The proofmarks on my J P Clabrough & Bros sidelock are from the 1887-1904 era. This is also past the 1883 date you found. I believe that first Clabrough & Golcher & then Clabrough & Johnstone were companies set up in California, USA for distribution purposes to an Amerian market. Apparently many of the guns themselves continued to be marked with the original makers name ie J P Clabrough & Bros.
Yeah, it makes sense that guns were still being branded with the old JP Clabrough & Bros. name. Like someone else mentioned to me, go by the proof marks for determining age, not the name.
Nigel Brown lists J P Claybrough and Bros., 1883-1894. Claybrough and Johnston from 1894-1946. This seems to fit your gun better.
I have a J.P. Clabrough & Bros shotgun as well, a 12 Bore 2 & 1/2. It still has some case color in the protected areas around the hammers and breach and the bores are shiny. I hope to do a fair amount of shooting with it this summer. Here's a photo ...
...I find that JP Clabrough & Bros was used from 1870 to 1883 when it then became Clabrough & Golcher.
...In 1893 it became Clabrough & Johnstone...
Clabrough was a British maker. William Golcher (1834 to 3 August 1886) was a retired American maker in St Paul.
http://www.damascus-barrels.com/Golcher/text4.htm#INDI7.4 Golcher went to England to visit his mother who was in poor health. At this point she was estranged from his father James, a Philadelphia gun maker. How Golcher and Clabrough met is unknown. Clabrough offered Golcher a partenership in his guns made for the American market. William thought this a good way to provide for his family and bought in. They set up shop in San Franscico. Later, Golcher bought out Clabrough's interest in the American operation. A Golcher continued to run the business until the late 1940's.
Larry Shelton is the leading researcher about Clabrough. He also has had contact with the Golcher family.
http://clabrough.com/Pete
Thanks for the link Pete!
Great looking Clabroughs. Gunsaholic, I haven't seen one with such nice engraving before. I picked up a lower grade hammerless boxlock, #10,283 with the rib inscription of J.P. Clabrough and Bros., Makers, Birmingham last fall. The proofmarks are pretty close to yours, though this one has bore sizes of 12 and it is an easy opener. Mine is nitro proofed for 1 1/8 oz and is marked choke on both barrels. The 3 and serial numbers by the barrel loop are the same. This has damascus barrels. I haven't seen many marked Golcher or Johnson, quite a few marked Bros though. I wonder if he had a distributer in Canada that imported under his name.
Yes, I must say the amount of engraving was the first thing that grabbed my attention on this gun. I hadn't seen one engraved like this before either. The woodwork appeared pretty nice on it as well. Hopefully it will be in my greedy little hands either Monday or Tuesday.
Another example of the falicy of trying to judge gun original quality by the maker's (vendor's) name.
Cornell pubs has/had a fall 1895/96 Clabrough Golcher & Co catalog. All Clabrough guns in this catalog are listed as "J P Clabrough & Bro". They are also listed as agents for "J P Clabrough & Bro" along with several other makers.
Clabrouh guns listed include;
Hammer guns in 10 & 12 ga from $40.00 through $135.00
Hammerless non-ejector from $50.00 through $100.00
Hammerless Ejector from $75.00 through $250.00
All in this catalog are Side-Lock guns.
All are double underbolted with lower priced ones having a Doll's Head. Higher grade hammer guns are described as having a Wedge Bolt in the extension rib while higher grade hammerless guns have a Cross Bolt.
For comparsion:
E, F & G Lefevers in this catalog were priced @ $75.00, $60.00 & $45.00 for non ejectors & $100.00, $85.00 & $70.00 for ejector guns & were only offered in 10 & 12 ga.
Parker Bros guns went from $52.00 for the PH up through $160.00 for a BH. These were offered, depending upon grade in 10, 12, 14 & 16 ga.
Very interesting information. I received the Clabrough this past Tuesday. The damascus pattern was very dull from poor storage so I have already sent them out to be refinished. The bores are very nice ,once I cleaned out the dirt. The stock is nice, the action is tight and the ejectors function so hopefully the old gal will shine when all "spruced up".
