An English Shotgun

[VicN]

Here is a high quality English percussion shotgun. it has a Platinum breach block and Ebony ramrod. It's back lock is engraved with a hunting dog and bears the name Wood Worcester.
whether this was the maker or retailer I don't know but I can't find this name listed anywhere. It's 20mm bore Damascus barrel is of the rose scroll type

 

[TFoley]

'20mm' bore? If it's an English shotgun, made around 1840 - 1850, judging by the back-action-style lock, then it won't have a metric-measured bore. 18mm is 12 gauge, by the way. Here in UK we STILL don't mark our domestically-made shotguns in metric measurements.

All the proof marks will be found underneath the breech-end of the barrel - it also appears to have a hooked breech, meaning that once you've removed the single key, by a few gentle taps, it ought to come out easily by lifting the muzzle.

Here is a list of Worcester and Worcestershire gunmakers of the 19th century - as you can see, William Wood of Worcester is the last name in the list - it took me almost fifteen seconds to find it..........note that the town of Hales Owen is now called Halesowen, saving a lot of ink, no doubt.

Alan & Thumber Worcester
Allen & Thurber Worcester
E C Asthorpe Unknown address Severn Stoke
Benjamin Attwood Hayseech, Old Hill Hales Owen
Averill & Son Evesham
J C Banfield & Sons Tenbury Wells
Rowland Barnsley Hales Owen
Simon (Samuel) Benson Salop Street Dudley
Birmingham Gun Barrel Co Ltd Hayseech Old Hill Halesowen
William Bourne Droitwich
Samuel Brown Summer Hill Hales Owen
William Burgess Malvern Wells Malvern
Alfred & Arthur Richard Burr Hayseech Hales Owen
John Burr Hayseech Mill Hales Owen
Thomas Droman Dudley Road Halesowen
Thomas Drummond Dudley Road Halesowen
Edge & Rose Birch Hill Mill Hales Owen
John & Abraham Edmunds Cornmarket Worcester
Joseph Fellows Stomber Mill Stourbridge
James Fletcher Bridge Street Evesham
A J Foster Unknown address Kidderminster
John Gill 13 New Street Worcester
L Edwin Goff Dodford Bromsgrove
William Griffiths 5 Bridge Street Worcester
James Hawker Coventry Street Kidderminster
Harry Higgins 46-48 Teme Street Tenbury Wells
Higgs & Price Hayseech Hales Owen
Hughes-Johnson Stamping Ltd Langley Engineering Works Oldbury
James Humpherson High Street Bewdley
John Lambert 85 Sidbury Worcester
Thomas Lane 4 Corn Street / Corn Market Worcester
Edward Male Worcester Street Bromsgrove
John Osborne Bridge Street Evesham
John Perkins New Street Worcester
John Perrins College Street Worcester
Thomas Phipps Evesham
H E Pollard 61 Broad Street Worcester
Joseph Price New Town, Netherton - See Price & Hibbert Dudley
Price & Hibbert New Town, Netherton Dudley
William & Major Rose See Aaron Rose Halesowen
Aaron Rose Birch Hill Mill Hales Owen
John Rose & Co Crown Gun Barrel Works, near Coombs Wood Hales Owen
Rose Brothers See Aaron Rose Halesowen
Rose Tube Co. Ltd See Aaron Rose Hales Owen
James Sawyer Hawne Lane Hales Owen
Robert Scott 31 College Street Worcester
John Shaw 16 Moore Street Worcester
Arthur Joseph Simpson Crabbs Cross Redditch
Charles & John Siviter Runbow Hales Owen
John Southall Bromsgrove
John Stanton Coventry Street Kidderminster
Thomas Stephens Bridge Street Pershore
J T Taylor Bromsgrove
T Thacker & Co 62 Broad Street Worcester
William Tromans Whitehall Hales Owen
Thomas Trueman / Truman Dudley Road Hales Owen
Ward & Son Worcester
Whiteman Brothers Ltd Silver Street Worcester
Richard Wise Kidderminster
William Wood 18 Broad Street Worcester

 

[VicN]

It's more than 18mm, having just checked I see on a chart that 12 gauge is actually 18.53mm,
I've measured it with an imperial calliper and it's exactly 6/8" more like 19mm so must be 12 gauge with a bit of slight wear at the muzzle or it's 11 gauge @ 19.07mm?

