Developed in the late 1970s at the request of the Canadian government, the Seal Pistol was a response to growing pressure to find a more humane way to harvest seals for the fur trade than clubbing. While the Canadian government felt that the club was sufficient for a humane kill, their reports conceded a few points, specifically that a tired, undertrained, or apathetic harvester could make a mess of the whole procedure. The Seal Gun, designed to government specifications, uses a Winchester single shot 22 caliber bolt action as the base, with a smoothbore barrel and a pistol grip designed to be used with a low-powered shotshell; testing on the ice floes of Canada showed that this combination was clean and efficient for kills at close range, with reduced damage to the fur compared to clubbing and minimal chance of harming a fellow sealer through their heavy garments in event of an accidental or careless discharge. Overall length is 14 1/2 inches, with a brass bead sight on the 6 inch solid chamber non-firable barrel, Winchester "WP" proofs, and the serial number on the left side of the receiver. Fitted with a smooth one piece stock, with a lanyard swivel on the base. Included with the pistol are photocopies of correspondence between the Canadian Committee of Seals and Sealing and both Winchester Canada and Remington, pages from "Sealing Report for 1980 Sealing Season, Gulf of St. Lawrence" (which covers the smoothbore 22 and it's alternatives), and correspondence from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms to noted Winchester collector Peter Murray.

Excellent as conforming with ATF specifications; in order to avoid classification as a NFA weapon, the barrel has been manufactured with a solid steel rod, with a short counter-bore into the front to create the appearance of the muzzle. 95% of the blue finish is present overall, with some light spotting on the receiver and mild handling marks overall. The stock is excellent, with a few light dings. Mechanically fine.