Stephen Grant, 67A St James's
Street, London
12 bore Back Action Hammergun
No. 4247, No 2 of pair
Date of manufacture: 1877
Click on these images for more detail.
Heritage
Guns' Comment
This is a superb example of a sidelever hammergun from this highly
respected gunmaker, a style and design that became synonymous with
Stephen Grant. Built as no 2 of a pair for a ‘J Virtue Esq’, it is
in really lovely condition with only slight loss of definition in
the engraving under the bar. The bolting is of Edwin Hodges’
design, patented in 1871, and provides three bites for the
Purdey-like bolt to engage with: one in the rear lump and a
further projection on either side forming the other two. It is
thought to be simply an attempt to evade the Purdey Bolt patent
but it does provide a very firm and safe lock-up. The gun came
to us with painfully thin walled barrels and we did not hesitate
to commission TIG welded sleeving using carefully selected tubes
to give a thicker MWT than has been usual. The hope is that these
barrels may future-proof the gun somewhat with the proposed demise
of lead ammunition. The 30" barrels have been proofed for 2 ¾”
nitro cartridges and this all adds up to a strong gun that is a
joy to shoot and should give many years of service on game or
clays with normal maintenance. Presented in a contemporary
leather and brass, oak lined case with some accessories.
WE REGRET THAT
THIS GUN IS NOW SOLD. IF YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR A SIMILAR GUN,
PLEASE CONTACT US.
|
The action
is of traditional back action sidelock design and features:
Finely
chiselled percussion fences;
High level ‘Hare’s Ears’ hammers;
Best Foliate Scroll engraving;
Sidelever operating a 3 bite bolt;
Double triggers;
Stanton rebounding back
action locks;
Anson pushrod forend catch.
Gun weight 7lb 4oz
Engraving style Best
foliate scroll. No. ‘2’ is engraved on forend iron, trigger guard and
top rib.
Action bar engraved ‘STEPHEN GRANT’S PATENT’. Top tang
engraved ‘PATENT’.
Action flats stamped ‘GRANT & HODGES PATENT’ and
the use number 714.
Breech face stamped with E C Hodges’ trade mark.
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 ½ lbs Rear
trigger 4 ¼ lbs
The TIG sleeved damascus to steel barrels are
30" in length, chambered for 2 3/4" (70mm) cartridges and are of brazed
dovetail construction with soft soldered ribs.
Top rib is of the
smooth, concave game type.
Birmingham reproof for 70mm nitro
powder cartridges in 2020.
Approximate barrel measurements
at date of publication:
|
Nominal Proof Size
|
Bore Diameter 9" from Breech
|
Minimum Wall Thickness
|
Choke Constriction
|
Right Barrel |
18.5mm (0.728")
|
0.730"
|
0.040"
|
0.012" (IC)
|
Left Barrel |
18.5mm (0.728")
|
0.730"
|
0.039"
|
0.021" (Mod)
|
Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend
are crafted from highly figured walnut. The stock is lightly cast off
for a right-handed shot and features a vacant white metal oval, a 5/8”
well matched wood extension and engraved iron heel & toe plates
secured with engraved screws.
The forend has a finely engraved
steel tip and one small inlet repair to its edge.
The approximately 22 lines per inch chequering is freshened
to normal backaction sidelock 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 1/2"
|
14 3/4"
|
14 11/16"
|
15 1/8"
|
Drop at Comb
|
Drop at Face
|
Drop at Heel
|
1 5/8"
|
1 3/4"
|
2 1/4"
|
Cast at Comb
|
Cast at Heel
|
Negligible
|
1/16" approx.
|
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:
Stanton's rebounding lock patent no. 367 of 1867,
Hodges’ bolting
patent no. 251 of 1871,
Anson's forend fastener patent no. 3791 of
1872.