Is this an english gun or not?....Auction Arms 9096301

screws and flat top checkering look belgian to me..; and those proofs are just jiberish to me...

Birmingham proofs with the model from the 1870s or early 1880s. A better pic of the marks might yield the origin.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

She's a long way from "fine" even when she was brand new.

There is no question this is a spurious Manton! Spurious guns, marked with the names of legitimate makers was avery serious problem for the English gun trade in the 1880,s.The English magazine, "Shooting" of March 9 1887, contained a review of this problem. A total of 122 gun makers of the day wrote to the magazine,s editor describing how they engraved their name and in some cases their address on guns of their make. Even so, Spurious guns were sold to unsuspecting customers,in particular when intended for export. As previously pointed out ,the name "Manton" was also exploited by some Belgian makers who sold through North American importers.