Stephen Grant & Sons, 7 Bury Street, London
12 bore Bar Action, Sidelock Ejector
'Patent Ejector' no. 6282

Date of manufacture: 1891

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Heritage Guns' Comment

This is a superb example of a Best London sidelock ejector from this highly respected gunmaker, made in the heyday of the British gun trade. Most likely made as a non-ejector originally, as with many early sidelock Grants, it was converted to ejector in the 1890's and details of its internal mechanisms point to the gun being converted either in the Grant workshops or in those of John Robertson. In fact the original actioning may have been carried out by Robertson as many of the technical features were patented or used extensively by him.
Although by now the proprietor of Boss & Co, Robertson maintained his factory at George Yard where he made Boss guns, moving to Ham Yard in 1899. His locks were unusual in using his own hook design for an interceptor sear as opposed to the Block Safety used by Holland & Holland and Scott. Furthermore, the design of his favoured safety slide detent mechanism, a variation on the 'over-centre' system, appears in all his patent specifications drawings although not mentioned in the text. Lastly, the ejector mechanism, referred to as 'Patent Ejector' on the rib, is the functional equivalent of provisional patent no 11623 of 1887, produced by the collaboration of Henry Holland and John Robertson although the trip mechanism is a Grant patent. The action of gun no 6282 is delightfully engraved and in great condition. The 28" barrels have been sleeved and re-proofed for 2 1/2" nitro cartridges. 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.

WE REGRET THAT THIS GUN IS NOW SOLD. IF YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR A SIMILAR GUN, PLEASE CONTACT US.

The action is of traditional bar action sidelock design and features:
Top lever opening, operating a 'Purdey Bolt' via a 'Scott Spindle';
Double triggers bolted by an automatic top tang safety slide;
Bar action locks by Chilton with Interceptor sears;
Roger's cocking levers;
Coil spring ejectors tripped by slides in the bar of action
and Anson's push rod forend catch.
Gun weight 6lb 14oz
Engraving style Best fine foliate scroll. Finely carved fences and action bar.
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 4 1/4lbs Rear trigger 4 1/2lbs
The sleeved steel to steel barrels are 28" in length, chambered for 2 1/2" (65mm) cartridges and are of brazed 'through' lump construction with soft soldered ribs.
Top rib is of the smooth, concave game type.
Birmingham reproof for 65mm nitro powder cartridges in 1980.


Approximate barrel measurements at date of publication:

 
Nominal Proof Size
Bore Diameter 9" from Breech
Minimum Wall Thickness
Choke Constriction
Right Barrel
0.719"
0.725"
0.028"
0.005" (Skeet)
Left Barrel
0.719"
0.724"
0.027"
0.011" (IC)

Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend are crafted from highly figured walnut. The forend has two inlet repairs at the knuckle, largely hidden by the barrels, and there is a small inlet to the rear of the right lock plate.

Highly Figured Walnut

 

The 22 lines per inch chequering is freshened and to normal sidelock pattern. The stock is cast off for a right-handed shot, features well defined drop points, a blank white metal oval and a 1" Silvers pad. 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 7/8"
15"
15"
15 1/2"
Drop at Comb
Drop at Face
Drop at Heel
1 1/2"
1 5/8"
1 15/16"
Cast at Comb
Cast at Heel
1/8" (approximate)
3/8" (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:
Roger's cocking levers patent no 397 of 1882;
'Purdey Bolt' patent no. 1104 of 1863;
'Scott Spindle' patent no. 2752 of 1865;
Robertson's interceptor sear patent no. 2833 of 1882;
Grant's ejector patent no. 4360 of 1888;
Anson's forend fastener patent no. 3791 of 1872.