I have a Charles Boswell 12 ga, 2 1/2" chamber, 30" Damascus barrels. I'm trying to decipher the proof marks but that's a new area for me. If i can figure out how to post pics I will. Until then are there any books that explain the markings?
Also, this is there is not an address on the rib like I've seen on other doubles. Is there a way to tell if they are replacements?
Yes, there are ways to determine if a gun has replacement barrels that were taken from another gun. Not as easy in all cases to determine if the barrels were new "made to fit" the gun as a replacement. Let me give you an example of what I recently saw of a set of barrels that had been taken from another gun. The gun was a Purdey island lock hammer gun of 1860's vintage that was claimed to be a pin fire conversion to center fire, but the damascus barrels did not show any signs of pin fire origins. The barrels were clearly to my mind a set of scam non-Purdey barrels: (1) wrong style of damascus pattern for the 1860's Purdey--should be 2 or 3 iron English made damascus barrels, not Belgium made damascus barrels; (2) the barrel flats were too short and did not go the full length of the action flats; (3)the gun had a Deeley & Edge lever fore-end---should have been a cross pin fore-end as the Londgon gun makers did not begin using Anson push button or Deeley & Edge lever fore-ends until 1875 and to my knowledge Purdey never used the Deeley & Edge style; (4)the barrels rib did not center to the action shield and the barrels did not fit the width of the action properly; the fore-end did not fit the action knuckle properly.
As to new barrels made for your gun. Usually a new set of barrels will have proof marks of a time much later time than the gun action was made. Also unusual for a set of new replacement barrels to be of damascus. However, there were new damascus barrels in gunmakers shop sitting and collecting dust for decades.
Is your gun a hammergun?
Kind Regards;
Stephen Howell
