You have a back action, percussion, side by side shotgun of fair quality. It has either Damascus or twist steel barrels and most likely was made in Belgium. We would need to see proof marks usually found on the underside of the barrels in order to narrow it down much further.

 

Found an ELG in a circle. Also looks to be 194 on the opposite side of the ELG.
there is a 45 on the bottom of the barrel below the last ram rod holder, and a 5 on the opposite barrel in the same general location

 

There may be proof marks on the bottom side of the barrels, push out the key in the forearm and lift the barrels out by raising the muzzles and then sliding it forward from the hooks at the breech. It looks like the ram rod is missing so you won't have it in the way of removing the barrels other wise it would need to be removed before trying to remove the barrels.

One last safety tip, use a long slender dowel or cleaning rod to check that there is no load still in the barrels, a lot of these guns were kept loaded but uncapped because the owners didn't want to have to spend time loading if they needed to use the gun in an emergency and many of them were stored away still loaded. The rod or dowel should go all the way down to the breechblock.

The style is typical of British made shotguns or Belgian copies of British shotguns. Proof marks if it has them will tell us more.

 

The ELG mark is for sure a Belgian marking. I would try to get the gold paint ( try some acetone ) off and then oil it a bit then just hang it on the wall. It does not look like a good candidate to shoot.

 

Proof marks are Belgian.

OG, that gold leaf on the top rib belongs there, it probably had the gun maker or the retailer's name on the missing or worn off part.

Agreed that this one is perhaps too far gone to be returned to shooting condition and fired. A gentle cleaning and oiling to keep it from deteriorating further and a home above the mantle piece is the best course of action.

 

Any idea of age?

Proof marks are Belgian.

The ELG mark is for sure a Belgian marking. I would try to get the gold paint ( try some acetone ) off and then oil it a bit then just hang it on the wall. It does not look like a good candidate to shoot.

Definitely not shooting, just family history. Lol

 

It is very nice that you have a firearm you know your grandfather brought with him from the home country. I wish I were so fortunate. Except for the ramrod it's all there...but it looks pretty rough. Definitely Belgian as OG and Griz have said.

Germany did not have a national proof law until 1891/93. Germany was not a nation until 1871 so anything prior to '91/'93 would merely be local proofs, as in municipal, principality or the like or mechanics/makers (maybe) marks

The picture of the gold is not clear enough for me to tell if it is paint or gold inlay. Some ways it looks as if it could be, others, I don't believe it is. It certainly could be inlay as that was a common practice at the time in central Europe. If it's gold, acetone won't remove it and whoever did it was good, if it is indeed gold. Rough time period for the old piece would likely be 1840's through 1870's. Personally I think it's from the earlier part of that time frame.

 

We would need to see good clear pictures of the proofs to get to an approximate when and that is only going to give us a general range at best.

Personally I think it's from the earlier part of that time frame.

I'm thinking it's early as their are no provisional proof mark or inspector's cartouche being described by Ron. Perhaps those marks are hiding under the layer of corrosion or perhaps the gun is pre-1852.

Ron, look for a capitol letter with a crown over it (inspector's mark, added in 1853) or a mark that looks like a cursive E with a cursive L superimposed on it (mark of provisional proof, added in 1852).

 

here is what I found. The one is definitely ELG in a circle. The other looks like a 194.
Under the last rod holder rin is the number 45 on one barrel and a 5 on the other.
Again thanks everyone for the help.