POTD: Unique Belgian Bullpup Shotgun Prototype Over/Under 10 Gauge
Sam.S 12.15.21
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have an interesting Belgian over/under bullpup shotgun that I have been able to find squat about. It is most likely a prototype or one-off that a tinkering gunsmith decided would be cool. Most technical features Rock Island Auction Company cover below, but it should be noted on how this mechanism possibly works. Being a break-action over/under that means that the breaking point is most likely directly at the rear and like most bullpups, the triggers would have a long bar connecting them to a sear assembly. I wonder if the recoil on this bullpup shotgun would be any more severe being the action is right at the back against your shoulder.
“This is a very interesting shotgun as the stock covers almost the entire barreled receiver. The barrels start 1/8 of an inch past the forend of the stock and curve downward through the wrist and end 1 3/4 inches before the butt end of the stock. There is a swiveling breechblock with a latch that forms part of the butt and an aluminum solid rib with a bead front sight screwed to the top of the stock. The stock is composed of two nicely figured walnut slabs that have been inletted to fit over the barreled receiver. The two pieces are secured together with machine screws. Most of the screws come from the left side, and there are escutcheons on the right side. The barrels are choked .070/.075 and have 3 inch chambers with an extractor. The length of pull is 15 1/8 inches. There is a tapped hole on the right side of the barrels and a post of the breechblock for an absent swiveling hook. There is an “E” double stamped on the left side of the breechblock and a “10” stamped on the bottom of the breechblock.”
Lot 421: Unknown Shotgun 10. (n.d.). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/65/421/unknown-shotgun-10.
