POTD: Charles Daly/Lindner 9mm Garden Gun – Pest Control

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have what might be the fanciest pest control tool ever built. This is a Charles Daly “Regent Diamond Quality” double barrel garden gun made by H.A. Lindner in Germany in the early 20th century, chambered for what appears to be the 9mm Flobert shot cartridge. The whole thing weighs 3 pounds 7 ounces.

A garden gun is a little smoothbore for farmers and gardeners fighting rats, rabbits, birds, and other pests. The 9mm Flobert throws a small load of fine shot at low velocity, so it’s fairly quiet, can be fired inside a barn without holing the roof, and runs out of steam around 15 to 20 yards.

Charles Daly started as a New York sporting goods business in 1865 alongside August Schoverling, and the “Charles Daly” brand name was picked because it sounded prestigious. The firm imported high grade guns from Prussian makers like H.A. Lindner, J.P. Sauer, and F.W. Heym from the 1870s up to World War One, and it leaned hard on Krupp fluid steel barrels in its advertising. Diamond Quality and Regent Diamond sat at the top, with factory engraving and gold.

Then there’s this gun. It’s a tiny boxlock with a hidden Greener-style crossbolt, deep acanthus scroll, and gold relief critters all over it: a chipmunk, a squirrel, groundhogs, a quail, and a hare, all fitting targets for a garden gun. The butt carries a gold rabbit inscribed “For my Bunny,” and it rides in a crocodile hide case. Whoever “Bunny” was, they were spoiled rotten.

Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!

“Charles Daly/Lindner 9 mm Double Barrel ‘Garden Gun.'” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4097/1393/charles-dalylindner-9-mm-double-barrel-garden-gun. Accessed 29 Sept. 2026.

The post POTD: Charles Daly/Lindner 9mm Garden Gun – Pest Control appeared first on AllOutdoor.com.