Not sure that gun was ever intended to be a water-fowler; it was ordered without a safety in the same fashion as a "live bird" competition gun. The other unique thing about this gun, features wise, is that it was manufactured without Hunter's bushed firing pins feature. Surviving records tell us this particular 9-bore shipped in 1896, and it was not until 1908-09 that the bushed firing pin feature begin to be phased out. All the other 8-bore Smith guns I've seen, as well as all the other early LC Smith guns I've examined have had bushed firing pins. It would be most interesting to know the story behind both these interesting features.
