doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Looking for a project - suggestions?

Related to the "brought home a clunker" thread - I've been looking for a project gun for several years. I got serious about this a few years back and someone smarter than me talked me out of it. I realize the many reasons why this is a bad idea and how much money can be sunk into one of these projects - however I can't shake the desire to do a restoration.

Requirements - I want an English double gun - barrel length between 28 and 30 inches. 12, 16, or 20 gauge. Not looking for a London "best" gun but certainly something worth the money and effort to restore. A Westley Richards, Dickson, Grant, Atkin, Powell, Evans, etc. Looking for something that needs work - including barrel work and restocking. Something that I can do little by little over time. The other requirement which will likely get me banned from this forum - I want a single trigger. Anybody seen anything like this while lurking around?

if you are patient and watch gunbroker you will find your project. i have 2 in progress right now a fine belgium hammer gun and a high end german back action hammer gun both off of gunbroker under $400 each. regards bob [pittsboro n.c.]

This is a little outside your specs, but something you might be interested in. It's a 16 ga French guild sxs that comes in at or a little under 6 lb. I had bought it but the seller took it back and refunded my money when my smith confirmed my suspicion that the pitting was too severe, esp since there was a deep one just downstream from the left chamber. The buttstock is good - nice French walnut - could use a freshening on the finish, but it looked uncut. The forend is a bit rough - wear, not fit. The barrels are like a bad dirt road - my best guesstimate was someone shot it back in corrosive primer days and didn't clean it (properly). Nice engraving (looks WWI-era, from the style), not overdone, and sculpted balls with sideclips. Swamped rib. The screws were almost uniformly unbuggered. Lockup was tight and solid and I saw no daylight between barrels and receiver when I looked at it and felt no wiggle with or without the forend in place. Fit me well and pointed like a finger.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=218700980
http://www.craggfirearms.com/Products---Used.html

This is one you could rebarrel (you can get barrels from Numrich, though the equipment and labor are another matter) and come out with a nice, light, lithe Frenchie to take along for whatever upland walk strikes your fancy. I didn't want to deal with the pain and suffering of a project gun (a few years back I went through rehabbing a pre-war Payne fly rod and once was enough), nor the cost of having someone do it. If you're set up for barrel work, this would be one up your alley, though a challenge b/c of the swamped rib and consequent tight tolerances.

I'm posting this b/c the guy who sold it to me (and took it back) played straight and was a through and through gentleman. He deserves respect for that.

If you don't want it, maybe someone else reading this will. It was just too nice a gun to toss.

Where were you two weeks ago. I just recently got a Lang 12 bore hammer gun. Sleeved barrels, wood extension, fore arm needing some TLC. Received it in not so good condition with rust on the barrels.
Rest of gun in pretty good condition. My friend has it down in Apex re-rust blueing the barrels and trying to fix the fore arm. I would have probably sold it and took a loss.

Thanks Mike - I would prefer a gun without external hammers and with steel barrels. Say something from the early 1900's through the depression years.

You said English gun and single trigger in the same post. That's like looking for a pimple on Catherine Zeta-Jones' behind. It may be possible to find one, but it'll cost you plenty. On the other hand, it may be really fun.

Not a pimple (single trigger) but it's a project for sure.


http://www.griffinhowe.com/sgmoreinfo.cfm

While you're on the Griffin site, check out that Beez single trigger.

Thanks Chuck - the Beesley is exactly what I'm looking for. I just wish it was $5-10K and needed work instead of $27K and almost perfect still. Still a very nice gun though and I'll think about.

I have a 12 William Evans BLE with a single trigger, first one I ever owned. The trigger is not selective, the chokes are I/C x I/C. Made in 1925.
Mike

Sounds like a very nice gun Mike - if you ever part with it let me know.