Talk about timing, just read an article online from the Vintage Guns Journal, dated November 10 of 2021 (by Diggory Hadoke?) about a Lang pinfire conversion, titled "Lang Game Changer". The article is about a forward-facing underlever gun built in 1863. That gun is strikingly similar to my current project (non-rebounding locks, same address on rib, horn butt, etc.). Converted (almost identically, by Lang's perhaps?) from pinfire & with a single bite, it's SN is 2729 and the markings on the barrel flats for this one are in an almost-legible script (mine aren't) saying "Proved and furnished by...". Much like on mine, that statement is unfinished. The author speculates that they were provided by E. C. Hodges, who reportedly had a very close business relationship with Joseph Lang at that time. Lang was evidently married to a Purdey daughter (Eliza)? The Prince of Wales also had one just like it, evidently (Lang SN 2725)? A small and slightly incestuous world back then, eh? In the article, Mr. Haydoke went on to shoot the gun successfully on driven pheasants, so... maybe I'm not too-far off course?

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Last edited by Lloyd3; 06/08/23 01:39 PM.