I've been wanting to buy a good quality English double. It doesn't have to be fancy or a big name but I do want a quality piece as it will be hunted. A friend has offered me a G.E. Lewis 12 bore 2 1/2" (I reload extensively so 2 1/2" ammo won't be an issue) with two sets of barrels, a 30 inch and a 25 inch, for a very reasonable price. Not cheap but reasonable. It looks like a nice gun but I'm not familiar with them. I'm fairly well schooled in most of the bigger name English guns but until he offered me this one I had not heard of them. The barrels are excellent, ring true and the gun is on face. The stock is plain and straight grained with a few character marks but in good shape. I don't have any pictures at this time. Any thoughts? What are your opinions of the G.E. Lewis shotguns.

Across the board the standard of manufacturing of the English gun was in the stratosphere. They weren't building or looking for a price point. They didn't build beaters unless someone beat it into the ground. If that didn't happen to this G.E. Lewis then you got yourself a good one.

I wish I could find my account of an African Game warden, I believe it was in Rhodesia, who was short of funds so was forced to buy a used Alfred Hollis double rifle (ever hear of Alfred Hollis?). During his career he was responsible for culling dangerous rogue elephants that were destroying crops, homes and killing villagers. He went on to describe that each and every encounter was extremely dangerous (I'm thinking 6 tons of pit bull charging toward you) and if the Holllis malfunctioned he would not be here to relay his account.

Like I said, ever hear of an Alfred Hollis? Built in the trade by who I don't know but another obscure English name providing results under the hardest, harshest and deadliest of conditions. Possibly our English brethren will chime in to find that source.

G.E. Lewis was a very respected Birmingham gunmaker. Lewis wasn't a proficient inventer of new things, but they built extremely well finished, robust arms. One of the notable hallmarks of Lewis guns is the use of game scene engraving at a time when others weren't doing it much....this is probably due to the fact that the Lewis's were pretty good engravers and also enjoyed wildlife art which was popular at the time, pretty much the same reason that W&C Scott guns were engraved with game birds, etc. Lewis would build you any type of weapon that you wanted and had the money for. They seemed to be fans of the boxlock action, treble grips & crossbolts, action bolsters & greener type lever work. A lot of Lewis guns you'll come across were built for wild fowling. One notable catch phrase Lewis liked to use on their higher grade guns was "gun of the period".
Here is a somewhat recent discussion on Lewis: http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=316869&page=1

I have a Lewis from the 30's, 2 3/4" and 1 1/4 oz proof from the factory. Sounds like it ought to be a wildfowler . . . but it's actually the other end of the spectrum: 26" barrels, weighs just a tick under 6#. (Needless to say, I won't be shooting 1 1/4 oz loads!) Someone installed a Miller SST. Well-made gun.

If you post the serial # someone will give you the production date. Might be helpful.

Von Lengerke & Detmold were the U.S. agents for Lewis at one point and it is possible that sales records exist. If you purchase the gun you might contact Bob Beach http://www.griffinhowe.com/research-main.cfm

The Royal Armouries museum at Leeds have the records for Lewis. https://www.royalarmouries.org/home Lagopus.....

I quite like GE Lewis guns to work on; they are well made and solid but suffer from all the usual problems of medium quality guns that have been used a lot.
As said above, they nearly always feature some game scene engraving which ranges from the quite nice to 'School of Donald Duck'.
Their damascus barrel are usually unremarkable, using a lot of twist rather than pattern damascus but none the less strong for that and often very thick.
My only criticism would be that they often use the Greener type toplever bolting which uses a very short axle through the top tang. These can wear quite badly although this is not a safety issue and usually only becomes apparent when you strip them for cleaning.
Essentially good solid guns.

This is an example of the "typical" G.E. Lewis fowling boxlock action. Treble grip, Greener lever work and the engraving talked about earlier. This particular example was ordered in Dec of 1905.






A picture of G.E. Lewis III in the company gun room. Taken before WW2.

m. w., there is a classic mistake in Brit/Continental guns 0f trying to associate the gun's Original Quality (OQ) with the maker. The maker's name does have a role in the price of the gun as Brand Value (BV). OQ must be determined independent of BV. It cost Brit gunmakers pretty much the same across the board to produce and retail a gun of given OQ grade. G. E. Lewis, like many "lessor" makers could have gotten out a "best work" gun at any time he was given a commission to do so. Whatever skills, if any, lacking in his own shop were readily available via outworkers known to have "best work" skills. G. E. would have, of course, reserved quality control to him self. It would be no surprise to find a few "best work gems" among his bread and butter more pedestrian work. Most "best work" guns are sidelock ejectors (an aristocratic fashion statement), but there are a few "best work" boxlocks. There are a lot of very good boxlocks out there.

