Picked up a Cape Gun on trade. Its 16 G (right, front trigger) and 12.17x44 (left). Marked "F and HANDQUET, LIEGE". It has German steel barrels, marked with nice big German Imperial Eagle Crests and "Fluss Stahl Fein." Good rifling and the shotgun barrel is shiny with no dents. Overall its in good condition. Not sure how to load for it but I am told that the 12.17 caliber rounds can be made fairly easily from .348 Win brass.

My question is: Does anyone know a way to date it? Could this be considered an antique (pre-1898) gun in the USA? (In Canada its never an official antique firearm no matter how old it is, because you can still shoot it with a modern 16 ga. shell.)