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I recently inherited a number of firearms from my great grandfather's collection, including a couple old SxS shotguns. I thought you all might find this one in interesting, and maybe help me learn more about it.

This gun is a 12ga hammer double made by Matska (Matski? Ф.О. Мацки in Cyrillic). Serial number 207.

Barrels are 12ga, 26" long. Both are stamped "T. Kilby". One is also stamped "Sir J. Whitworth", while the other is stamped "Fluid Compressed Steel". I haven't seen anything linking the two - did they join up at some point, or maybe Kilby was selling Whitworth barrels, or producing them?
The barrel is stamped 20797, presumably the serial number. I think the leading 207 is just coincidental with the gun S/N, as there is at least one other Matska with 207xx barrels.

I don't know much about the history of the gun. My great grandfather was a colonel in the army who stayed stateside during the war and went over to Germany in 1945 to help rebuild infrastructure. One of his duties there was to lead visiting VIPs on hunts in the black forest. He ended up with a variety of interesting guns because of that, mostly funded by the US government. I would assume this gun entered his possession during that time. However he was never on good terms with my grandfather, so very little beyond that story was passed on.

Unfortunately the gun is not in the best of shape. It has been stored in a New England attic for 40 years, and it shows. The barrels are also rather pitted. However after a little bit of basic cleanup, all moving parts are still smooth as silk. If it wasn't for the pitted barrels, the gun is 100% functional. The fit of all the parts is truly phenomenal. The engraving is not as ornate as some, but a thing of beauty.

There is also a French SxS in the collection, made in St Etienne but also has some German proofs. I haven't figured out much more about it, but can post a new thread on that if there's interest.

Dear BoatBum, this is a wonderful story. I researched Matska's guns and wrote an article once. I hope you find the answers there. Regards, Igor
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