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[quote=Argo44]And Daryl, didn't we discuss this face once before? Kind of forgotten what was said. Something about an Ent, or a woodnymph, or something.
[/quote

It`s the face of The Green Man.

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Outstanding engraving, and quite mysterious!

Some pinfires had game scenes, but most had acanthus-leaf scroll engraving, a fore-runner of the fine rose-and-scroll or bouquet-and-scroll patterns prevalent on later guns. Acanthus is a group of flowering plants common in the Mediterranean basin. The Romans and the Greeks greatly used the acanthus leaf motif in architectural decoration. This was continued in Byzantine architecture, Medieval sculpture and wood carving, decorations in illuminated manuscripts, in Renaissance works, and on through to the Victorian era where acanthus leaf patterns can be seen almost everywhere. So, it is not surprising that the starting point for decorative gun engraving in Britain was the acanthus leaf. Often disguised as repetitive scrolls, the more open designs show the leaves very well. When done properly, the effect is subtle and discreet, placing the British pinfires apart from more ostentatious decoration on Continental guns.

Some makers made use of the same engravers, and over time 'house styles' developed. Boss & Co always used the Sumner family for engraving. Here are two Boss & Co. pinfires, or should they be called early Stephen Grants?

Boss & Co., "Makers of Best Guns Only," is always placed in the list of top three or four British gunmakers. Famously only producing one quality of gun ("Boss gun, a Boss gun, bloody beautiful, but too bloody expensive!" reportedly said King George VI), Boss & Co. has had an interesting history, and the firm continues to this day.

In 1780 or shortly afterwards William Boss moved to London to work for Joseph Manton, alongside James Purdey. In 1804 his son Thomas was apprenticed to him at Manton's, but when William Boss died in 1809 Joseph Manton took Thomas on for the remainder of his apprenticeship. Thomas Boss finished his apprenticeship in 1811 and continued to work for Manton, after which he set up his own business in 1812 as an outworker for the London trade, doing work for James Purdey, Charles Moore, and Charles Lancaster amongst others. In 1837 he moved his business to very fashionable 76 St James's Street. In 1851 Thomas Boss employed 10 men, and also his nephew, Edward Fields Paddison, as a journeyman gun maker. The firm made about 70 guns annually. Thomas Boss hired on a number of close family relatives into the business, with one exception: Stephen Grant, his workshop foreman.

Stephen Grant had served his apprenticeship with William Kavanagh & Sons of Dublin, from 1835 to 1842. In 1843 he moved to London to work for Charles Lancaster, and in 1850 he started to work for Thomas Boss. Thomas Boss died on 17 August 1857, aged 67, and his widow, Emma, then aged 62, inherited the firm. She made Stephen Grant the managing partner of the business, and during this time the quality of Boss guns was in particularly high regard, though its designs were conservative. In 1866 Grant left and established his own business at 67a St James's Street, almost next door to Boss & Co. which, it was reported, was a great source of friction with his old partner. Stephen Grant went on to become one of the best London gunmakers and his guns, notably his sleek side-levers, are still much sought after. Whether Grant still built a few pinfires from his new address, or started making centre-fire guns exclusively, is not known to me.

Here are two near-identical 1863-dated guns carrying the Boss & Co. name and St. James street address, built a few months apart by the same outworkers' hands, and whose quality was overseen by Grant. In fact, most Boss & Co. guns made during the period Stephen Grant was managing director were pinfires, as Boss & Co. started making them in 1858 (alongside percussion guns), and did not start making centre-fire guns before 1866. The actioning on these guns was by Edwin Charles Hodges, barrels by John Portlock, stocks by Daniel Holliman, screwed and finished by William Byrne, completed with locks by Joseph Brazier, and engraved by John Sumner. They were sold by Boss & Co. from 76 St James's Street, and like most British guns of the period, many skilled hands were involved in their making.

