Geo H Daw & Co, 67 St James's Street
SW & 57 Threadneedle Street EC, London
12 bore Sidelock Non-Ejector
no. 27921
Date of manufacture: 1875-87
Click on these images for more detail.
Heritage
Guns' Comment
Other than being famous for the
first patent of a centre-fire cartridge in England, George Henry
Daw is remarkable for the very high level of finish and quality
seen in his guns. This example is no exception and, most remarkably
for a gun of this age, it retains much of its original hardening
colour on action and lock plates. The engraving on the gun is
quite exceptional and I think this reflects the high esteem the
Gibbs & Pitt action design was held in by the buying public
at the time. It was well designed, solidly built and retailed
by nearly all gunmakers of the period.
The action cocks on the movement of the sidelever and then this
is aided by the dropping of the barrels as the barrel lumps cam
the Purdey bold rearwards, which in turn works upon the tumblers
to bring them to full cock. This makes it quite impossible to
reload the gun without recocking the locks and resetting the safety,
a useful safety feature.
This gun was designed as a lightweight yet in shooting it we have
found it swings very well and does not recoil excessively. The
original English damascus barrels have been re-proofed for 2 3/4"
nitro cartridges and this all adds up to a beautiful gun that
is a joy to shoot and should give many years of service on game
or clays with normal maintenance.
WE REGRET THAT
THIS GUN IS NOW SOLD. IF YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR A SIMILAR GUN,
PLEASE CONTACT US.
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The action is of Gibbs &
Pitt design and features:
Much original hardening colour;
Disc set strikers;
Side lever opening with a Purdey Bolt;
Double triggers bolted by an automatic top tang safety slide
and a Hackett forend catch.
Gun weight 6lb 4oz
Engraving style Best Bouquet & Scroll..
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 ½
lbs Rear trigger 4 lbs
The original damascus barrels are 29" in length, chambered
for 2 3/4" (70mm) cartridges and are of brazed dovetail lump construction
with soft soldered ribs.
Top rib is of the smooth, concave game
type.
London reproof for 70mm nitro powder cartridges in 2012
Approximate barrel measurements
at date of publication:
|
Nominal Proof Size
|
Bore Diameter 9" from Breech
|
Minimum Wall Thickness
|
Choke Constriction
|
Right Barrel |
18.9mm
(0.744")
|
0.744"
|
0.023"
|
0.007" (IC)
|
Left Barrel |
19.0mm
(0.748")
|
0.746"
|
0.020+"
(patch at 0.018", 9" from muzzle)
|
0.006" (IC)
|
The replacement straight hand Stock
and Splinter Forend are crafted from figured walnut. The stock is
cast-off for a right-handed shot, features a white metal oval (vestiges
of engraving), well-defined drop points and finely engraved heel and
toe plates with engraved screws. The forend features an engraved steel
forend tip and diamond. There is an inlet repair to one edge.
The 20 approx lines per inch chequering has been freshened
to the original pattern.
The stock is finished with a traditional linseed oil based preparation
as used on best guns by one of the top English makers. This finish
uses no grain fillers to achieve its deep, smooth lustre, only many
hours of alternate build and flatting off of the surface.
Approximate stock
measurements at date of publication:
Pull to Heel
|
Pull to Bump
|
Pull to Centre
|
Pull to Toe
|
15"
|
15 1/8"
|
15 1/8"
|
15 1/2"
|
Drop at Comb
|
Drop at Face
|
Drop at Heel
|
1 7/16"
|
1 5/8"
|
1 13/16"
|
Cast at Comb
|
Cast at Heel
|
Negligible
|
1/16" (approximate)
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For the purposes of these measurements,
'Drop at Face' is the 'drop' measurement taken on a line perpendicular
to the
line joining the trigger and centre of the butt at approximately 8"
from the trigger (front trigger on a double trigger gun).
Patents Exhibited include:
Gibbs & Pitt cocking patent no. 284 of 1873;
'Purdey Bolt' patent no. 1104 of 1863;
Hackett forend fastener patent no. 964 of 1878.