Here is a quick note on valuation. G. E. Lewis has BV level three (BV3). The gun you describe sounds like a third grade boxlock (30-50% good engraving, plain good quality walnut, good polish throughtout); OQ7. I'll assume the gun is in Current Condition level four (heavy use, but no abuse); CC4. BV3-OQ7-CC4 = $1,233. Better current condition and higher original quality grade; BV3-OQ6-CC3 = $2,320.

Hope that helps some.

DDA

G.E.Lewis displayed a print of Annie Oakley in the shop and advertised the fact that Annie was a patron, although this has been disputed.He built a good reputation for assembling robust wildfowling guns.

H.A.A. Thorn aka Chas. Lancaster supposedly gave lil sure shot some shooting lessons and also built a few guns for her too. Must've been good pr back then?

This what IGC has on GE Lewis:

Name G E Lewis
Other Names George E Lewis & Sons
Address1 Bath Street
Address2 32-33 Lower Loveday Street
City/Town Birmingham
Country United Kingdom
Trade Gun engraver; gun & rifle maker
Other Address Duke Street, Manchester Square, Paddington, St Marylebone, London; 172 Strand, London
Dates 1850-1988

Notes

George Edward Lewis was born in Birmingham (possibly in Mosley Street) on 23 January 1829. He was the son of John Lewis, a brick manufacturer, and Elizabeth Lewis. He was apprenticed in the gun trade, and established his business in 1850 in Bath Street, Birmingham. Reportedly, he had studied art while completing his apprenticeship, and started his business as a gun engraver. This may well be partly true, but within a year or so he described himself in the 1851 census as a gun finisher employing 5 men. At time, he lived with his parents in Great Ring Street. In 1859 the business was described as gun and rifle makers and reportedly, they built a very large new factory at 32-33 Lower Loveday Street. If they did indeed build the factory, this would have been a remarkable achievement after only 9 years trading; it is more likely that space in the factory was leased, enlarged over time and, perhaps, bought by the firm at a later date. Perhaps George's father, being a brick maker, had contacts in the property development business. In 1862 the firm exhibited their guns in London. On 25 August 1863 G E Lewis together with Henry Walker and Joseph Blout Wayne patented a drop-down breech loader (No. 2100) which had two plugs in the breech face which entered sockets in the sides of the chambers by movement of a side lever. The patent seems to be a variation of the Dougall "Lockfast" breechloader, it was Lewis's only patent and very few were made.

In 1867 the firm exhibited in Paris. Initially, the firm had been trade manufacturers who also did repair work, re-barreling etc., but they were typical of the major Birmingham manufacturers. They exported guns to the Confederate army in the US Civil War (1861-1865) in return for cotton, and after the war developed export markets in the USA, India and Australia. They built military rifles for the French during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). In 1871 the firm began to sell direct to the public as well as to the trade. They exhibited in Vienna in 1873, and in Paris in 1878 where they introduced their "Gun of the Period", a registered trade name for a high quality gun made in hammer and hammerless versions (their other famous trade name for a model was the "Ariel", a 12 bore weighed under 6lbs). At some time G E Lewis introduced a type of recess choke boring, and over a period of time he popularised magnum small bores (12 and 20 bores with 2 3/4 inch chambers). From about 1873 the firm had two showrooms in London, one at Duke Street, Manchester Square, Paddington, St Marylebone, and another at 172 Strand. It is believed these premises closed in about 1905. The firm exhibited in Sydney in 1879/80, Melbourne in 1880/81, and Calcutta in 1884.

A son, also named George Edward Lewis, was born in 1863, and another, Ernest Charles Lewis, was born in 1865. In the 1901 census G E Lewis was recorded as a widower aged 72 living with G E Lewis (II) and E C Lewis, and three of his daughters, at 2 Cambridge Crescent, Edgbaston. In 1909 the name of the firm changed to George E Lewis & Sons. G E Lewis (I)died on 17 January 1917, and the sons inherited the firm. G E Lewis (II) handled the day to day management of the firm, E C Lewis was involved in production and, because he was an excellent shot, was responsible for the regulation the firm's rifles. E C Lewis won the Birmingham Rifle Club Championship six times and the Gunmakers Association Challenge Cup five years running. In the very late 1930s two of E C Lewis' sons joined the firm, G E Lewis (III) who in 1951 became a guardian of the Birmingham Proof House, and E V Lewis.