 

[TFoley]

It's more than 18mm, having just checked I see on a chart that 12 gauge is actually 18.53mm,
I've measured it with an imperial calliper and it's exactly 6/8" more like 19mm so must be 12 gauge with a bit of slight wear at the muzzle or it's 11 gauge @ 19.07mm?

In metric shotgun measurements of the day, you will often find approximations made with regard to precise dimensional data.

In imperial dimensions, 6/8" is more commonly called 3/4".

An English-made gun is very unlikely to be 11 gauge, given that the standard gauges of the day were 12 and 20.

However, you have the gun in your hands, and I don't. It's your call. Taking it to your local shotgun smith might give a more accurate and satisfactory response than mine. Sorry I can't help you more.

 

[VicN]

Thank you for your help Tfoley

 

[Pukka Bundook]

A great many bores were made at that time T F, and probably the most common was a 14 bore. 15's were common as well, and yes, 12, 20 and ten very common for sporting guns.
Bore size didn't matter that much, as a wad punch was often supplied with the gun.
I have adouble flint with a 19 bore barrel and the other gauges 18! But I can get away with 20 bore wads so no sweat.

all the best,
Rich.

 

[TFoley]

A great many bores were made at that time T F, and probably the most common was a 14 bore. 15's were common as well, and yes, 12, 20 and ten very common for sporting guns.
Bore size didn't matter that much, as a wad punch was often supplied with the gun.
I have adouble flint with a 19 bore barrel and the other gauges 18! But I can get away with 20 bore wads so no sweat.

all the best,
Rich.

o.

Thanks for that.

 

[Britsmoothy]

I picked on the girth of the wrist. Looks heavy. Could well be a 11-10 g.
Nice find.

 

[Jeff Latz]

I have one similar in 12 ga. It is a Birmingham proofed gun. I had it jug choked and used it for trap at Friendship. They are fun to use.

 

[TFoley]

I have one similar in 12 ga. It is a Birmingham proofed gun. I had it jug choked and used it for trap at Friendship. They are fun to use.

Birmingham is a lot nearer to Worcester than London, so using the Birmingham Proof House was a sensible decision.

 

[TFoley]

Looking at the OP's photos, apart from the general layer of cleanable crud, I see a platinum bolster closing screw, now blank. This was common back in the day - the sign of a quality piece - and was where the horizonal part of the flash channel, having met the vertical flash channel from the nipple, was drilled from the outside and closed off permanently by the platinum insert screw, which was then filed smooth to suit the bolster.

Take it to a gunsmith for a check over, and after a good cleanup it would surely make a lovely shooting piece. Extended amounts of shooting, however, would benefit from fitting a proper platinum nipple to replace the old item currently in place.

My advice is to get one from somebody on the US who makes them - as we've read here - for much less than half the price we get hiked for one here in UK. Forty dollars is a LOT less than a hundred pounds......even with another ten bucks for an envelope and mailing?

 

[Feltwad]

Most likely your gun is a 12 bore if measured bigger at the muzzle will be ramrod wear .If every thing is sound a load of 2.3/4 drms of Black powder to 1.1/4 oz of shot, Method to load powder 2 number 1/8 cards shot finish with 1/16 card over shot
Feltwad

 

[Pukka Bundook]

My old 14 bore was deadly with that load, Feltwad, except I used punched card rather then the heavy cartridge wads.
It was (and is) marked Watred, on lock, and Richmond on single barrel.

 

[Feltwad]

I should have mentioned I only use card wad punches you will find on most cartridge wads the bore size is smaller .Image of card punches for different bore sizes which I often use
Feltwad

 

[VicN]

Thanks for all the info guys, truth of the matter is that I don't shoot these days and rarely fired it in the past, this and a number of other guns I have displayed here have lain in the loft for decades until I got them down to check them over and show my Grandson. Now they are going back into the loft!

 

[CyrusP]

I LOVE the lines on that beauty!