This gun carriage does does not meet most of the descriptions of the Hughes guns. MOST reports say that they had light carriage wheels, as does the other known Hughes gun.(that one not water cooled).
However there are a great deal of errors among the reports. One reports has the first complete with 10 more being made with a sheild to protect the three crewman.These first guns were to be sent to Jeff Thompson's MO. troops.
The shops later moved to Missisippi,which could account for some of the changes.
The barrel does fit the reports ans is (other than being water cooled quite like the other Hughes gun. Neither of which are marked. May not mean much because the travis gun is not marked either and that was late 1864. The chanel for the breech pin on the second has been filled with lead.
I was told the owner has some old paperwork to support the history on this gun. I did not see it myself.
Repro? Not likely in my book.