Stephen Grant, 67a St James's Street, London
12 bore Back Action Hammergun
No. 4679, No 2 of pair


Date of manufacture: 1879

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Heritage Guns' Comment

This is a superb example of a Best London sidelever hammergun from this highly respected gunmaker, made when hammerguns were at their zenith in terms of design and aesthetics. Over the last decade, the sidelever has become the most sought after operating mechanism by collectors of antique shotguns and this represents a rare opportunity to acquire one of these lovely guns. The 28" barrels have been re-proofed for 2 ¾" nitro cartridges and this all adds up to a strong gun that is a joy to shoot and should give many years of service on game or clays with normal maintenance.

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

The action is of traditional back action sidelock design and features:
Side lever operating a 'Purdey Bolt' which engages the rear lump by way of lateral projections,
Double triggers, Sprung strikers,
Rebounding back action locks
and Anson's push rod forend catch.
Gun weight 6lb 10oz
Engraving style Best fine foliate scroll with a bouquet on the base of the action bar.
'STEPHEN GRANT'S PATENT' engraved on the sides of the action and
'PATENT' in an oval on the top of the breech.
A '2' is engraved on forend, trigger guard and top rib.
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 1/4lbs Rear trigger 4 1/4lbs
The Damascus barrels are 28" in length, chambered for 2 3/4" (70mm) cartridges and are of brazed 'through' lump construction with soft soldered ribs.
Top rib is of the smooth, concave game type.
London reproof for 70mm nitro powder cartridges in 2011.

Approximate barrel measurements at date of publication:

 
Nominal Proof Size
Bore Diameter 9" from Breech
Minimum Wall Thickness
Choke Constriction
Right Barrel
18.8mm
(0.740")
0.740"
0.023"
0.002" (Skeet)
Left Barrel
18.8mm
(0.740")
0.740"
0.023"
0.008" (IC)

Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend are crafted from well figured walnut. The stock is cast-off for a right-handed shot, features a vacant white metal oval and is finished with a 3/4" leather covered recoil pad. The forend has an engraved steel tip.

Well figured walnut

The fine 20 lines per inch chequering is freshened to normal sidelock pattern. 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
15 1/4"
15 3/8"
15 3/8"
15 3/4"
Drop at Comb
Drop at Face
Drop at Heel
1 7/16"
1 9/16"
1 15/16"
Cast at Comb
Cast at Heel
Neglible
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,
James Purdey's patent no. 1104 of 1863,
EC Hodges patent no. 251 of 1871,
Anson's forend fastener patent no. 3791 of 1872.