Posted 3 years ago
BHIFOS
(418 items)
I got this a few years ago at an auction before everything went silly in the price department. The rib is engraved "J Portlock South Molton London" it has London Proof Marks. I have never been able to find anything about Mr Portlock (there was a John in Scotland).
It is a very early piece with the Henry Underlever, 28 1/2" barrels and hammers that need to be taken to 1/2 cock to open the Damascus barrels. I and other people that know what they are looking at think it may once have been a front stuffer due to generously wide rib typical of an earlier gun. Some may ask why and the reason is that back in the day a shotgun was all about the barrels and it wasn't unusual for the owner to have them reused in a more modern gun.
Not to mention that smokeless powder will likely blowup black powder barrels.
What a nice thing to own. Thanks for sharing it with us brings back memories of my uncle.
This baby was made/converted probably in the 1870s or earlier. Well before smokeless powder was in use.
I can almost promise you that this wasn't converted from a muzzle loader. That would be much harder than making a whole new gun. Do you mean that it was a BP barreled gun that was given new smokeless proofed barrels ? Am I confused or just misunderstanding ?
I used to be much into early breechloading shotguns and have read extensively and apart from the few guns I have owned in comparison had the opportunity to go through some amazing collections. To give you some idea one guy I used to know (he passed away a few years ago) went to the Enfield Pattern Room in England and was given a tour of their amazing collection (organised beforehand you don't just front up). He asked if there was anything they didn't have and was told there was a couple of things. Turned out he had one and they were rather keen to get it!
Anyway here is one reference I can offer from page 56 "The British Shotgun Volume One 1850-70" Crudgington and Baker first reprint "The conversion of muzzle loaders to breech loaders was an undertaking that was to go on right through our period. Indeed some makers (various names given) were to establish rather a name for this work"
very interesting about the conversion from muzzle loader to breach loader bbls. I was not aware of that . Thank you for the insight.
Nice score...