SK 1878 shotgun

The SK 1878 Shotgun

The SK 1878 shotgun was built using reproduction Colt 1878 shotguns. There were three shotguns built for Appaloosa. The hero shotguns fired 12 gauge blanks and one 8 gauge non firing shotgun used to film the loading sequence. The shotguns were built by Steve Karnes for Gibbons Ltd.

The Construction

The shotguns were ordered by Gibbons Ltd for Appaloosa as they had scripted a 8 Gauge shotgun for the film. At that time there was only one 8 Gauge shotgun in the film industry which is the William Moore & Co. Shotgun 8 ga. used in Tremors. In a meeting with the General Manager of Gibbons Ltd. the requirements were laid out for three shotguns two blank fire and one non firing shotgun. All three would use a import replica of the Colt 1878 Shotgun in 12 Gauge with the assistance of the owner of the Tremors shotgun the project began. I began with the barrels and barrel extensions as those would have to be gun drilled to the proper bore diameter. Once the six parts were gun drilled then the shotguns were disassembled and the original barrels were then stripped completely. On the two blank fire 12 Gauge barrels the 8 Gauge extensions were welded in place as seen on the lower barrel in Photo 1. Then a hand formed shield was added to the barrel as seen on the center barrel in Photo 1. Once the forming was completed it was welded to the extension and dressed off as seen on the lower barrel in Photo 2. The the entire shield was filed and sanded to remove any tool marks from the forming as seen on the center barrel in Photo 2. The ends of the shields were then welded closed and machined then both a upper and lower rib was added to finish the conversion of the 12 Gauge barrels as seen in Photo 3. The 8 Gauge non-firing shotgun's barrels were gun drilled full length the proper diameter then chambered to accept an 8 Gauge shell. It was then turned down on the lathe to the correct outer diameter for an 8 Gauge shotgun using the Tremors shotgun as a template as seen in Photo 4. The pair of 8 Gauge barrels were then machined to use the locking mechanism of the 1878 shotgun after which then barrels were welded together along with the locking mechanism then the upper and lower ribs were added. The receivers for the three shotguns then had pieces fabricated to fit the breach which were welded in place. They were then dressed of by hand so all three matched and then they were fitted to the barrels as seen in Photo 5. The barrels and receivers were then polished and black oxide prior to delivery for the production of Appaloosa. Once the shotguns arrived at the production they were aged down so not to appear as new. - Steve Karnes

(Notice the Upper Barrel shown in Photos 1, 2, and 3 is the barrel from the William Moore & Co. Shotgun 8 ga. used in Tremors.)

SK 1878 Shotgun Barrels 12 Ga. beginning to take shape

SK 1878 Shotgun Barrels 12 Ga. midway thought the project

SK 1878 Shotgun Barrels 12 Ga. nearing the end of the project

SK 1878 Shotgun Barrels 8 Ga. beginning to take shape

SK 1878 Shotguns ready for finishing

Both the SK 1878 Shotgun and the import Colt 1878 replica along with a pair of brass inserts

The SK 1878 can be seen in the following films and video games used by the following actors:

Film

• Viggo Mortensen as Everett Hitch in Appaloosa