Originally Posted By: Chicago

These journal pages have 17 columns of entry and none are terribly definitive. The actual description of the gun reads "1 W&R 4th S.E. extra 16/28 Steel to match Purdey Gun (2 gold ovals)." There is a notation column that reads "16 Bore 2-28 bore, GBP 30, Hless EJECTOR Plain Fences to Purdey Gun, P/extra best stock. There is additional notation that is hard to make out but does mention 14 10oz. There is also a column for Finished. Most read W&S and some read either Osb or Ozb.


The best place to start with the A&N journals is the "finished" column. That's who built the gun. Knowing who built it will help you make more sense of the description. "W&S" is Webley & Scott, so it's going to be a Webley & Scott model. "W&R 4th S. E." refers to the trade maker's model, not Army & Navy's, and means it's Webley's W&R Model (Webley & Rogers) 4th grade sidelock ejector. If you look farther to the left, you'll also find a column for "barrel number" (IIRC) which is the maker's serial number, as opposed to A&N's. Webley did number the guns they built for the trade. You should find this number on the barrels, usually somewhere around or on the fore-end loop. On double rifles, this was on the left side of the fore-end loop itself after 1906, and on the key rib prior to that. I research the Webley built double rifles, but have done little on the shotguns, so I can't remember exactly where it will be on those, but it's always there.

"Osb" in the "Finished by" column refers to Charles Osborne, who also built shotguns and double rifles for Army & Navy.


"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."