doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com The pinfire game gun

Trying to pin down details of royal warrants and patronage is exhausting, and I suppose in the end it was an element of marketing. To me, that a royal patron would choose a provincial maker as opposed to an established London name, is by far the more interesting point. Would price be a consideration? Though the pinfire game gun was a plaything of the rich and well-to-do to start with, a 10- or 20-guinea or more savings made by choosing a provincial maker versus a London name, for a "best" quality gun, might be significant to a large proportion of one's potential clientele, considering how frequently competitive prices were trumpeted in the advertising of even the most prestigious firms. However it is hard to imagine the higher echelons of royalty worrying about such things -- but perhaps human nature is human nature.

The subject of small-town gunmakers is part of the pinfire story. Most of these probably sold Birmingham-made guns brought in in-the-white or as finished pieces, though some might have built significant parts, according to their skills and apprenticeship experiences. A small-town maker could be creative, inventive, and a builder of high-quality guns, should the right commission come along. As covered with the Edward Paton gun, a local maker could obtain royal partronage and develop a reputation amongst the nobility, British and foreign. Today's gun is from another Scottish maker that fits this description, James Erskine.

James Erskine was born in 1812 near Newton Stewart, in Scotland. He may have apprenticed with Edward or Jeremiah Patrick, before working for a while as a gun finisher for Williams & Powell of Liverpool. James returned to Newton Stewart and opened his business at 61 Victoria Street, though the exact date is not known. James was an exhibitor at the Great Exhibition in 1851, and was awarded a Bronze Medal for a muzzle-loading shotgun with recessed hammers. In 1859 he obtained a patent (No. 1703) for a slide-and-drop breech loading action. He entered at least one gun in the Field Gun Trials of 1866, and received "the highest award" for superior construction. In 1866 he obtained another patent (No. 1585) for a drop-down barrel action. Soon after 1866 James Erskine was appointed Gun Maker to Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (the elder brother of Albert, Queen Victoria's consort), and to an Austrian prince. So, not exactly your typical small-town gunsmith. James Erskine died in 1891.

The gun is not one of James Erskine's patent actions, but a standard 12-bore rotary-underlever double-bite screw grip pinfire sporting gun, no serial number, made sometime in the mid-1860s. The top rib is signed "J. Erskine Newton Stewart," and the bar locks are signed "J. Erskine." The 29 1/16" damascus barrels have a London provisional proof mark only, with no definitive proofs, and no bore stamp. The barrel maker's initials "T.B." could be those of Thomas Barnsley or Thomas Bowen. The action bar is also lacking the usual proofs. However, it is a good quality gun made with attention to detail and styling, with a sculptured action body, flat-sided sculptured hammers, fluted fences, and a well-figured stock with heel and toe plates. As is often the case with guns of this period, it is all about the unnecessary details -- I really like the dimple in the action to accept the raised edge of the fore-end iron when the gun is opened. While most makers leave the trigger guard plain, or with a raised edge or clip to locate the under-lever, Erskine raised both sides to create a channel to center the under-lever, a style I had not encountered before. Also, the trigger plate screw and surrounding is nicely engraved, even though it would be hidden by the closed lever. Detail.

I wish I knew more about the history of this gun, and the reasons why it escaped normal proofing. This is a gun that has seen hard use and the bores are pitted, and it weighs 7 lb 4 oz.