I read your letters and note the comments about "Sleeving"the Vintage Guns...I like the term "New Barrels by the Sleeving Method. I had a "Go Round" with my Old (Now deceased writing partner')about that term, I insisted that once the old tubes had been cut off at aprox 4", the stubs bored out to take the NEW turned-down barrels then fitted to the 'Stubs, the Breech-Ends of the barrels were "Blacked-Down' to the action face,so the NEW-Tubes were in fact touching the Action just the same as if they were a complete new set of Barrels. We,(Technicana Twins) wrote an artical in SSMag with Photos and Tech.Info.from Foster & Co.(From the "Not so merrie anymore Island") When the work was done to the high standards we aimed to achieve, we often had to take the barrels from the action to show that the tubes had been "Added". I always had the LONDON Proof house do the Proofing, (Just made them 'tast'better) I have recently finished Restocking back to original'specs' & totally filing-out all the original engraving from the Action,Trigger-plate,Trigger-Guard.but left the Lock-plates as the engraving was still Good. I was just part of the "Restoration Team".The Barrels had been 'Sleeved" in Brum by Westley Richards back,in the late 1960s. The weight was incredible, I had Team Member Kirk Merrington "Strike off close to 3 ozs". Then Ron Collins engraved, Name, Address, and original Small-scroll at the Barrel Breeches, Abe Chaber Polished and Rust Blacked the Barrels,They now look "NEW". I hope to write up the whole story for one of the Glossies' How a team of 'Dirty-Handed Gunsmiths. Hundreds of miles apart managed to save a Fred Beesley 12b, 2nd mod,Self-Opener that had been "Junked" somewhere in MO. and now can pass as a "Minty" aprox c.1892 Restored "Classic". Julias auction March 4th sold an all Original. CC.