12-bore number 2024 was built for Charles-Cecil Martyn, ordered on 22 December 1862 and completed on 3 April 1863. It has a double-bite screw grip action, 29 7/8" damascus barrels, and weighs 6 lb 6 oz.. Martyn would have been 53 when the gun was purchased. He was a very wealthy man, having inherited £150,000 from his father, who died in India in 1830. Charles-Cecil Martyn was elected to the British parliament in 1841 for the seat of Southampton, but Martyn's election was declared void the following year on accusations of bribery by his agents. Sadly he did not have long to enjoy his gun, as Martyn died in 1866.

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Near-identical 12-bore number 2068 was also made in 1863, built for Sir Sandford Graham, 3rd Baronet Graham, Kirkstall, Yorkshire and Edmund Castle, and Captain, Grenadier Guards. This gun is also a double-bite screw grip action with 29 7/8" damascus barrels, weighing an even 7 lbs.. Sir Sandford Graham was 42 years of age when he picked up his gun, and had more time to enjoy his, passing away in 1875. Of note, his father, the 2nd Baronet, was a close friend and travelling companion of Lord Byron, the English poet, peer and politician. What a circle these people moved in!

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These are good examples of the pinfire game gun as an expression of the wealth and influence of their owners, for whom shooting was an upper-class pastime, on shoots held at fine estates. I wonder in whose presence these guns were used?

Last edited by Steve Nash; 02/03/21 05:09 PM.
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Mr. Nash, it is interesting that you have found the names of those who worked on the Boss guns pictured. Which of those workers were "in house". We know Sumner was not, were the others in that same situation ?

The Boss pair you show were very similar, made in the early 1860s. I assume that Boss had , even at that time, developed his Brand, making owning a Boss something special in the gun ownership world. Without holding those Boss guns, I do not see a big difference in quality as compared to other, less familiar names you have pictured. The lock engraving does not stand out above others. Salesmanship seems a very important part of the industry even that early.

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Originally Posted by Daryl Hallquist
Mr. Nash, it is interesting that you have found the names of those who worked on the Boss guns pictured. Which of those workers were "in house". We know Sumner was not, were the others in that same situation ?

The Boss pair you show were very similar, made in the early 1860s. I assume that Boss had , even at that time, developed his Brand, making owning a Boss something special in the gun ownership world. Without holding those Boss guns, I do not see a big difference in quality as compared to other, less familiar names you have pictured. The lock engraving does not stand out above others. Salesmanship seems a very important part of the industry even that early.
Thankfully some makers' records have survived, better still if the names of the outworkers used are noted. In the Boss & Co records, space is provided for the various tasks, with names written in some records, left blank in others. I'm assuming if there is a name it is an outworker, and the absence of a name means it was done in-house (I have another Boss pinfire, a single, for which no names are specified). Barrel makers often sign their work on the barrels (as in this case, JP, confirming the paper record), and the Portlocks (either brothers or father and son, information is not clear) supplied barrels to the best makers. The locks are stamped 'JB' for Joseph Brazier. EC Hodges is known to sign his actioning work, but I have not found his mark (it might be behind the breech face, but I have not removed the stock to confirm this). I expect outworkers used on a regular basis could fulfil their tasks to the required standard, including 'best' work.

You are right, salesmanship was as important then as it is now. Also location of the shop (as I pointed out in an earlier post, short St. James Street housed Boss & Co., JD Dougall, James Woodward, Stephen Grant, John Rigby, and Charles Moore), and royal patronage had a lot to do with a firm's standing. I honestly doubt you could differentiate them in terms of quality (they probably got their locks, barrels and furniture from the same suppliers, and used many of the same outworkers), and the Boss doubles I pictured earlier are fine guns, but with no outstanding features. I believe Boss & Co adopted the slogan 'makers of best guns only' some decades later, and in the 1860s might only have used high prices to enhance their snob-appeal.

From the Sporting Gazette, 19 June 1869:

Boss & CO., Gun and Rifle Manufacturers. --- BOSS & CO. beg respectfully to inform their numerous patrons, and the nobility and gentry generally, that their business is carried on at their old established shop, 73, St. James's-street (next door to the Conservative Club,) and that they have no connection whatever with any other house. N.B.-Several good second-hand guns and rifles for sale by celebrated makers.

