March
S M T W T F S
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Who's Online Now
7 members (bushveld, Karl Graebner, Lloyd3, Marc Ret, dogon, KY Jon), 848 guests, and 5 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums10
Topics38,376
Posts544,022
Members14,391
Most Online1,258
7 hours ago
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 4
#598897 06/30/21 02:14 AM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 111
Likes: 3
Sidelock
OP Offline
Sidelock

Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 111
Likes: 3
Years ago a cased Wm. Evans sidelock passed through my hands to Ian Nixon a member of this board.

This one, on the other hand, I'm keeping: a 1901 Wm Evans full rose and scroll boxlock with original condition - #56XX

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Thanks to this board and all who, over the years, taught me about shotguns and encouraged my pursuit old double guns. Cheers!

Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1
Boxlock
Offline
Boxlock

Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1
Beautiful that is for sure, well done on the pick up !

Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,065
Likes: 565
Sidelock
**
Online Content
Sidelock
**

Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,065
Likes: 565
Beautifully executed boxlock! Most likely from the early era of those guns. Can you tell us more about it?

Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 111
Likes: 3
Sidelock
OP Offline
Sidelock

Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 111
Likes: 3
Yes, there is an interesting story about how the metal work remained in that high a condition. The serial number # 56XX, dates the firearm around 1901.

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

The shotgun has a beautifully figured dark walnut that was dropped on the toe of the butt early in its life. I suspect that the shotgun was a gift or heirloom that was kept for an extended period of time in that broken and unused state.

The wrist has since been expertly repaired by a craftsman of the highest order. There are five wood pins hidden throughout wrist and at the butt that can seen if you really look for them.

I purchased the firearm based on the condition of the barrels and the receiver at well below market price. It's really hard to find working shotguns with straight and clean screws of this age. Also, I truly appreciate the workmanship that went into restoring this piece to a fully functioning, working firearm.

A flat of Kent Elite 2 1/2" 3/4oz, # 8s are on order and pattern very well out of these 28" barrels choked SK and IC.

Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 3,134
Likes: 309
Sidelock
**
Offline
Sidelock
**

Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 3,134
Likes: 309
Williams Evans retains their original order books. If you write to them...for a small fee they'll send you the order book entries. See the below line on my wife's William Evans.

https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=475388&page=all


Baluch are not Brahui, Brahui are Baluch
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 111
Likes: 3
Sidelock
OP Offline
Sidelock

Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 111
Likes: 3
I noted that the conversation went dead when the Evans was understood not to be a pristine, 120 year old virgin piece, but rather was once a very broken item. There are two wood dowels and three pins visible along the right side of this gun stock.

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Please give me a moment to give you my perspective. I once had the privilege of watching a highly regarded craftsman, Arthur Troth repair a 1899 Savage rifle one Canadian morning that had also been broken at the wrist. When Arthur snapped the remaining slivers of wood that held the stock together my heart stopped. I bit my lip when he broke the bent metal of the butt plate clean as a whistle. Conversely, when he pinned the pieces back together again with hidden dowels and metal rods to reinforce the area, I marvelled. I was watching a master at his craft with numerous areas of expertise. After he touched up the points of checkering and blended in the new finish with the century old varnish to cover his practiced hand, I began to get a glimpse of the alchemy I had witnessed.

Similarly, seeing a Japanese master practice the art of "kintsugi", the repairing the treasured rice bowl as it were, leaves me in awe. I am a man climbing in years, of limited means but with deep appreciation of great workmanship from another age.

Thus I'm thrilled to own an example of a working firearm from a bygone age that is not only an example of the British high art of gun-making but hides the expertise of the master gun restorer. The pristine ones can remain unfired in collections and museums. This one is going bird hunting!

3 members like this: FallCreekFan, Buzz, HomelessjOe
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 15,456
Likes: 86
Sidelock
*
Offline
Sidelock
*

Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 15,456
Likes: 86
Original condition is in the eye of the beholder.

