Just have had a further revelation as to how good these guys were at the turn of the century. Late last year I acquired an Evans Paradox in wonderful original condition. It has the barely discernable rifling which runs straight except for the last five inches of so with accelerating twist. It is marked for a 750 gr paradox bullet with a cordite charge. It is proved for 2.5 " 1 1/8 shot loads.
It took it to the clays range and and broke 40. Seems to throw nice even modified patterns of 7.5's. I then mailed it off to a friend in oregon who is a real expert on these things. He uses a copy of the original paradox bullet, loads them in a paper case atop a fiber wad column and an equivilent load of unique to match the early cordite. The thing shoots a perfectly centered four shot, sub three inch l/r group at 100 yards over open sights! What an amazing weapon. And built in 1899.
I'll take it as my second gun to the Caprivi next summer. Has to be cool to sit at a waterhole and take a bunch of doves and a warthog with the same double.