Last edited by Steve Nash; 02/03/21 05:10 PM.
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There are outstanding reference works on British gunmakers and gunmaking. Some focus on histories of single makers, while others cover the entire range of makers and craftsmen employed in the dizzying variety of trades associated with the gun trade. Nigel Brown's three-volume set British Gunmakers is an invaluable resource of the latter type, as is Geoffrey Boothroyd's Revised Directory of British Gunmakers. Essential on-line resources include the Internet Gun Club database in the UK, records of official censuses, business directories, newspapers, birth-and-death records, and the collective knowledge of experts scattered amongst many discussion boards, such as this one. You would think that between all of these there are few surprises left, but every so often some new information turns up, like an address not previously recognized. It really shouldn't be surprising, as especially in the early days of breech-loaders, businesses were often small affairs where few guns were made in a year, and businesses could move location in between years that business directories were compiled or censuses taken. Barrel rib inscriptions and printed case labels might offer some tangible proof, but these are only as common as surviving guns and cases, and engraving and printing errors did happen to help confuse matters.

Today's gun, a 12-bore by George Fuller of London, is an example of a gun that doesn't quite fit existing knowledge, and is more than what it first appears. I believe it is a muzzle-loader-to-pinfire conversion, and I suspect past owners of this gun might never have noticed all of the scattered clues.

George Fuller was born in 1793 in West Ham, Stratford, London. He started his gun making business at 2 Dean Street, Soho, 1832 to 1834 (after working for or serving an apprenticeship under the great Joseph Manton). From 1835 to 1841 Fuller was at Caroline St, St. Pancras, and in 1845 he was recorded in business at 104 Wardour Street, Soho, where it appears he shared premises with John Evans & Son, Engine Lathe and Tool Manufactory (known to be a supplier of a percussion cap-making machine). George Fuller then moved to 30 Southampton Street in 1846, with additional premises in Maiden Lane. Around this time his son, William Charles, joined him in the business. In 1853 he took over the business of Joseph Wilbraham at 280 Strand, with additional premises at 404 Strand (Wilbraham had himself bought the gunmaking business at 280 Strand from William Child, in business 1826-1850). George Fuller's trade labels from 1857 to 1861 stated "Gunmaker to H R H The Prince Consort", so he was evidently a London gunmaker of reputation and quality to have obtained a royal warrant.

In 1857 and 1858 George Fuller advertised in The Field: "George Fuller, gunmaker, 280 Strand (having heard of the decease of Thomas Boss, the celebrated gunmaker of St James's Street) begs to inform noblemen and gentlemen, that he, having learnt the business of a gunmaker from the school of Joseph Manton, will be found equally competent to carry out every part of mechanical power as well as shape, weight, etc. to the precise model of T Boss's guns."

In 1872 the business moved to 15 Wynch Street, and in 1874 to 6 Newcastle Street. His final move was in 1878 to 3 Waterloo Road, but he continued living at 280 Strand where he died on 28 September 1881. The business was sold to Alfred Woods. Nigel Brown notes only three George Fuller guns are known, numbers 368 and 383 from the 1850s, and gun number 1068 dating somewhere from the 1860s to 1871. So, for your viewing pleasure, here is a fourth George Fuller gun, number 245, converted to pinfire.

