doublegunshop.com - home Forums Thread Like Summary - Dating a boxlock by its Anson&Deeley PUN?

Does anyone know of a reference showing when a patent-use-number might have been assigned to an Anson & Deeley boxlock?

I'm referring to the number stamped on the action flats under the left barrel and marked "Anson & Deeley's Patent XXXX" I'm looking to know if I can tell when a particular gun with made using this PUN marking.

Were ranges assigned in blocks to different makers, of did they all work with Westley Richards to have a number assigned to their specific gun in question?

For reference, I'm looking at a piece with a patent use number of 58XX. I've seen some other guns with higher numbers suggesting the gun I'm researching was pre-1893, if the numbers were done sequentially across all makers. Proofs on the gun are pre-nitro.

Thank you,
Chris

I agree with Argo44 that A&D patent use numbers are of little if any assistance in dating a gun. I think that they may have been allocated in blocks to different makers.

That raises the question, has anyone encountered a duplicate PUN on guns from different makers?

The Edwinson Green shown above, an early A&D with no bottom bolt probably dates from 1880 as its serial number is slightly below 2922 recorded when the surviving Edwinson Green records start in 1881

I went down this rabbit hole numerous times, most recently looking at A&D pun's. Bottom line is - there is no consistency and thus you cannot use these numbers to date a gun, unless it's very early on or is one of the last numbers used before the expiration of a patent. Believe me.. I assembled databases, created graphs, did the research, looked over several popular patents. Don't even try to go there except for fun.

And by the way, the A&D patent expired on 10 May 1889 which should mean your gun is pre- that date. (Or at least the action was built before that date).

https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=567037

For what it's worth in my Reilly database of extant guns (and PUN's are rarely published in ads) the last known Reilly gun with a published/known A&D PUN is 30768 - E.M. Reilly & Co., 16, New Oxford Street, London. 12 ga. Shotgun SxS. BLE. A&D patent use #8245. The Reilly SN dates per my chart to fall 1888. Reilly probably built another 300 box-locks between 30768 and the expiration of the A&D patent - those guns no longer exist or have yet to come to light.

And Chris, how about some information on your gun. That is always interesting; photos included.