One or two liked the style of the Fuller gun that I pictured the other day so I took this one from the cabinet a another example of a gun with a pleasing line to it.





This 12 bore has 30 inch damascus barrels and non-rebounding backlocks. It is proofed for black powder and was made sometime in the mid 1860's. It is not a pin-fire conversion. The Makers are still in business but sadly no records exsist for the period in which this gun was made. Note the grip safety. I do take it out and use it occasionally as it is just one of those guns that handles like a thoroughbred. Lagopus.....

Beautiful old gun. Very elegant.
Does that stock have a little belly to it? or is the bottom line completely straight? I'm collecting stock pics with a little belly to them for a stocking project.

I have just had it out of the gun cabinet to take a look. It appears to be straight and having put a level edge to it to confirm. I think that it might be a trick of the light in the photo. Lagopus.....

Commonly called "Perch Belly".........

I was avoiding saying that.
Only because the slight curve I'm laying out bears no resemblence to the goiterous appendages some Beretta's come infected with.
I'm trying to quantify an ellipse that while only an eighth, or quarter of an inch, can seem elegant, or disgusting, depending on the tangents.
If I scale enough drawings, then where the crest of the ellipse is can be located in it's most beautiful position. At least to my eye anyway.
Some straight hand stocks look like they were designed with chainsaws in mind. Some just look too sharp in profile.
Over the years I have found I am less attracted to perfectly straight lines. They look mechanical.

Well you certainly have good taste in guns. I particularly like the browning to the barrels. Original?
Jim

PA24, Doug,
I am not wishing to be pedantic, but I think the term used is "Roach Belly" and this can regularly be seen on Browning Superposed's.

I've never heard that term used before in the last 50 years of gunning....possibly in the Eastern U.S.A....?......'Fish Belly' and 'Perch Belly' yes, but not your bug reference...........but thank you anyway.....

Different country... different fish... different bellies

I think Roaches are small rough/coarse fish that the common folk of Britain are reduced to catching for sport. There are contests for them. They are small, nasty looking, and a waste eater. Actually, a perfect descriptor for the bottom line of an ugly shotgun stock.

Two peoples separated by a common language.

Lagopus finds more interesting guns in a weekend than I do in 5 years. His finds are some of the highlights of my reading. I am grateful.

Thank you Clapper Zapper but I have the advantage of living in the right place to find them. I have had the Turner a few years. If interested I will post pictures of some more from my gun cabinet from time to time.

Please don't malign the poor old roach http://www.fishezine.co.uk/article/roach I can't say that I have ever met a fish I didn't like. I work in fisheries management now although mainly with trout and grayling.

I have some rather nice small bore hammer guns that I will post on. Lagopus.....

What I think to be an interesting side to Thomas Turner. Several years ago I acquired a small collection of his wares. These included: a hammer double rifle in .577 caliber, an 8 bore single hammer sporting gun with a 40 inch barrel, an Enfield style percussion musket in .577 caliber, a 12 bore hammer sporting gun (also with a Jones underlever) and a camp (picnic) chest with knives forks plates & thermos in a leather case. All had his name and trademark. All were purported to come from the North Carolina Estate of R.J. Reynolds, the tobacco tycoon, and were said to have been ordered from Turner for his African Safari in the late 19th Century. The camp chest has the initials "R.J.R." in gold on the lid. I am still looking for written documentation about the safari. The musket was said to have been ordered for his gun bearer as the natives were only allowed to own muzzle loading weapons.

Best Regards, George

Turners are still in business George. Maybe they can shed some light on your interesting find. They were most helpful regarding my gun but sadly did not have the records. http://www.thomasturnergunmaker.co.uk/about-us/index.htm Lagopus.....

not wishing to be pedantic Mike, but those barrels are Laminated Steel Now quit buying guns and go find the English Damascus Rosetta Stone

I own a fairly nice Thomas Turner, although it's marked Birmingham rather than Reading. A well done damascus 12 gauge BLE with interesting engraving pattern and quite lovely wood. According to the late Alfred Gallifent, who knew at least one member of the current generation of Turners, the records for the gun manufacturing were destroyed in a bombing during WWII.

Drew, I wish I could; find the Rosetta Stone that is. I have some of my best men on the job.

R40X, there were a number of Thomas Turners about; probably related family connections. There were two in Birmingham and one in Halifax, Yorkshire. The Reading Turners had premises in Basingstoke, Newbury and Hungerford as well as Reading. Lagopus.....