Hello, and welcome to the site. There are a good number of experts contributing on the forums here so you're in good hands. Although I am most assuredly not in that good company I also happen to have a Westley Richards from 1890. The 28" barrels are definitely uncut. They are also damascus, which makes me wonder if your original tubes are as well but were "re-blacked" somewhere down the road.
All engraving I can see in your photos is a match with mine. I have next to no case colors, and I can't make out if yours are original or done at a later date, but I lean towards the latter. However,I should mention that I am almost the farthest away from being one who would know if this were true simply from photographs.
Although your photos were mostly good I would have liked to have seen a good shot or two of your trigger guard, if only out of curiosity. A charming bit of engraving on these old Westleys is the inclusion of a dog (if it's a shotgun)on the trigger guard, and I'd like to comare. Also, further down shows the serial #. Which leads me to ask.....
...How do you know your gun is from 1890? Did you look up the serial # or did the seller tell you. Again, just curious.
As I mentioned, all engraving I can see is perfectly matched to mine, if that's any indication. But the aforementioned case color caveat applies here as well.
However, regarding your comment about the wood being too nice to be original I think I can say without hesitation that the stock is original to the gun, if only based on the wood on my gun, which is also extraordinary. Also obvious is the wood to metal fit on yours. But I also agree with OWD's comment that the checkering has been spruced up in more recent years.
I also would agree with gunman's comment regarding the second set of barrels as being from another gun.
And I would also agree with OWD's comment about having a good gunsmith who knows vintage guns to look over yours.
Last edited by Krakow Kid; 11/25/12 02:20 PM.
