I was told this is for holding a gun - but can tell you I don't think so, help

[mimiwells]

This piece is clearly homemade - there is  a design on the copper (which I can't identify) and then the other part of the material is leather, so leather and copper together to create this 20" long and about 10" at the widest part.   the last picture is the actual opening.  Your thoughts please

[maxine*j]

Is it open at both ends?  I suppose it  might  be a rifle or shotgun scabbard for a saddle, or part of one.  Anyhow, you might care to research along those lines, if you think the person who sold it to you had reason for saying it was for a gun.

[argon38]

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@mimiwells wrote:

there is  a design on the copper (which I can't identify)

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A tracing/rubbing of the design might make it clearer. I can see it in your photo and it looks intriguing, but it's hard to tell where the lines start and end.

[maxine*j]

Yeah, I see something that looks like scales, as on a dragon or a serpent.  Or, perhaps feathers.  I even downloaded it to try to enhance it, but with that lighting I just couldn't do anything with it.

[argon38]

That's what I thought, some sort of scaly beast.

[mimiwells]

Thanks for responding.  My husband said it is a dragon, but I thought a snake.  Tried to do a tracing but can't get an image clear enough.  I will try to take a better picture of it. 

The person who sold it to us said it was made to carry a  gun while driving his four wheeler, but we just don't know.  It is only open on one end...so would make sense if you were putting  a shotgun (I know nothing about guns) in it. 

[sonomabarn67]

Looks like it could be a re-enactment thing or recreation thing to hang in the wall next to your blunderbuss. You could chip a fingernail if you actually used it.

[argon38 · Accepted solution]

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@mimiwells wrote:
The person who sold it to us said it was made to carry a  gun while driving his four wheeler, but we just don't know.

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So the seller claimed to have made it himself? If so, I would go along with his explanation of the purpose (unless there is some obvious reason why he would have wanted to mislead you).