doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Got a bar wood Wesley Richards hammer gun today

Stamped on the breech water table is patent 2546 ?

I'd like to see the extractor arrangement (for pinfires didn't need them) and top of the breech end of the barrels for dovetailed fillers, but those hammers and apparently retro-fitted or removeable centrefire pins scream original pinfire or dual ignition and subsequent centrefire conversion to me; but then the fences look originally purpose-built.
My money's on original dual ignition, subsequently rendered permananent centrefire from that era; I haven't got my refs to hand to see what the patents might be for.
Beautiful gun.

jeweler,
The "2546" should be the 'action patent use number.'

I suspect at one time that breach face was flat...that could explain the milled out spots where the new peculiar center-fire pins are now...

Of course if we were all X'spurts then we could just declare the gun was never a pin fire or maybe even a muzzle loader.

If you just want an antique toy or close range quail or show off skeet gun then I totally agree...don't worry about the choke.

No choke on a real hunting gun....I'd just keep on looking for another gun and not be intrigued by a name or the cool factor.

I hope you didn't pay over a couple of grande for this gun Montey.....

Yes Joe I agree that is a very good possibility. I would probably lean more toward it having originated as a dual ignition gun IE pin or center fire. I would certainly not eliminate the possibility though of a good "Forge Welder" having added those bosses to the breech balls here the upper parts of the firing pins come through. It is utterly amazing what a good "Blacksmith" can accomplish. It does to me at least seem unlikely these bosses would have been present on a gun built solely as a pinfire.
Note that I definitely did not intend to imply that your assessment was wrong, just trying to consider all the possibilities.

Breech view [img:center]http://[/img]

Joe
I actually ended up with one of your old W.C.Scott 10 hammer gun that you had sold that choke.I knew it was yours when the guy said he bought it from a guy that is a big turkey hunter.Very nice gun.
I want another Bar wood Westley in a 12 gauge if you have one you want to get rid of or is you see one keep me in mind.My wife's hands won't get cold holding the wood.
But I need to stop spending money..this is getting to be a habit.

I do think that this gun was built firstly as a dual use pin fire or centre fire then re-manufactured for permanent centre fire use. My reason for thinking this is that if the gun where manufactured exclusively for pin fire the breach face would have been made much thinner along the lines of the Eberall pin fire in the photograph

It is possible that the barrels were replaced at the time of the conversion, as it would be extraordinary to find that 3 Iron 'British Best' pattern on c. 1871 tubes. And I could be wrong.

Steven's William Powell & Son 12b Bar-in-Wood hammer gun sold in 1870 with Two Iron



1873 Purdey with 3 Iron