doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 11 ga W. Morse & Co. SxS

Thanks, Miller. I�ve had to make a trip out of state to help my 93 year old aunt with some needs so the project is on hold until I get back.

Update: on the way back I stopped at the Cody Firearms Museum and went to the research department with my question. Their extensive resources revealed no references to W Morse & Co. So next we�ll see what may be hiding under the barrels.

Update: Got the key out but discovered that the tang was an integral part of the barrel assembly. Did manage to get the two screws broken lose and out and then was able to remove the barrels. Here's what I found.



Here's a closeup of one of the four identical proof marks.



This is a sketch of what looks to be inside the proof mark under the crown.



Six inches up the right barrel from the breech are the letters W M
(W Morse ??)



One inch from the breech of the left barrel are the letters W A



Note: Both barrels have either one one or eleven stamped on them and the left barrel has two sets of hash marks, one set lighter than the other.

Jon and Miller and Drew: Thanks so much for your interest in this family mystery. I would appreciate your (as well as others') insight regarding this gun and particularly regarding the question: "Is it of the period that it could have come west in the late 1860's (or perhaps early 1870's)?

That appears (to me)to be a British proof mark.
Accordingly, the 11 (eleven) was the bore size.

Birmingham proof mark used from 1868 - 1925

Your mark under the crown appears to me to be VBP. This is a special definitive proof where the barrels were proofed only once in the finished state, but with the heavier Provisional proof charge. This proof was made available upon request of the gunmaker in 1868&* stayed in effect until I believe 1925. Birming proofed guns carried the crown over VBP while London proofed guns used a Lion Rampant over VGP. The BP & GP stood for Birmingham Proof & Gunmakers Proof respectfully, I have never to my recollection seen what the V stood for.

As this mark was not used until 1868 this would make this a fairly late gun for a muzzle-loader. I find it a bit unusual for a gun of that era not to have the hooked breech

Thanks, DM, for the insight on the 11 bore. That consideration hadn�t crossed my mind.
Argo, thanks, for the proof marks chart.
And thanks, Miller, for the explanation of the letters in the mark and the Birmingham connection.
At least I now know that the gun could be of the period that would support the oral history. That is significant.
Lastly, anyone across the pond have any knowledge of W. Morse & Co. or resources you could check? My thanks to you for looking.

argo, nice chart with dates...thanks for posting here...

check this out...

https://www.vintageguns.co.uk/magazine/514-2

Thanks, Ed. Had a chance to look at the issues that I could access (wish I could find where to go back further than 4 issues) and found in one a reference to circa 1870 Birmingham guns having the barrel makers� two letter initials on the barrel. I wonder if that doesn�t explain the �WM� and the �WA� on the barrels?

The chart was from a book Diggory published a few years ago. He transposed it to his on-line magazine "Vintage Gun Journal." I've posted it a few times before and usually credited him.

The first issue of VGJ was July 2019. You'll find a very good two-part...soon to be three-part...article on Reilly there.