doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Wilkes Barre Gun Co

I owned two but sent them down the road. Bobby

an excellent book re old obscure sxs guns:

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/611701848

The engraving on the Wilkes Barry is pretty. Even to my engraving saturated eyes. The patina helps too. One of the best looking boxlocks I ever saw.

Researcher, what is the story behind the reversed bite on the rear lump? I assume that the locking bolt moves forward when pushing the opening lever to the right? Interesting arrangement of parts.

A few years ago a "B" Grade Wilkes-Barre, was on gunbroker for several months. The action and wood looked good, but the barrels were completely ruined. For the $750 they were asking IIRC, I wish I'd have bought it anyway...Geo

I have added pics to the original post and will add some more on the next trip to WIFI.

There was a very interesting color variation in those tubes, outside of the typical Crolle pattern. You can just see it in Jason's pictures. There are darker "bands" of color running through the Crolle pattern, running spirally up the tubes. These only became visible during the later rusting cycles, so I pushed the tubes according to what I call the "German School" process, designed to bring out maximum color variations, as well as internal Crolle detail and the "Rosen" look of visible spiral Ribband welds. It looks like the steel in one of the billets was slightly different, and colored slightly darker. I can't imagine it was anything but intentional, enhancing the pattern of the tubes. A testament to the high degree of both the skill as well as the art of these tube makers.

I didn't realize until I saw Jason's pictures that the set was for a higher grade gun, that listed new for as much as a Parker Grade D.

Regards
Ken

Very nice double...Here are two going up for sale...

https://new.liveauctioneers.com/item/50420418_a-lot-of-2-hammerless-sxs-shotguns

There was an article in DGJ about Wilkes Barre Gun co. awhile ago. Maybe in the mid 2000's. I remember reading it recently while reading back issues.

That was Edward George Parry's patented rear-acting bolt. Parry Fire Arms Co. made a Quality 1 gun that was just bolted with the Greener cross-bolt. From the 1892 SD&G catalog --



Their Quality 2 gun had the rear-acting under-bolt and was offered with Twist, Laminated or Damascus barrels, with higher grades made to order.

I have no faith in that Carder book. � Gardner and Carder -- I'm sad to say that I have little faith in either of these books. Of the two lines I've researched in depth (Tobin Arms Manufacturing Company, and Fox Gun Co. Balto., Md., U.S.A./Baltimore Arms Company) the entries in Gardener vary from misleading to downright wrong, and Carder's entries are just regurgitation of Gardner with no original research.

There is no substitute for original research -- thumb through a few thousand copies of sporting magazines from the period you are interested in, say 1890's to 1920, looking for ads from the company or "Trade Notes" about it; then look thru all the appropriate city directories for listings of the company in question and the officers of the company; check the Patent and Trademark office for relevant patents and any trademark the company may have registered; check State Archives for incorporation information, court proceedings, and census information on the company involved. All a lot easier to do on-line now then when I did it hands on at the Library of Congress, the Patent & Trademark Office, the Maryland Historical Library, New Jersey Historical Library, etc. A good set of books to start in is the Marvyn Scudder Manual of Extinct and Obsolete Companies. I put more faith in records from the time in question, than what someone "remembers" fifty or more years later.

I find doing the historical research on the companies and individuals involved in designing and manufacturing the objects of our desires a good portion of the fun of messing with old doubles.

It's interesting that Carder is often cited in response to wider inquiries on the internet, "Ask" type sites, non-specific to doubleguns. That book is responsible for so many makes being labeled as "Crescents", despite action, proof mark, and patent differences.

I can't deny that sometimes it has worked to my advantage.

Regards
Ken