doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Pin fire underlever question?

First time posting. Great board and thanks for letting me join in.

I purchased a back lock, pinfire underlever double and should have it in hand tomorrow. I bought the gun with very little info but for the price I paid, I figured it would be a great wall hanger at worst and worth it to me even for just the historical decor. However, the pics looks promising.

The gun looks to be of average ornamentation and the barrels are a medium swirl chain Damascus. Checkering and fit look to be excellent. The wood is not highly figured. I have no idea what bore it is but from pics and proportions it looks to be no more than 12 and actually looks a little smaller than.

My question is about the maker. It is marked J Neale Bridge St Birmingham. I cannot find anything but one very vague reference for this name and him being the assumed maker.

Any thoughts or info on maker and/or this period of gun would be appreciated. I can, hopefully, get more info off the barrels and water table later this week.

Many thanks

Travis

Hello Travis. I asked this same question a number of years ago, about a John Neale pinfire I also acquired. Unfortunately there is not a lot of information out there about him, or his guns.

However here is the link to the short discussion and the information that was uncovered about his working life:

http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbt...5297#Post375297

FlintFan

Thanks for that info. That is awesome. I assume the base guns were made in a very industrialized and stardard config with each maker adding their own interpretation on the fit and finish. Maybe kind of like a CVA black powder kit gun?

Do you still have your gun and if so are you interetsed in exchanging some pics?

Did you ever fire your gun? If so could you share your releoding method and experience?

Many thanks again.

Travis

as little as I know about this I think I may have stumbled across a jewel.

This thing looks like it was hardly fired




















Any info and thoughts would be greatly appreciated

A little more info

Not a speck of rust on the water table or underside of barrel.

Barrel fits so tight that lever tightens up just outside of right side of trigger guard. I would have to force it to go any further. There are no wiggles gaps or wear issues.

I cleaned the right bore and only a spec of pitting.

The barrels are the most beautiful and smooth plumb aging on the outside. There is a couple spots with some rust at the rib but not too bad.

There is no loss of case colors on the water table or forend metal.

The forend and stock checkering are fine and sharp with not a bit of smoothing.

I swear I think this is all original but if not someone did one hell of a restore and still easily worth the gamble I took.

Can anyone suggest a vintage shotgun expert close to north Florida to help me determine what I should do with this thing?

Thanks

Travis

Not one screw

Travis 5,

Am I seeing the action correctly? It looks like there is no radius where the standing breech
and the action flat meet.

That is correct. There is a sharp corner at the transition between the horizontal water table and the vertical breach face. The barrel sits squarely and tightly here.

I had not really notice that before. I would certainly expect to see a radiused transition on modern guns. I have no experience with this old of one.

Your thoughts?

It's a possible tool in dating the gun. You have a thin standing breech and a '90-degree'
receiver. Both of those point to a relatively early gun. You also appear to have a Jones type lever-over-guard action (patent No.2040 of 1859).

Does the 8 in front of the bite and the 3 leaf clover looking thing between the barrels mean anything to you?

I hate to ask this but I am pretty new at this. Other than the shape it is in do I have anything to be concerned about as far as special values?


Thanks