marlin 12 ga. hammer pump

[swampdogger]

Hi, a friend of mine has a Marlin 12 ga. hammer pump shotgun, on the barrel it has pat.1889 - 1904 and on the underside of the receiver the serial no. is stamped A1898# , just wondering if someone would know the history and value and if it is safe to fire. I believe there father used to duck shoot with this gun back in the 60's. Any info would be appreciated , Thank You.[/img]

[Regnier (gunrunner)]

Swampdogger;

Cannot tell from the photograph if this shotgun is a takedown action or not, but with a "A" serial number prefix, I would almost bet it is not, and that this shotgun is a Model 17 made up of left over parts around 1916/1917. There were five straight grip exposed hammer Marlin shotguns, the Model 17, 21, Trap Gun, Field Gun and the Model 26. The Model 21, Trap Gun and Field Gun were the only takedown versions.
These exposed hammer shotguns must be in complete and proper working order to be safe to shoot. If they are not in proper working order, meaning every detail of the safety features that were built into these guns, then they are NOT safe to shoot.
Value will be dictated by the amount and condition of the remaining original factory finish on the wood and metal. Without knowing these conditions, it is not possible to determine the value at this time. Just cannot tell enough from the photograph posted, sorry.......