I'd get a confirming letter from Kirk Merrington tied to the serial number of this gun-on his letterhead, and then, as Reagan always said "Trust is fine-but always cut the cards- twice"- I'd call him to make sure the letter is NOT a counterfeit. The only gun dealer I would trust w/o this caveat on a Limey made shotgun is Kirby Hoyt. Hope to meet him face to face at the up and coming Ann Sothern clays event in April.
Concur with Run on this - making that call and getting that letter from Merrington will do five things for you: (1) confirm or deny your seller's story, (2) let Merrington know whether someone is or is not using his name properly, (3) give you provenance for the future sale, (4) save you the chance of losing a lot of money if the seller's story isn't so, and possibly (5) let you know (if he gives you measurements) whether the gun's been messed with since it left his hands.
TRW - thanks for the extended history on the makers.
