J S Boreham, 150 High Street, Colchester
12 bore Bar-action hammergun
no. 1444


Date of manufacture: 1887 approximately

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Heritage Guns' Comment

This hammergun, with its particularly fine engraving and exceptional wood, represents a fine example of the provincial sporting hammergun that were sold in substantial numbers in the last quarter of the 19th century. The Stanton rebounding locks are of high quality and the Damascus barrels have a lovely figure. This coupled with the sensitive restoration makes it a very pretty, safe and highly 'shootable' gun for either game or clays.

WE REGRET THAT THIS GUN IS NOW SOLD. IF YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR A SIMILAR GUN, PLEASE CONTACT US.

The action is of traditional design and features:
Double triggers,
Stanton bar-action locks with rebounding 'dolphin' hammers,
Sprung strikers, Percussion fences,
Top lever opening, operating a 'Purdey' type bolt,
Anson forend catch.
This gun can be opened when the right lock is cocked.
Gun weight 6lb 15oz Engraving style Fine foliate scroll.
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 3/4lbs Rear trigger 4 1/2lbs
The Damascus barrels are 30" in length, chambered for 2 ¾" (70mm) cartridges and are of brazed 'dovetail' lump construction with soft soldered ribs.
To
p rib is of the smooth, concave, game type.
There is a moderate amount of vestigial pitting in the left barrel and a very few marks in the right. All lapping of the barrels was done before submitting to proof, as a comparison of the proof sizes and actual measurement will show.
London reproof for 70mm nitro powder cartridges in 2010.

Approximate barrel measurements at date of publication:

 
Nominal Proof Size
Bore Diameter 9" from Breech
Minimum Wall Thickness
Choke Constriction
Right Barrel
18.7mm (0.736")
0.736"
0.032"
0.010" (1/4)
Left Barrel
18.9mm (0.744")
0.744"
0.022"
0.012" (1/4)

Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend are crafted from highly figured walnut and the stock is lightly cast off for a right-handed shot. There is a small, shallow inlet to the left side of the hand of the stock, almost invisible in the chequering, done to repair a small chip.

Highly figured walnut
The 22 lines per inch chequering has been freshened to a normal sidelock design and the stock features well defined drop points, a vacant escutcheon and a 1" leather covered recoil pad. The stock is finished with a traditional linseed oil based preparation as used on best guns by one of the top English makers. This finish uses no grain fillers to achieve its deep, smooth lustre, only many hours of alternate build and flatting off of the surface.

Approximate stock measurements at date of publication:

Pull to Heel
Pull to Bump
Pull to Centre
Pull to Toe
14 1/4"
14 3/8"
14 3/8"
14 5/8"
Drop at Comb
Drop at Face
Drop at Heel
1 1/2"
1 11/16"
2 3/16"
Cast at Comb
Cast at Heel
Negligible
1/8" (approximate)

For the purposes of these measurements, 'Drop at Face' is the 'drop' measurement taken on a line perpendicular to the
line joining the trigger and centre of the butt at approximately 8" from the trigger (front trigger on a double trigger gun).

Patents Exhibited include:
Stanton's rebounding lock patent no. 367 of 1867;
'Purdey Bolt' patent no. 1104 of 1863;
Anson's forend fastener patent no. 3791 of 1872.