I have an old double hammer gun marked W Richards. It carries pre 1887 Birmingham proof marks. It is stamped 14 on both bbls. Idoes not have the B & M marks nor does it carry the Not For Ball marking. It also has a 12ga chamber. I do not know what current British rules are but At the time this gun was proofed there was no prohibition to proofing it as marked & chambered. The bore was simply marked as to the largest Gage which would enter the bore a distance of 9", The proof charge selected according to gauge of the bore & put into whatever shell the gun was chambered for in the definitive proof. The provisional proof was done prior to the bbl being chambered. Remember also that prior to 1887 there were no in-between sizes. A bbl stamped 14 simply means it would accept the .693 gage, but not a .710" one. It could in fact have measured .7095" & still have been stamped as a 14.
This gun which I have is in such poor condition I consider it only as a wall hanger, but prior to me getting it the previous owner kept it "Loaded" with 2 3/4" "High Brass" 4's. That's a
3 3/4DE- 1ĽOz load such as a Super X, Express, HiPower etc.
It does have twist bbls & 2 5/8" chambers.
