William Powell & Son, 13 Carrs Lane,
Birmingham
20 bore Bar-in-Wood Bar-action Hammergun no. 5806
Date of manufacture: 1874
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Click on these images for more detail.
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Heritage Guns' Comment This gun is in lovely condition
and is a fine example of the bar-in-wood guns that William Powell
were famous for. Furthermore, the stock displays none of the cracks
in the bar of the wood that so plague examples of the genre. What
makes this gun particularly exciting is that it is a 20b, a very
rare bore size to exhibit the complete set of Powell patents including
toplever, inlaid strikers, striker extractor mechanism and forend
catch. WE REGRET THAT THIS GUN IS NOW SOLD. IF YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR A SIMILAR GUN, PLEASE CONTACT US. |
The action is of William Powell's
own design and features:
Double triggers;
Fluted, percussion fences;
Bar action, rebounding locks;
Self-retracting, broad strikers with 'Loaded' indicators;
Lift-up top lever opening
and Powell's lever forend catch.
Gun weight 5lb 12oz.
Engraving style Best Foliate Scroll. Silver inlayed 'LOADED'
on strikers. Toplever engraved 'POWELL'S PATENT'. Forend catch and striker
retractor engraved 'PATENT'.
Trigger pulls measure approximately: Front trigger 3 ¾
lbs Rear trigger 4 lbs
The fine Damascus barrels are 29" in length, chambered for
2 ¾" (70mm) cartridges and are of brazed 'dovetail' lump
construction with soft soldered ribs.
Top rib is of the smooth, convex, game type. There are some vestigial
pits to both barrels, left in to preserve wall thickness. The MWT measurements
are close to the muzzles.
Birmingham re-proof for 70mm nitro cartridges in 2015.
Approximate barrel measurements at date of publication:
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Nominal Proof Size
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Bore Diameter 9" from Breech
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Minimum Wall Thickness
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Choke Constriction
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| Right Barrel |
16.2mm (0.638")
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0.640+"
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0.020"
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0.006" (IC)
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| Left Barrel |
16.2mm (0.638")
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0.640+"
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0.021"
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0.006" (IC) |
Straight Hand Stock and Splinter Forend are
crafted from highly figured walnut. The stock is lightly cast-off
for a right-handed shot, features a vacant white metal oval, well
defined drop points and is fitted with an engraved steel butt plate
secured with engraved screws. The forend has three inlet repairs to
its very fine edge.
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Highly Figured Walnut
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The 22 lines per inch chequering is freshened
to a 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:
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Pull to Heel
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Pull to Bump
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Pull to Centre
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Pull to Toe
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14 1/4"
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14 5/8"
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14 1/2"
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15"
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Drop at Comb
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Drop at Face
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Drop at Heel
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1 5/8"
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1 3/4"
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2 1/16"
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Cast-off at Comb
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Cast-off at Heel
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1/16" approx
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1/8" approx
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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;
Powell's forend fastener patent no. 2193 of 1873;
Powell's inlaid and extracting striker patent no. 1055 of 1869;
Powell's top lever patent no. 1163 of 1864.