doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Unknown BP Side-Lever 12 ga

I'm still pointing my finger towards Belgium. The gun exhibits even lower quality than the plainest English guns I've run across. Possibly real proofs but for a period of time I understand that wasn't uncommon. Doesn't anyone else see the clues in the twist pattern that seem suspicious? Maybe my old eyes are failing me.......

2-piper,
W. Richards was one off the names applied to guns made by J.P. Clabrough.
The available models were described in an 1886 job sheet from John P. Moore's Sons of New York.

Steve;
Thanks for that info. My gun may well be one of these Clabrough models.

Any gun imported into Britain that was not Proofed would have to go through one of the two Proof Houses before it could legally be sold. So, the Proof marks don't alway correspond to the country in which it was made; although they are a reasonable indication in most cases. For example I have an Ithaca pump action with London Proof marks and an L.C.Smith with Birmingham marks. Neither made here. The gun looks like one that was made in Belgium but imported part finished and proofed here. Guns like that do turn up and can have all sorts of names on the top rib. It could have been made in Belgium then imported into Britain where it was engraved, hardened and the barrels browned; sent for Proof and sold on. Not an uncommon practice with lower value guns. Lagopus.....

Nigel Brown lists Alfred Bruton, Barrelmaker in Birmingham circa 1890, a bit late for this gun ? although he could have been in business earlier.
Littlegun.be lists an Alphonse Bernard and there is something about him using AB in an oval. Document dated 1855 but its written in a foreign language. Don't know if he was gunmaker or barrelmaker. Had another look at the document and it certainly seems to refer to a type of damascus.