Your gun No 1254 is mine is No 2183 which make them both 1873 according to my numbers which I got from someone who was researching Pape history and had some brief meeting with a Miss Pape and elderly lady and the last surviving descendent of WR Pape . This did not come to any conclusion as Miss Pape would only communicate with any enquiry about the firm through her solicitors . The 16 bore I mentioned that blew in proof would have been built in 1888 so they were being made for a period of years although this has more conventional cammed extractors . Not being far From Newcastle I see a lot of Pape guns and have met a Mr Pape who's great Grandfather was one of WR's brothers but no connection to the firm .
As a matter of interest I have seen a version of the Thumb lever action that had been modified with an extended lever that came under the trigger guard looking more like the normal rotating under lever screw grip with which we are more familiar .
The retracting strikers mentioned connected to a grove in the back or inside of the hammer so as when the hammers were pulled onto half cock the strikers were withdrawn [ non rebounding locks ]. They were quite complicated to make , this I do know as I made a pair for the gum I have so safe to assume that the connector has either broken off or that the strikers have been replaced with non connected strikers .
Last edited by gunman; 03/03/15 03:11 PM.
