There were a lot of guns at the Southern SxS, probably over a thousand, and I think I saw most of them. Lots of nice guns, some great guns, but only one awesome gun. It was this E.M. Reilly 4 gauge side-by-side double barrel shotgun. In all original condition and with most of it’s original finish, it was spectacular.

E.M Reilly 4 gauge Double Barrel Shotgun

Way back when dark clouds of ducks used to fill the sky and game laws didn’t exist, really big bore double barrels were the gun of choice for waterfowlers. All along the east coast, eight gauges, four gauges, and even twos were used to kill large number of ducks, or to bring down geese or even swans at long ranges.

On January 1, the E.M Reilly 4 bore side-by-side hammer shotgun I posted the other day hammered down for $4,700. With the premium, that comes to $5,170.

E.M. Reilly Shotgun

I talked to the purchaser. He didn’t inspect the gun before he bid, so he’s a very brave guy. He said he has been looking for a double-barrel 4 bore shotgun for a long time. I guess they’re quite are. The buyer plans to clean the gun up as best he can. He’ll report back when he’s through.

There’s an interesting thread about the gun here. One of the posters pointed out that this Reilly was converted from a breechloading pinfire to a breechloading centerfire. Check out that thread for the details.

You can see some excellent pics of how pinfires work here.