Thread: Tell me about this gun

My grandfather pulled this from the mud about 70yrs ago in a swamp up north. He always told me it was a tupara?? He was walking along when he saw what looked like the tip of a db shottie so started digging.

@Cowboy

Tupara was the Maori name given to double barrel muzzle loading shot guns.

So yes this is a Tupara.

Other than that it's a very interesting story.

I wonder how it came to be in the swamp in the first place?

Cheers
Pete

Yeah, was a known battle area apparently. He lived in kaikohe but had family throughout the farms of the north.

That would be very cool if the shot gun could be linked to a battle

Cheers
Pete

very nice!
is there an inlet on the forestock and bottom of stock (brass), in the full length photo?
thanks for showing, too.

Only the place for a rod. Nothing in the butplate.

The old boy died a few years back so we'll never know the exact spot sadly.
I have a couple more cool rifles I'll pop a pic of at some stage. I'd like to know the calibre of an old martini henry action from the middle east.

Silly statement but make sure there aren't charges in the barrels although if there are it is pretry safe still. Stranger things have happened.

The tuparas were often carved by their owners as well.

Our old musket has a ball rated into the barrel but the flint lock and trigger still work so zimmer is right. It's possible for a charge to be there

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Was the owner still under it holding on

Originally Posted by Martin358

Was the owner still under it holding on

Yup, and rumour has it that his name was Charlton Heston....

Forgot to say

"Tupara" is a corruption of the English words "Two Barrels".

If it comes from up North one has to wonder if Hone Heke, Te Ruki Kawiti or even Tamati Waka Nene ever laid their hands on it during the New Zealand wars.

Cheers
Pete

It belonged to one of @upnorth uplanders tipuna. He missed the third teal of opening morning 1889 and biffed it into the swamp in disgust

Originally Posted by Pointer

It belonged to one of @upnorth uplanders tipuna. He missed the third teal of opening morning 1889 and biffed it into the swamp in disgust

Now that makes a bucket of sense Pointer. I passed his driveway last Sunday (and again today) and there were these two magnificent cock pheasants at the end of his drive blowing raspberries at him.

In the Tawhiti Museum in Hawera (which I strongly recommend visiting) there is the rusted remains of a musket that a farmer pulled out of a local swamp that was cocked - the previous owner had lined up a shot on a maori guy in one of the local land wars and not been quick enough, dropping his piece into the mud at his time of death

Originally Posted by Rushy

Now that makes a bucket of sense Pointer. I passed his driveway last Sunday (and again today) and there were these two magnificent cock pheasants at the end of his drive blowing raspberries at him.

They are my pet ones @Rushy