Lagopus, I certainly can see why you would feel this gun may not be a Churchill, it doesn't look anything like what those of you that are well versed in the finer guns are used to attributing to Churchill. I have to agree with Flintfan that this gun was likely not made here, not a gun of that quality. The clues that led me to think its a Churchill are 1. The rose and scroll engraving is beautiful and almost identical in many ways to some of his older guns (Googled E.J. C. Hammer guns) 2. The serial number only corresponds to one British gun maker in the period that this gun would have been made 1895-1896, only his 5th year in business. (6xx) 3. The Owl prominently engraved on the trigger guard 4.in the last and next to last picture between the lugs is a monogram of E. J. C. superimposed over one another and an owl is present when the picture is rotated to the right. The J looping through the c actually creates the right ear tuft and eye of the owl(to our left) 4. In Don Masters book he does speak to the rarity of these hammer guns and how he cherished the Stanton locks he received upon his retirement, identical locks. There is a price list in the book showing he did make 10 gauges and Hammer guns in his early years as well as many custom "Bespoke Guns". It is my understanding that although proofing was required, it was not required that the marks be visible and based on the customers preference could be placed in an area where the wood and metal would conceal them...he mentions such a request made by a repeat customer in his book, Which would also explain why EJC is between the lugs under the barrels and not prominently displayed on the exterior. If I'm reading and understanding these articles correctly,the last decade of the 19th century, especially the mid 1890's, the opening action frenzy was on. Don Masters mentions in one of the early chapters of Churchill's experimentation with different opening mechanisms about the time this gun would have been made. The trigger guard and opening mechanism... I cannot find a duplicate anywhere on the web. 5. Masters also mentions the large number of U.S. customers that Churchill made custom guns for, naming several from the NYC area not far from here. Everything about this gun, although not a stereotypical Churchill leads me to believe it was a custom made 10 gauge hammergun, made for someone in Lancaster, PA by E.J. Churchill. I have been trying to debunk but cant.
(E.J.C. and owl between the lugs, its there)
