doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com WC Scott 28ga info request

Lagopus,
That looks like the mystery may be solved! I will search for 701 and compare. Thank you very much for checking into it.

Best,
Bill

Webley and Scott made a number of guns for the US market in the mid 70's model 720 and 728 in 262 and 25" as was the demand at the time , The factory was producing barreled actions ,some socked and forended ,in anticipation of future orders that did not come ,thus leaving a surplus that was left over when the company was reformed as W&C Scott . Many of these in the white guns ended up being sold to the likes of Frank Malin as Charles Boswell and other US companies that finished them . The fact that the action bears no name would suggest the latter .
Rounded bodied guns had been produced for the likes of Dickson [others which I can not remember possibly Bland and Linsley ]as were guns with scroll or scalloped backs .

My pleasure. Unfortunately the book doesn't illustrate that model and I am curious as most guns in the 700 series had square backs. Reading a little farther; after the company started up again in 1980 it says that numbering started again at 146244.

Again to quote a bit farther on; 'W & C Scott reached an agreement with Orvis in 1983 to produce their Best Gun, a plain quality model, in standard and de-lux versions. The Orvis KHP, a variation of the Best Gun, was designed with features, for example, a single trigger and increased cast in the toe of the stock, specifically to enhance shooting comfort for women.'

Crawford & Whatley's books were in 1st. edition (paperback 1983) and 2nd. edition (hardback 1985). They are pretty hard to come by now and I guess only a small number were printed. It is a shame that a fuller edition along the lines of books written by Donald Dallas aren't available with a greater degree of illustrations as W.C. Scott and Webley & Scott were Makers of their own guns and guns to the trade. There is so much history to these firms that may get lost. As someone suggests, maybe Orvis can assist further. If not I believe that Scott records are available somewhere. The 1985 book lists W & C Scott Information Service, P.O. Box 1924, Corvallis, Oregon 97339 U.S.A. How current this is I do not know. Lagopus.....

Bill, it's definitely not a 701. That--thanks to some strange numbering by W&S--was the highest grade of the 700 series guns. 700 was the base model, 702 the next step up. (And the 720's, 728's etc were based on the 702.) Then 701 was the highest. Yours doesn't even have the basic engraving of a 700, let alone a 701. Nor does it have other features like drop points, that are found on the higher grade Scotts.

I think the clue to yours lies in the 2nd para of Lagopus' post above. They were later guns made for Orvis, but of a "plain quality". That certainly fits the photos you've posted. Because the book's serial number list ends in 1978-79 in the 146,000 range, it would make sense that yours was a later gun on which they simply continued the SN's.

Bro Larry,
I did a few searches and you are right. Maybe something specifically for Orvis. The 701's that I looked at didn't have Churchill ribs either.

Webley and Scott made , as well as there standard grades , guns to order so you could have had concave ,Churchill or flat ribs in 25/6/7/8/9/30"barrels . Add to this rounded actions ,scroll or scalloped backed actions ,stocked with round head, shoulders or panels and points . Engraving or lack of it to your requirements . Guns made mainly for Cogswell and Harrison had side plates. Stocked either straight half or full pistol hand .
Basically if you paid for it they did it .So it is hardly surprising that guns that defy normal description show up from time to time .