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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 199
Sidelock
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Now that is interesting.
Wonder what the underlever set-up was. Could not be a Jones screw grip as that came along in 1859.
Even more interesting, there is no trace of W W Forsyth in any of the scribblings by Greener,Burrard,Teasdale-Buckall, David Baker,Ian Crudgington, Nigel Brown etc etc. Even the late Geoffrey Boothroyd, who I sometimes did research for, makes no mention of him.
Really p'd off that Crudgington & Baker missed him, I have always had the utmost confidence in their research.
Ah well, you live & learn (every day)

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Sidelock
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This gun was made at a time when the English gun trade was facing serious problems with guns being sold with spurious names.This could well be another example of this nefarious trade. For example I encountered a similar gun of Birmingham origin bearing the name, Nock-London fine Damascus. Obviously made long after the demise of this famous maker.
The name, W.W. Forsythe, suggests to me spurious origin!
See W.W.Greener, The Gun, Page 415 for his comments on this practice.


Roy Hebbes
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Sidelock
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Another one:

W.W.Forsyth Gun

BTW, the credibility of Greener himself is not always top...... ;-)

Gunwolf

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That was called the "Vena Contracta" introduced by Jospeph Lang sometime in the 1890's. I think the subject gun dates a while before that, if I am getting the proof marks right.

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Sidelock
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And mentioned in this book(s):

Cornell Publications

Kind Regards,
Gunwolf

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Thank you so much for all of the input, it is greatly appreciated. I now am the proud owner of the gun, I just really like the gun. I wrote to Cornell Publications and they have responded with the following Carder mentions WW in his book Side by Sides of the World 1997 - Carder and Bannerman 1945 Military Goods Catalogues lists Forsyth guns and locks. If any members of the forum have this reference material I would love to know what they can find.

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While researching a WW Forsyth shotgun I bought last weekend I turned up this old post. I think I bought this exact shotgun. 55 yrs ago I had a friend buy one just like this( maybe not the same maker but an upland style 10ga with a side lever and wedge forend fastner) while I went home to get the money to purchase it and have been looking for one ever since.

I think this is a 10ga that was intended as an upland gun as the weight is only 7 lb. 14 oz.

I intend to shoot it and load some very light loads of lead BB's and take a coyote with it.


After the first shot the rest are just noise.
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Sidelock
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The WW Forsyth along side my FEG 12ga bird gun, really not a lot of dimensional difference.

[Linked Image from imagizer.imageshack.com]


After the first shot the rest are just noise.
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Sidelock
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I have a nicely made Birmingham pinfire 12 ga. with a Jones type underlever. The rib is marked W W Forsyth St James London. made for Syms and Bro New York Laminated Steel. Syms was a large importer of guns and munitions for North America during the Civil War period. The gun is well decorated and I have shot it in the fall for upland birds.

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Last edited by Daryl Hallquist; 03/03/21 08:17 PM.
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Interesting that there are a few surviving guns but so little info on the supposed maker. I saw one on a auction sight in England, another pinfire. It must have been a fairly decent company if they were big enough to export. Or just a broker for English shotguns, like some German drillings and shotguns just marked with the retailer name on them, although they say "Made By" on them.


After the first shot the rest are just noise.
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