Damascus,
I agree completely with your view that too many old guns like mine are being destroyed from their original purpose. I'm probably part of the problem because I'm a shooter not a collector. I intend to pass shoot doves with my old Purdey.
I'm fortunate because my old gun is almost totally original...only the barrels have been touched. Even the stock may not even have been refinished.
I wanted to tell you I've been emailing back and forth with Purday to find out what the number "1" on the hook and the lug are for. Purdey researched this subject. The barreled action was made as a pair and put in Purdey stock. This barreled pair was made in 1869. When an order came in for one gun it was finished and shipped as a single gun to its original owner in May of 1870. Purdey told me making barreled action in sets was very common during this period because demand was high. I know you've done a lot of research on your own Purdey. I'm trying to find out something about the original owner W. S. Winans. I'm going to research on the Great Britain census data closest to 1870 to see if I wan find W. S. Winans.
Question: Will the British proof houses tell me the name of the person who reproofed my gun in London in 1980? I'm sure you've likely asked for the same information on you gun. I look forward to hearing from you regarding this. The research project continues. I hope I can find out more about the history of this gun because I believe that Purdey probably made just 100-200 thumbbreak action shotguns in their history.
Thanks. Bob