On the face of it, it is a standard-looking double-bite screw grip rotary under-lever pinfire sporting gun, of typical form. Look more closely, and there is much, much more to this gun. It is number 245, much earlier than the three known Fuller examples (assuming his numbering system was sequential by date). The shortened 26 1/2" twist (not damascus) barrels have London proofs, and the early-style wide top rib is clearly signed "Geo. Fuller. 10. Wardour St. Soho. London." Already this poses a problem, as Fuller is not known at that address. There is a gap in knowledge for the period between 1841 and 1845, and he could have set up at number 10 before sharing premises with Evans at number 104... but that's just a guess. Number 10 is close to Leicester Square and is a much more exclusive location, and perhaps it proved to be too expensive to maintain, considering his next address was a shared occupancy with a machine tool business. The absolutely magnificent stepped back-action locks are signed "Geo.E Fuller", with acanthus engraving and the tails of the plates flawlessly chequered (imagine doing that with hand files!). The only other examples of similarly 'stepped' back-action locks plates I can recall have been on percussion sporting guns by Thomas Reynolds, who either apprenticed with, or worked for, Joseph Manton, which might further connect Fuller to Manton. The trigger guard bow has a worn game scene engraving, and the iron heel-plate has an extended tang and another worn game scene. There is an abrupt mismatch in border engraving where the lock plates abut the breech, suggesting slightly cut lock plates (it may have originally been an 'island' lock). The style of engraving on the action body and top strap does not quite match the style of engraving on the lock plates, trigger guard and butt plate tang, with the latter parts exhibiting more wear. As a conversion the breech parts are very good, with percussion-style fences, a long upper tang, a marked radius (curve) between the vertical breech face and horizontal action bar, a handsome under-lever, and nicely shaped hammers. The figured stock has a silver escutcheon engraved with the letters "F.L" in elegant script, but this is insufficient to trace an owner, which could date from the original gun or the conversion. The bores are pitted, and the gun weighs 7 lb 3 oz.

The twist construction of the barrels, their shortened length and wide sighting rib, the trimmed lock plates, the mismatched engraving styles, a game scene covered by the under-lever, an 1840s-era Fuller serial number, early styles such as a long butt tang, and a Wardour St. address all point to the conclusion this gun began as a George Fuller muzzle-loader and was converted to the pinfire system, by him or someone else with considerable skill. I have to say it is the best such conversion I have seen. Conversions of muzzle-loaders to pinfire, and even centre-fire, do exist, some makers specialized in such work, and the ones that have survived to this day often exhibit superlative smithing skill. I encountered this gun on a table at a southern Ontario gun show, and I expect it had changed hands several times previously as a "wall-hanger" before I came along. The seller did claim to having fired it, and I'm grateful it survived the ordeal. From a collector's standpoint I consider this gun a real "sleeper," and it goes to show how much interesting information can be gleaned from just another gun-show curiosity.

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Last edited by Steve Nash; 02/03/21 05:12 PM.
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Stephen...the Fuller gun and its story is outstanding. That is true gun detective work - an "Ouvre Noir" sort of thing...trench coats, black and white crossing lines from blinds, jazz.. And the gun is still elegant. Nice job, nice find, excellent write up. Your book will be a must have.

In my records, I have an !857 Reilly muzzle loader converted to centerfire allegedly in the mid 1890's but more likely around 1880 ... but virtually the entire gun was replaced, receiver, stock, hammers - the only things that might have survived were the tang, forearm and barrels...not worth looking at IMHO except for the unique label.


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Is that Fuller left handed ? I think the conversions are most interesting. I've seen some that were works of art. A friend had a Purdey that went through several conversions. If memory is correct, I think 4 conversions. I'll try to get details if possible.

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Beautiful Fuller gun. I have serial number 1162; a centre fire 12 bore double with Jones underlever. Most of the original finish is still visible and has seen little use. It has been re-proofed for Nitro. A friend has a big bore Fuller single tube lock. Fuller was equal in quality of workmanship to both Boss and Purdey but much less well known.

Steve, happy to e-mail you pictures of my Fuller if interested. Lagopus..

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Thanks, Gents. These guns carry interesting stories from a different age. In some cases we can know a bit more of the story than others, and sometimes the clues are simply mystifying. Conversions of muzzle-loaders to breech-loading are of particular interest to me -- sometimes it was a favoured barrel that was re-purposed and a new gun built around it, in other instances as much of the old gun was retained as was possible -- whatever the circumstances, the risk was deemed favourable over the cost of a new gun. Every such conversion I've encountered has used the post-1862 Jones-type double screw grip action with the rearward under-lever.

