The "Northwest" Indian trade gun was a multi-purpose weapon designed for war and hunt and use with a single round ball or shot. This example is marked "W. CHANCE" behind hammer on lock with Sitting Fox mark on barrel flat and in front of the hammer on the lock plate with a small "SF" just in front and a mark shaped like a crescent moon with a "/" or cut next to the drum style percussion conversion bolster, Birmingham and Board of Ordinance proofmarks on left barrel flat, an overall lightweight design, front sight, oversized trigger and trigger guard for winter use and the serpentine/dragon side plate that Native people looked for when trading for arms. The Sitting Fox mark signified the Northwest Company prior to its merger with the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821. Afterwards, the Hudson's Bay Company used a similar, stylized Tombstone Fox marking often with "EB" below the fox.