I'm glad to see this thread revived! Still hoping for Murcott information...
I have a George Fuller pinfire. On the face of it it is a standard double-bite rotary underlever 12-bore, but upon closer examination, it has some peculiarities.
The serial number is 245, marked on the trigger guard tang only. The twist (not damascus) barrels are 26 1/2 inch, with London proofs. The barrels have a wide top rib, signed “Geo. Fuller. 10. Wardour St. Soho. London.” The stepped back-action locks are signed “Geo.E Fuller”. The trigger guard bow has game scene engraving (obscured by the lever when closed), and together with a slight mismatch in border engraving where the lock meets the breech, suggesting slightly cut lock plates, I'm presuming this is a very well-accomplished conversion from percussion.
George Fuller is listed as a gunmaker at 104 Wardour St. in 1845, and at 280 Strand for the period 1856-1871. There is no explanation for the ‘10 Wardour St.’ address on the rib (it is definitely a 10, and not a worn 104). The serial number might place it in the 1850 range for a Fuller gun (according to data published in Nigel Brown's books), though not all makers followed perfectly sequential numbers, and dating just with serial numbers is a risk. The conversion would have to have been post-1862, with the unmarked double screw-grip.
John Portlock was definitely a sought-after barrel man. The Fuller barrels described above do not have the JP mark, but two Boss pinfires that I have do (numbers 2024 and 2068). Together with E.C. Hodges doing the actioning for top makers at the time, and top-grade lock makers and engravers, it is not surprising there is a similarity amongst the top quality guns of the day.
