Smallbore,
Over the years I have been in many gun factories and workshops and the only one where I saw foging take place was Fratelli Rizzini in Italy. Even then it was forging lumps on barrel stubs. Forging a whole action body would, and I am guessing, need a pretty heavy hammer forge and make huge vibrations and noise for the staff and neighbors. Which makers would have such large facilities to forge their own actions?
Offhand I would speculate that W.&C. Scott did, Greener, and perhaps others in Birmigham. The facilities of Holland on the North Circular road and Purdeys' in Paddington, I wonder how they would use a steam hammer there. But it has been a while since I was in London and maybe they have bigger places now.
With modern means, you can start from billets and EDM wire erode the shape pretty fast with minimal fuss, noise or fumes. I wonder if it is going that way.
Last edited by Shotgunlover; 12/17/13 07:29 PM.
