While my Bayard hammer 16 is having a new spring made, I hope, I bought a new duck gun but it’s puzzling me. ID'ing it is a challenge even with quite a bit of information.
The shotgun in question is a Richmond Arms Co. hammer 12 ga. The puzzle is the barrels. They clearly have Belgian markings on them, no question about that (I’ll post a link to a site for photos), and on the rib it says “Belgian Laminated Steel”. However, there is no sign at all of any kind of pattern in these barrels that would indicate that they are laminated steel and not fluid steel. The left barrel also says “Choke Bored” on the top
There are lots of proof marks including two inspectors marks, a *W twice, and a *V; choke 18.2 over 18.2 on the left barrel; just 18.2 on the right; the 12 C in a diamond for gauge on both barrels; a breeching system proof (the PERON, No. 1); the EL proof (#25 per Damascus barrels.com); crown ELG Star proof on both barrels (No. 13).
No evidence I can find of nitro proof as listed in the source used: damascus-barrels.com.
There are also markings on the underside of the rib that I can't quite make out, one of which is 9303 V; a P and a 1 it appears and 4 marks toward the muzzle end that are pretty indistinct.
I make this out to be a black powder proofed set of barrels, made before 1924 from what I can puzzle out of the markings. Help?
Adding to the confusion is that the choking is Modified on the right barrel, and Improved on the left, sort of opposite of what I’d expect. Will have to have the right one opened up to skeet to make a better duck gun out of it I guess as I shoot non-toxic all the time.
The gun has been restocked in a very nice piece of walnut with a new beavertail fore-end, whiteline recoil pad with a 14 inch LOP to the front trigger, and a rosewood cap on the pistol grip (now that
is a surprise), and has a patina which looks too even to be natural but is very nice; barrel looks like it was refinished a bit with a bit of patchiness. It all looks very fresh and new/old.
So, I began to think that maybe the barrels had been replaced, new ones put on the old rib, maybe the action refinished as well when it was restocked. The barrels look a lot like the steel on my Knickerbockers at that which I am sure are not Damascus, and I can’t see a trace of a lamination pattern at all. And if they put the right one on the left, then you have a modified and improved set instead of the usual....
Definitely this set of barrels was inspected a couple of times it appears, maybe reproofed? The *V and *W inspectors' marks seem later than the other marks, and point to '43 and '44 but that doesn't make a lot of sense to me unless it was reproofed a couple of times...during the war?!
The water table as the Peron, a *V, what looks to be a Delta T, 18 and 5804 (an original serial number?).
Who made this gun…my guess from scanty internet sources is H & D Folsom [Crescent later] probably pretty early in the 20th or in the late 19th century, definitely using Belgian barrels. It's heavy, comes up nicely, provides a nice grip with the beavertail (which I didn't think I'd like) and will swing on those sea ducks very nicely indeed.
I’m planning to shoot it with low pressure (4-5000; 7,000 max psi) 2 ˝ inch handloads probably with No. 5 (Nice or ITX) shot most of the time, maybe a spreader load in the right barrel as I have a good low pressure one unless I have it opened up a bit. So, even if these are laminated steel barrels I don’t anticipate any serious pressure issues as even black powder was 8,000 and below as I recall (but correct me if I'm wrong, please!)
Here's the link to photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/100394988778579105661/RichmondArmsCo12Ga?authkey=Gv1sRgCIvogsfVxd3_WA Comments and further information from the general expertise of the group would be appreciated!
_________________
