Ken, if you know the manufacturer and s/n you might be able to find out when and where it was made, who it was sold to, etc., as a way to narrow your search.

As a starting point, check out the Numrich Arms Co. forums at: http://www.e-gunparts.com/forum/forums.asp.

You can post queries in the general shotgun forum, or by specific manufacturer, if it's a well-known type like Remington. There are tons of knowledgeable gun-nuts out there, believe me!

Also, you may be able to contact the manufacturer directly if they happen to still be in business. They may have records going back that far, but it's a stretch. I have had good luck tracing old Remington shotguns from the early 1900s. But be prepared for great gaps in the records.

Here are a few other possibilities, as gleaned from the vendor's index of Warman's Civil War Collectibles catalog. I have checked the following websites, and they are all active as of today:

1. Damon Mills Fine Antique Firearms
Montgomery, AL
www.damonmills.com

2. Gutterman Historical Weapons, Inc.
Pearl River, NY
www.19thcenturyweapons.com

3. The Powder Horn Gunshop
Middleburg, VA
www.phgsinc.com

4. Sharpsburg Arsenal
Sharpsburg, MD
www.sharpsburg-arsenal.com

Again, these folks may be able to give you info, or re-direct you. Hint: follow your gut and buy the gun as a hedge against your bet. You can always resell it if it isn't what you're looking for. But if it is and it slips through your fingers, there will be the devil to pay--with yourself!

Thanks again for the image of Gen. James deBerty Trudeau last year. Hope this helps, amigo! :-)
--

yvos, Mike