Edward Lang, 89 Wigmore Street, London
12 bore Boxlock Non-Ejector
no. 1307

Date of manufacture: 1881-87



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Heritage Guns' Comment

Edward was the youngest son by his first wife of the famous Joseph Lang Snr and trained as a gunmaker, probably under his father. By the 1870's he was working from his own premises in Wigmore Street, primarily doing outwork, and having guns built for him by Charles Osborne & Co. These were simply marked 'Lang', which caused some concern at his father's old company of Joseph Lang & Son. Guns bearing the full name of Edward are extremely rare and this is an almost unique opportunity to acquire such a piece. This gun was most likely bought-in 'in-the-white' from the Birmingham trade, probably Westley Richards, and finished within the London trade. As a non-ejector, this gun demonstrates the simple elegance of the Anson & Deeley boxlock design. With so few moving pieces, there is very little to go wrong yet it handles and shoots like a thoroughbred. The original damascus barrels have been re-proofed for 2 3/4" nitro cartridges and the original stock and forend are in fantastic condition for its age.
This all adds up to a beautiful and strong 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.

The action is of traditional boxlock design and features:
Top lever opening, a passive Dolls Head top rib extension,
Purdey Bolt operated by a Scott Spindle,
Double triggers bolted by an automatic top tang safety slide
and a Hackett forend catch.
Gun weight 6lb 8oz
Engraving style Best Foliate Scroll, action signed within an ornate border.
Black enamelled, white metal SAFE.
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 1/2 lbs Rear trigger 4 1/2 lbs
The original damascus barrels are 30" 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. A few very small vestigial pints in RH barrel.
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
18.6mm (0.732")
0.731"
0.030" Minimum
0.008" (IC)
Left Barrel
18.8mm (0.740")
0.741"
0.023" Minimum
0.008" (IC)


Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend are crafted from well figured walnut. The stock is cast-off for a right-handed shot, features a vacant white metal oval, elongated side-panels and engraved iron butt plate secured with engraved screws. The forend features a finely engraved steel forend tip. There are several edge repairs to the forend.

Well figured walnut

The 20 approx lines per inch chequering has been freshened in a normal boxlock 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
14 5/8"
14 7/8"
14 5/8"
15"
Drop at Comb
Drop at Face
Drop at Heel
1 5/8"
1 3/4"
2 1/4"
Cast at Comb
Cast at Heel
1/8" (approximate)
1/2" (approximate)

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:
Anson & Deeley's boxlock patent no. 1756 of 1875;
'Purdey Bolt' patent no. 1104 of 1863;
'Scott Spindle' patent no. 2752 of 1865;
Anson & Deeley's safety catch patent no. 907 of 1879;
Hackett forend fastener patent no. 964 of 1878.