George Taylor, 233 Aston Road, Birmingham
16 bore Bar Action Hammergun no. 5307

Date of manufacture: 1878-81

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Heritage Guns' Comment

This gun is an interesting example of the famous William Powell lift-up toplever patent that the inventor marketed so well in the last decades of the C19th. Dating this gun can only be done using the two main patents exhibited here. The locks are marked internally for the Stanton rebounding lock, i.e. 1867-81, but there is no patent stamp for the Powell LU toplever, 1864-78, so this gun can be dated to between 1878 and 1881.
In more recent times the gun was rebarrelled, probably by Webley & Scott judging by the style of the short rib, and this has given this lovely gun a whole new lease of life. Re-proofed for 2 ¾" cartridges, this represents a rare opportunity to acquire a lovely condition classic English hammergun with many interesting and historic features.

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

The action is of William Powell design and features:
Double triggers,
Bar action rebounding locks with'C Scroll' hammers,
Percussion fences, sprung strikers,
Lift-up top lever opening,
Elongated top strap
and Hachett style forend catch.
Gun weight 6lb 8 1/2oz
Engraving style
Fine Border & Foliate Scroll.
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 ½ lbs Rear trigger 4 ½ lbs
The replacement steel barrels are 30" in length, chambered for 2 ¾" (70mm) cartridges and are of brazed 'dovetail' lump construction with soft soldered ribs.
Top rib
is of the smooth, convex, game type.
London re-proof for 70mm nitro 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
16.9mm
(0.665")
0.666"
0.028"
0.009" (IC)
Left Barrel
16.9mm
(0.665")
0.665"
0.026"
0.021" (Mod)

Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend are crafted from highly figured walnut. The stock is cast off for a right-handed shot, features well defined drop points, a vacant white metal oval and is fitted with engraved steel heel & toe plates secured with engraved screws. The forend features a horn tip.

Highly figured walnut

The 20 lines per inch chequering is to normal sidelock points 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"
14 1/4"
14 3/16"
14 5/8"
Drop at Comb
Drop at Face
Drop at Heel
1 11/16"
1 15/16"
2 5/16"
Cast at Comb
Cast at Heel (On)
1/16" (approximate)
1/8" (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:
Stanton's rebounding lock patent no. 367 of 1867,
Powell's top lever patent no. 1163 of 1864,
Hackett forend fastener patent no. 964 of 1878.