doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Jeffery/Leonard

In his book "Birmingham Gunmakers" Douglas Tate mentions the connection between the London based W J Jeffery and the Birmingham gunmaker(s)Daniel Leonard and Sons in that the latter built many guns with the former's name on them.

One of "the sons", Harry Leonard, continued the trade. Tate syas that "a signature feature of many of his guns and rifles was a bow back to the action that Jeffery called a 'shaped action' in his catalog".

In Vol 13 iss 3 Sherman Bell cites Tate's book and also goes on to mention "the asymmetrical bow back, most commonly found on the actions of best-grade Jeffery double rifles".

For the last 20 years my main upland gun is a Jeffery 12 bore apparently built by Harry Leonard (sold by Jeffery in 1909) as it has the bow back, shaped action.

It's a great gun. In fact it's a very great gun, I love it. The wood is mildly figured, the gun's aesthetic appeal doesn't figure into it's quality, as far as I'm concerned. Rather, it's quality to me shows in that it handles beautifully, is dependable in all kinds of weather and takes a beating without crying OUCH!

Now, if Bell says the bow back is a hallmark of best-grade Jeffery rifles, does he also think it is likewise true for Jeffery shotguns? Where could he have gotten this information? Tate's thorough discussion never hints at this.

Question: Is the aforementioned bow back action a sign of a best-grade Jeffery gun?

Please understand that the impetus for writing this post is curiosity, not greedy "WOW! HIGH VALUE = BIG BUCKS gotta sell!" designs. Merely something that I happened to notice this morning while re-reading old DGJ's.

Boothroyd mentions the Jeffery No. 5 being sold as a best boxlock shotgun. I owned a No. 5 built by Harry Leonard. It was beautiful.

I have one, dunno what it is..I have one picture of it here in Mexico, gun is still in USA. Maybe I can get Mr. Wood to post it for me, and someone will tell me about it..Mine is a 16 Bore under 6 lbs..lovely lil gun

Thank you for the information, GJZ. I never even knew it was assigned a Model number.

Yes, my gun is indeed beautiful, the lines are svelte and the balance and handling are just superb. I didn't mean to sound like I was denigrating my gun. I just mentioned the wood, while mildly figured, is not of the quality one usually associates with "bests", which added to my wondering if the gun was indeed considered one.

I'll check my Boothroyd books tonight. It's odd that I forgot about him, his books used to be my sole reference for English doubles.

Last Dollar, who is basking in the sun in Baja, asked me to post this photo for him:

That is not a Jeffery bow back gun.

I knew that, but thanks anyhow..like I said a few lines ago, I would like any info on it That anyone wants to volunteer..And no, I cant post any more pics of it until I get back to the United States, if I come back at all...

Stealing this thread for your own personal gains you lowdown bandito?

No, just thought someone could comment on the wee jeff. FYI: I am NOT a lowdown Bandito, I am a Highclass Bandito...

Looks like it could be a Webley and Scott gun. Leonard made excellent quality guns and you are fortunate to have one. I have two Jeffery's, one, a 12 bore hammer pigeon gun by the Midland Gun Co. and a 16 bore boxlock ejector that is fine quality but as yet I have failed to discern who made it. Lagopus.....

How about a picture of a bow back Jeffery ? I've had a couple of their high end sidelocks, but cannot "see" a bow back.

This is a waterfowler; the No.5 has better engraving and a banner on the action sides that says "W.J. Jeffery Ltd." on the top and "London" underneath it.

JoeZ, thanks for the picture of a nice gun. Is this a "bow back" ?

Yes, a signature design of Leonard-built guns.

JoeZ, is that the little curve in the wood and receiver butt joint. If there are more curves, is that called a fancy back ?

Yes, that curve toward the fence and its return can also be called a fancy back. There are no other stylistic curves on the action. Tate's book on Birmingham guns includes a picture of a Leonard-made gun that carries the maker's name. My 12-g gun, with 28-inch barrels, weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces.

I REALLY have to get up to date and learn how to post a picture. I'll ask my wife to help me out and see if we can't get a few pix of this gun.

Wish me luck - Marc

ps - Many Thanks, lagopus. It really is a wonderful handling gun (30" barrels, quite a bit cast on). Very interesting and nice to know it's led a secret life all these years (secret at least to me!)

Daryl - One thing I forgot to mention (but by now you no doubt have figured out) is that the distinctive bow back referred to is on a boxlock action exclusively.

But you raise a new question: How does one know whether their Jeffery sidelock was crafted by Leonard? Is there something in the gun's design that would "tip the hand"?

I remember when the gun came up for sale. There was discussion about it on the 16 gauge society page. The price was fairly low, raising eyebrows. If you bought it at or below the listed price, you did very well. Gil

Kid, for some reason I was thinking of sidelocks, when bow back was brought up. I am not sure about the verifying of the Leonard source, but some guns can be found in the Jeffery records, but I don't know the extent of the information. Here are a couple of Jeffery sidelocks. The upper is an 1896 gun and the lower a few years later.

Beautiful guns both, Daryl. According to Nigel Brown's records, my Jeffery/Leonard is from 1909.

I've GOTTA get my camera/PC skills together!

Do it!

Kid and others. Just ask if you have PC/photo questions. If I can do it, anyone can. Daryl