Yes, the Fuller gun pictured above has the under-lever fitted for a left-hander. And I'm not surprised that a well-made gun could go through several conversions, though the most extreme step has to be from front-stuffing to cartridges. For grouse hunting I use a converted single-barrel muzzle-loader, now a nitro-proofed breech-loader. I don't know if it was converted to the pinfire system before its final conversion to centre-fire, but it could have been.

Continuing on the subject of muzzle-loader conversions, here is another one, where as much of the original gun was retained, using the original barrels, locks, stock, and most of the furniture. A new action and fore-end was fitted to the existing parts, and a "new" serviceable breech-loader emerged.

Spotting a pinfire-to-centrefire conversion is usually easy most of the time, with tell-tale signs such as plugged pin holes, pinfire fences with drilled strikers, awkward extractors, and hammers not quite in perfect balance with the gun's looks, either by their shape or mis-matched engraving styles. However, I suspect there are shooters of vintage doubles that don't realize their gun started out as a pinfire -- they can be that well done. Spotting a muzzle-loader-to-pinfire is, in my experience, trickier. It is also rarely encountered, perhaps an indication that it was not so common a practice to start with. It would take a very good gun, and a very good craftsman. If you could afford a very good gun in the first place, you could probably afford a new gun without so much of a blink. So, it probably involved a gun that had a special significance to the owner, or it might involve a gunmaker who had old stock that might never sell, and it probably made sense to break it down and rebuild it. I will cover examples of each type of conversion, to demonstrate the kinds of clues one might look for in looking for such conversions.

Here is 16-bore which carries no maker's name and address, and at a casual glance it could be a no-name gun built "for the trade" by one of the hundreds of Birmingham back-alley craftsmen, with a post-1862 unmarked Jones-type double-bite screw-grip under-lever. Upon closer inspection, much of this gun doesn't add up. The serial number marked on the trigger guard tang is 11226, a high number usually found on established makers's guns, not small makers. It also has a mechanical trigger guard safety, common on percussion guns but an uncommon hold-over into pinfires. Furthermore the safety is signed "Patent Safety," though again with no name. Such a feature would not be found on a low-cost gun. The barrels are 28 1/16" in length, which may have been cut back from a longer original. The Birmingham proofs partly obliterate earlier proofs, which shows the barrels were sent back to the proof house. The locks are unsigned bar-locks, but the cross-pin, the screw that binds the locks to the gun, has been re-located and the old hole re-filled and re-engraved to hide it. On one side the plug has fallen out, revealing the secret. The bores are now pitted, and the gun weighs 7 lb 6 oz.

Generally speaking, the 7-lb pinfire game gun is a pheasant, partridge, pigeon and snipe gun, and heavier builds might be used for waterfowl. When guns are engraved with game scenes, they almost invariably picture one of these, along with dogs. Engraving carries a cost, so no more than what is requested or necessary is usually carried out. In the case of underlever guns, the trigger guard bow is normally not engraved where the lever sits over it, as there would be no purpose to hiding the decoration. On this gun, the trigger guard is indeed engraved, with what appears to be a lion no less -- hardly what one would expect to encounter on a local pheasant shoot. The style of the engraving on the furniture is different than on the action and hammers, and is closer to the style found on the Fuller. All of these clues together lead me to speculate the original gun was a large-bore muzzle-loading double rifle, which was subsequently converted to being a pinfire smoothbore game gun. To fit the locks to a new action the lock plates had to be reshaped and the cross pin had to be relocated, the re-bored barrels had to be re-proofed, and the original furniture retained. Quite the job!

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Last edited by Steve Nash; 02/03/21 05:13 PM.
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To go along with the Fuller and No Name conversions, here's another conversion . It uses many pieces from what must have been a Williams and Powell muzzleloader. The unusual conversion design was by A. G. Genez. His work seems top notch. Notice the Genez patent and the slide forward design. Genez made no attempt to cover up the Williams and Powell origin.










Last edited by Daryl Hallquist; 07/29/20 02:04 PM.
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