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Jul 28th, 2025
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 617 Likes: 1
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 617 Likes: 1 |
I am researching an English gun that bears the name " The Watts Gun" in banners on the lockplates. There are no other identifying marks.
The gun is quite handsome,a sidelock,95% engraved and stocked to the fences.
If anyone has any info.as to where this gun came from,I would appreicate their sharing this with me.
Thanks
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 90
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 90 |
Justin, Here's one Watts gun. Watts gun, SothebysWatts operated the London Sporting Park. He's got his own chapter in Teasdale-Buckell's Experts on Guns and Shooting, which you can download from Google Books. I get the impression that there were boxlock and sidelock Watts guns, and probably made by various gunmakers.
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,544
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,544 |
Mike is correct.
The guns were built in the trade in Birmingham and would have been sold at the London Sporting Park , presumably to clients of Watts', who was a noted shooting instructor. I guess it is similar to the modern endorsements like the tennis racket editions named after top players or the lines of perfumes or clothes launched by the likes of P. Diddy and David Beckham. It looks like a name could sell a product even back then.
Some Webley-built boxlocks appear with 'London Sporting Park' on the actions and ribs as well, so they must have had a gun-retail section to the shooting grounds for some time.
Last edited by Small Bore; 02/16/09 05:48 AM.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954 Likes: 12
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954 Likes: 12 |
One more example of trying to capitalize on a brand named for a trade gun; note that "trade gun" is an explaination of origin, in no way is it a denigration. Original Quality of such guns can be any grade; whatever was bought and paid for.
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 617 Likes: 1
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 617 Likes: 1 |
Thanks for the picture,Mike. The gun I'm looking into is very similar.
I had read somewhere that Watts was associated with Boss through previous dealings with Robertson.
Dig, are there any clues, I could look for, that would point to who made this gun.
Thanks
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,544
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,544 |
As to who made it, hard to tell without having the gun to inspect properly and then some reference to historical records would probably be needed to get to teh bottom of it. Firms like AA Brown were making guns for others (like E.J Churchill and Alex Martin), Webley were doing the same, as was Edwinson Green. John Robertson was making (or stocking and finishing) a good number of guns for the London trade at one time.
Many of these guns were started with commonly available barrelled actions and locks supplied from the trade so operationally are often very similar; and difficult to trace to a particular line of production prior to retail.
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