I recently purchased a Superposed from a gentleman in the UK, and had it imported to the USA. It was made the first week of July, 1930. It is Superposed serial #31. I think it is the lowest serial number Super in private hands, but I am not sure.

If you have any specific questions about this early Superposed, let me know. I have some good pics of it.

Double/single trigger, or, no?

Best,
Ted

What a find! Does it have a flat rib? I understand that some early superposed guns have concave ribs. I have even seen one on an A5.

very cool.

We want it all! Barrel length, chokes, weight, dimensions, trigger (I suspect on a gun this early they are straight up double triggers). How does it shoot?
Nice gun,
Jeff

Superposed #31 has 30 in barrels, single brass bead, normal Double Triggers (No Twin Singles), choked .036 and .038, which I believe is Full and Fuller. The Rib is odd, it has cuts that appear to be vents, but does not go all the way across, so it really isn't Vented. While I don't have an exact weight, it is very SOLID and weighs approx 8 1/2 pounds on the bathroom scale. Horse shoe fore end and a hard rubber butt pad that I don't think is original.
The coolest thing is the checkering. It has high-grade checkering, at 20 LPI, maybe 22, my eyes play tricks on me. The checkering comes across and touches on top of the wrist and on the bottom of the round knob. The forearm is almost completely checkered, making an arrow pattern on the forearm's bottom.
Nice, elegant Grade 1 engraving for a Pre-War Super. The Acanthus leaves do not drop down as far on the barrel shoulders like they do on later Pre-War guns.

Oh yeah, it has Monobloc barrels and the Non-Crossfire Rib. It doesn't say Browning or have the JMB bust/Trademark on it since it is a European market FN B25.

B Dudley, my 1931 Superposed has the concave "Matted" rib that is just engraved on the top of the barrel. It is a "Lightweight" version, pre-cursor to the Lightning, has 26 in bbls, and is very light and swings like a dream.





Sorry for the "Double Arrows", the software screwed it up. Shows the Non-Crossfire Rib, Monobloc bbls, and smaller Acanthus Leave engraving.



I took it out hunting last month, when it was warmer. It will stay nice and warm in the safe while it is 5 degrees outside...Enjoy!

Thanks for posting this here, in addition to the Shotgunworld Browning BBS.
Your find is absolutely adorable, and gives one the spark to keep looking.
Bore diameter - .725" ???

Ian, I don't have a mic to measure the bore diameter. I was told the chokes from the seller. The choke mark asterisks are not on the side of the chambers. According to the seller, this gun was refinished by Browning UK about 1984, and has sat in a safe ever since. It was displayed at the 1984(?)CLA Game Fair in the UK as the oldest know Superposed in the UK. It shoots just fine and ejects both shells on the ground within inches of one another, clean over my shoulder. Thank you Mr. JMB.

Scotty - Amen & AMEN to "Thank you Mr. JMB".
When I was young and green, I lusted for a Browning Superposed - just one genuine Browning Superposed. All I could afford back then, with some horse-trading and scarce cash was a Model 12 Winchester with a "dial-a-duck" on the end. I bought the Model 12.
Four decades later, I now I have a number of Superposeds, mainly from 1948 to 1952,... used nearly always with 20GA ChamberMates.
Your post with the fine pics is firing up long dead "lust" again,...for a nice pre-war.
I enjoyed following your October thread on the Browning BBS.

It is funny how quick the doublegun bug can strike. My first Fine gun was my first Superposed, in 2007. By 2010 I had ordered a bespoke sxs 16 gauge from Germany. Now I have 5 Supers, 3 Pre-War, and all tell a different story.
I hope to refinish the wood on Superposed #31. The metal was already refinished in '84, so there is no patina, etc...oh well. Wood, like paint on a classic car, should be cared for IMHO. Steam out the dents, stain it properly, and it should last ANOTHER lifetime.

Scotty,
I wouldn't do anything to that wood. Just leave it as is and enjoy the old look. Pulling the wood on that gun is a little tricky, and you can end up with a proud trigger guard tang. Your capabilities on stock work may be far better than I am giving you credit for, but I'm just saying...

One thing I've had really good luck with on old oil/varnish finished guns to weatherproof the wood is the application of the original solvent-based Thompson's Water Seal. It is totally harmless to the finish, yet it penetrates and seals the pores against moisture, especially the checkering. Far better than any wax. You have to be careful when you buy it because the new latex version is not worth the can it comes in.
JR

JR, while I might attempt minor refinishing on lesser guns, I wouldn't touch #31 with a screwdriver myself. If I decide to do so, it will go to Art's and only Art's. Normally a gun being refinished can lower the value, but I think Art's team is recognized as the Superposed experts (and A-5s, etc) so I am confident they will only improve the gun and it's value, especially since it was refinished once already in the mid '80s.

Scotty. Don't do anything to that gun as it was done by Browning UK back in the 80's and that is the provenance. As good as Art's are they are not "Browning" and you loose the Provenance. Just enjoy it and show it off at the club. You have the best as long as #30 or less is not found.

All the best.

What that guy said. Let it be.

Best,
Ted

When Art was with Browning and his hands refinished hundreds if not thousands of guns you say the provenance is Browning.
I respectfully disagree.

Just as Funken, not Browning, is credited for his engraving,
Isaacson, not Browning, should be credited with his finishes.

Very nice gun Scotty, I say do with it as you will.
You honor those who crafted it in your utilitarian use of this object.
While it may point like the finger of God, it was made by the hand of man.
Neat? Yes. Holy relic? Not quite. Original? Not any more.

Browning USA?
Browning UK?
Browning Hillsboro

Eventually the wood will need to be professionally refreshed, to ensure the gun lasts more than one lifetime. There is no reason these guns can't be gingerly enjoyed in the field 150 years after production, if properly cared for. That will be the true legacy of the Superposed.

Besides, I am certainly in no hurry. It is -5 degrees F today, so #31 is safely tucked away for the season until it warms up. I have too many other irons in the fire right now.