IGC - Forum

Nope, I don't mind you asking a bit! Happy to help.

Tim

Robert, is that due to the serial number? The serial numbers on the guns are Hussey 15### series ones. However in the Beesley ledger they are allocated Beesley numbers. The ledger also shows the Hussey numbers. In addition the guns show the Beesley number, very small, on the bottom of the action fac...

Robert, many of the London shops would buy in guns made by others. Mostly they would be at the mid to low price brackets. This allowed the better shops to concentrate making their best guns whilst maintaining a stock of guns for people walking into the shop. Some, like Churchill, kept a stock of bes...

Forgot to mention something I have not come across before. On Lot 156 both guns had a small gold disc set into the top of the butt, at the rear, with the gun number, 1 or 2, engraved into it. This is not a good photo, but the only one I took. Has anyone else seen this before? Tim http://www.jpgbox.c...

As an aside Ken, I overhead two gunsmiths chatting at the Gardiner viewing yesterday.One was saying that he was after sleeved boxlock non-ejectors to do up, since his American clients couldn't get enough of them. I assume this is due to a demand in the US for lighter weight upland guns that are nitr...

http://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/53877_600x400.jpg These are the Beesley lots, less the Jurasic Gun. From the right, Lot 154 pair with CD initials on butt (for Charles Dennis, a wealthy chemical manufacturer from the north west, who bought them in Oct 1902 for £61 each!). Moving along to Lot 155 pair, whi...

Ken, don't forget that Pape was known as 'the Purdey of the north' by the end of the 19th century. At one time they had 30 employees turning out good quality guns. In addition Pape filed several patents, proving a good mechanical and inventive mind. He also benefited from Newcastle being at the heig...

A few years ago you'd walk into Gavin's viewing room and be presented with a good two long rows of guns and rifles. Today there was a half length double row of shotguns and a small rack of rifles.

I'd heard auction stock was getting harder to find and this demonstrated the point rather starkly.

Tim

I don't like them, rather heavy and lots of muzzle flip.

We used to get peppered with them by the IRA in the early days of the Troubles in N Ireland. Picking the spent .45 rounds out of our flak jackets!

Tim

Off to Bond Street to view some of the guns in tomorrow's Gardiner auction.

Quite a collection of Beesleys, including the Jurasic Gun.

Tim