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.
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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:
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Nominal Proof Size
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Bore Diameter 9" from Breech
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Minimum Wall Thickness
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Choke Constriction
|
Right Barrel |
18.6mm (0.732")
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0.731"
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0.030" Minimum
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0.008" (IC)
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Left Barrel |
18.8mm (0.740")
|
0.741"
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0.023" Minimum
|
0.008" (IC)
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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.
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
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Pull to Bump
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Pull to Centre
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Pull to Toe
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14 5/8"
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14 7/8"
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14 5/8"
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15"
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Drop at Comb
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Drop at Face
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Drop at Heel
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1 5/8"
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1 3/4"
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2 1/4"
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Cast at Comb
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Cast at Heel
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1/8" (approximate)
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1/2" (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:
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.