The late Thad Scott told me all the old English guns were color cased to protect wear to the metal and the engraving....so that coined/polished reciever and blued action plate with blued screws along with the blued top lever is s dead give away the metal was redone.

Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 547
Likes: 86
Sidelock
Offline
Sidelock

Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 547
Likes: 86
Very nice piece!

Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 111
Likes: 3
Sidelock
OP Offline
Sidelock

Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 111
Likes: 3
Originally Posted by HomelessjOe
English guns were color cased to protect wear to the metal and the engraving....so that coined/polished reciever and blued action plate with blued screws along with the blued top lever is s dead give away the metal was redone.

Thank you. That explains why all the older English shotguns sold by this one dealer here in Canada have blued action plates - all have been redone as a matter of course.

Cheers!

Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,065
Likes: 565
Sidelock
**
Online Content
Sidelock
**

Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,065
Likes: 565
I love how William Evans signed his pieces "from Purdey's". I too shoot an early English boxlock (circa 1905) on game. For the money, they are an unbeatable value. Long, light and lovely! Lethal, beautiful and highly effective, in the early 20th century, boxlocks were marketed as "best" guns and received lots of attention from their makers. Engraving and wood were top-notch and many were made as pairs. By the 30s their "best" status devolved a bit (folks figured out how little time it took to create them, as compared to sidelocks) and they became more utilitarian. Still....for weight and balance, fit and finish, ease of carry afield, and dependable function you'll be hard pressed to find anything better to actually hunt with. The thin and beautiful wrists on many of these guns are a concern, so proper ammunition is a must (I'm a huge RST fan). Properly repaired and then reasonably cared for, I should think that it will outlast several owners after you. The screws on the back of the action near the top of the stock are indicative of intercepting sears. Later versions dispensed with this feature as the added time and cost (& genuine necessity) weren't considered reasonable (because of the substantial nature of the action sears, boxlocks seldom jar loose enough to accidently fire). You didn't mention weight or chambering, so I'm assuming 28 tubes, ~6 1/2 lbs and 2 1/2 chambers. Many that have found themselves over here (from "Old Blighty") have been opened to 2 3/4-inch (my 16 has and was even proofed for that). However, don't be tempted to use it with over-the-counter 2 3/4-inch ammo, or even high-volume shooting. These are game guns, period. Hunt with it and treasure it for what it is, 100-plus year old art that is still doing the job it was designed to do.

Last edited by Lloyd3; 07/01/21 11:44 AM.
Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 4

Link Copied to Clipboard

doublegunshop.com home | Welcome | Sponsors & Advertisers | DoubleGun Rack | Doublegun Book Rack

Order or request info | Other Useful Information

Updated every minute of everyday!


Copyright (c) 1993 - 2024 doublegunshop.com. All rights reserved. doublegunshop.com - Bloomfield, NY 14469. USA These materials are provided by doublegunshop.com as a service to its customers and may be used for informational purposes only. doublegunshop.com assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in these materials. THESE MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT-ABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. doublegunshop.com further does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these materials. doublegunshop.com shall not be liable for any special, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including without limitation, lost revenues or lost profits, which may result from the use of these materials. doublegunshop.com may make changes to these materials, or to the products described therein, at any time without notice. doublegunshop.com makes no commitment to update the information contained herein. This is a public un-moderated forum participate at your own risk.

Note: The posting of Copyrighted material on this forum is prohibited without prior written consent of the Copyright holder. For specifics on Copyright Law and restrictions refer to: http://www.copyright.gov/laws/ - doublegunshop.com will not monitor nor will they be held liable for copyright violations presented on the BBS which is an open and un-moderated public forum.

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.0.33-0+deb9u11+hw1 Page Time: 0.071s Queries: 37 (0.050s) Memory: 0.8532 MB (Peak: 1.8987 MB) Data Comp: Off Server Time: 2024-03-29 14:08:18 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS