have a spring in the falling block with the firing pin? I ask because all other mechanisms after the most cursory WD40 wash, all function crisply.

It's late, tomorrow I'll see how to get email notifications on from this website. Mvh, Ed

[Ebden]

The receiver picture didn't upload correctly. Here it is again. Is it a 'K' above the 1874, confirming production?

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOjLhvqT2TdbLXZzYueOKRqHr72Qa6DlNjIAhtPsobbNznx2xhA3gw3uXT_6qum7Q?key=MGJuVGtvelJTU2FRY1BBeW0yTDdHT1IyNDgtRjNB

[Harald]

Yes, the block has a leaf spring:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_block

The capital letter «K» with crown above is, as written before, the official marking of manufacture from Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk/The Kongsberg factory of arms/armory in the city of Kongsberg in Norway.

[Per-S]

I do not think it is a 20 cal, as i wrote the usual conversion was to 24 cal. It is easy to check, try with a 20 cal cartridge in the chamber.

[Ebden]

No cartridges to try here, neither of us have any guns. (I sold all mine when I left the US a few decades ago.) Anyway,thanks y'all for this detail, we are grateful. It's a fun opening to another part of the history here.