When G E Lewis (III) died in 1988, the business was sold to John Harris who was a friend of G E Lewis (III) and stocked guns for the firm. In 1989 John Harris moved the firm to Unit SF2, 63 Price Street. In 1996 it moved again, to Halesowen. In December 2003 the name, goodwill and records of G E Lewis were sold at auction in London to Grant Dempsey of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and in December 2009 they were sold by him at auction in London.
The records of the firm date from about 1871, they give descriptions, serial numbers and sales dates. There seem to be no earlier records. Internet Gun Club has some details of serial numbers and dates of manufacture which we have not published. Please send details of your gun and its serial number by email to archives@internetgunclub.com and we will reply with what information we have. Further information may be available from the Royal Armouries, Armouries Drive, Leeds, Yorkshire LS10 1LT Tel: 0113 220 1832 or email stuart.ivinson@armouries.org.uk . Basic information can be obtained by phone or email, a scan of the relevant page in the records costs £10.

Other Info

The firm sold Pegamoid cartridges under their own name, and also cartridges under the names "The Express", "The Keepers Cartridge and "The Premier". In the 1920s the firm produced their "Ariel" model, a lightweight 12 bore with 28 inch barrels as standard, and now fairly rare (it was designed to compete with the Churchill XXV).

Tim

The Art of Wingshooting William Bruce Leffingwell, 1895
http://books.google.com/books?id=e34EmE3tkfkC
“I was permitted to examine many of the fine guns used by Miss Oakley in exhibition shooting, and noticed among them one Charles Lancaster ejector, one Charles Lancaster nonejector, a Cashmore hammerless, a magnificent Smith ejector with a gold figure of herself inlaid, a Parker hammerless, a Scott Monte Carlo, a Scott ejector of highest quality, and an exquisite little Francotte ejector with Whitworth barrels. The value of the guns mentioned is $2,500.
The rifles shown were Lancaster oval-bore .360 double-barrel, Holland hammerless .32-caliber double-barrel, a magnificent Marlin repeater, and a couple of handsome Winchesters. She also showed me two single-barreled pistols made by the celebrated maker, Gastinne Renette of Paris. These pistols have 14-inch barrels, and are made expressly for pigeon shooting. With them Miss Oakley has scored nine out of ten pigeons from two traps, using one-half ounce of shot.
She shoots binocularly. Her shot-guns weigh about six pounds each, the right barrels being bored modified, and the left full choke. Her load for targets is 2 3/4 drams of nitro powder and one ounce of shot. For live pigeons she uses three drams of powder, but the shot charge is unchanged; an ounce of shot is used on all occasions and for all kinds of game.”


Frank Butler "conducted" a number of Annie's gift guns for immediate resale, and it is possible that a Lewis was among the bunch.

Look at BSA BLE and BLNE, Greener Emperor/Empire models or less expensive Facile Princeps guns? Your assumption seems to be contraindicated by what was made and available at that time.

Look at the internal parts and how well they were finished. Lack of engraving or fancy wood does not a beater make.

Rocketman that helps a lot. Thank you. And thank you fellas, for all the good information. I apologize for not responding sooner but it's been quite busy at work.

The gun has game scene engraving; pheasants on each side of the receiver. The wood is rather plain but a nice color with a few character marks. The barrels are very nice, fluid steel and no dings. I can buy it for much less than Rocketman's estimate. It also has a nice wooden case fitted to carry both sets of barrels. Neither the owner nor I are sure if it is original to the gun. I believe I'll buy it. Worst part of it is both the owner and I are working on the north slope and I wouldn't get to take possession of it until late April. This expected to be a long hitch.

Miss Oakley also shot Ithacas. Obviously not under contract with any single manufacturer, which was fairly common for some of the top shooters of that era. And as Drew points out, makers were eager to give her guns.

With all due respect to those who favour mathematics over aesthetics, I have different questions for the OP.
Do you like the gun in your hands? Does it feel right? Does it fit you and is the stock in satisfacory condition to live with or be refinished by skilled hands. Are there any flaws that will niggle at you later?
Once you have evaluated the aesthetics of the gun to your tastes, evaluate the technical aspects.
Do your due diligence regarding bore diameters vs proof. The British are/were over fond of lapping out pits. Has the gun been buffed over the engraving?
Only after all the above should you go on to establish a price.
A fair price can be higher or lower than formulaic analysis indicates, based on how much the gun calls to you.
You sound like you want a using gun, and not a short term fling with a floozie. Flaws never get better with time. Buy something that you really, really like.

Are both barrels by Lewis and were made as a set?