doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Army & Navy CSL identification help:

Hello,

I came across an Army & Navy CSL double at auction several months ago and happened to land it at a reasonable price. The left hammer spur broke at some point in the past, and while a valiant attempt was made to fashion a fix by a previous owner, the hammer will need replacing. I have Blackley & Son in Scotland looking for a suitable pair of 30mm hammers in their stocks, so that shouldn't be an issue. It's a beautiful gun, probably the nicest in my growing collection thus far, but I am having trouble determining who made the gun for the CSL. I know that W&C Scott & Son, Westley Richards, and others all made guns for A&N, and A&N acted as agents for even some of the best of the Best Guns makers. This particular one is a sidelock non-ejector with Siemens Steel barrels featuring London proofs, though it does not feature a nitro proof, which I found quite interesting. It is chambered for 2-1/2 shells. It features some beautiful engraving, a treble bite with a doll's head extension and bolt, W. Anson marked and serialized forend latch system, and hammers that interlock with the latch, preventing the gun from being opened while the hammers are cocked. The double triggers are sprung for balance (with the sidelocks removed, the triggers drop to the rear under spring pressure. Lastly, the butt features steel toe and heel caps, with the middle featuring the classic English checkered wood butt. Removing the lockplates reveals a bridle resembling an embellished cursive D. The only markings on the inside of the lockplates is a single number '1' or possibly letter 'I' (eye) on each plate (left and right). Any help in establishing a provenance would be appreciated. The serial number is 9501.

Edit: Using Google Lens, it looks like the locks were made by Joseph Brazier (who I know made a lot of locks for everyone from the trade gun makers to the best of the London Best makers). That said, they did have a relationship with Westley Richards in the late 1800s, which allowed them to manufacture A&D actions. Still, I know just enough to give a lot of conjecture, but not enough to be rock-solid in narrowing down a maker.

Here are some images to see if they help:









Thanks in advance!