[Dplank]

I need help identifying this shotgun that was passed down to me, it appears to be a trapdoor style 12 gauge. The only writing I can find on it is “MODOC”. Any information would be appreciated

 

[Firpo]

I think a couple more pictures would be helpful.

 

[Dplank]

 

[Alpo]

Converted Snyder. Do a search on Zulu shotgun.

 

[Grizzley1]

It's not a Snider, its a French Tabatiëre action. These started out as percussion rifled muskets in .69 caliber and were converted to .70 caliber breech loaders. Many were sold at auction as surplus to people like Bannerman who had them bored to 12ga. and chambered for 12 ga shells and sold them through mail order in the US as "Zulu" shotguns. His advertising hook was that these were used by the Zulu tribes in Africa.

 

[BillM]

Grizzley got it. Really common for these to be identified as a converted Snider, but they are not.
Quick at a glance difference---Zulu is back action lock, Snider is side lock.
Still the only gun I know of that was converted in quantity twice. First from percussion to
breech loader cartridge, then converted to shotgun.

 

[eastbanks]

winner,winner chicken dinner.

 

[Grizzley1]

Bill, not only is the Tabatiëre a back action lock but the action itself opens from the opposite side as the Snider action.

 

[BillM]

Bill, not only is the Tabatiëre a back action lock but the action itself opens from the opposite side as the Snider action.

You sure about that? Every one I can remember--Snider or Zulu----has the hinge on the right side. There are some that hinge on the left--the Russian Krnka is one.

 

[Grizzley1]

I had one in the shop for a while, the action was bronze and iirc hinged from the left. Perhaps Bannerman bought them from other sources besides France?

 

[BillM]

I had one in the shop for a while, the action was bronze and iirc hinged from the left. Perhaps Bannerman bought them from other sources besides France?

Certainly possible. I've seen them with brass and steel breech blocks, and seen pictures of them with a really strange hammer. There were certainly some oddballs during the mid-late 1800's as practically every country tried to salvage something from huge stockpiles of front loaders by converting them to the new metallic cartridge. A "left hand" Tabatiere wouldn't be the strangest. What I'm familiar with is this--hinge on the lock side.

 

[Grizzley1]

Bill it's also equally possible that I'm remembering wrong, the thing went away a long time ago.