doublegunshop.com - home Forums Thread Like Summary - Wm EVANS - London Boxlock

Years ago a cased Wm. Evans sidelock passed through my hands to Ian Nixon a member of this board.

This one, on the other hand, I'm keeping: a 1901 Wm Evans full rose and scroll boxlock with original condition - #56XX







Thanks to this board and all who, over the years, taught me about shotguns and encouraged my pursuit old double guns. Cheers!

I noted that the conversation went dead when the Evans was understood not to be a pristine, 120 year old virgin piece, but rather was once a very broken item. There are two wood dowels and three pins visible along the right side of this gun stock.



Please give me a moment to give you my perspective. I once had the privilege of watching a highly regarded craftsman, Arthur Troth repair a 1899 Savage rifle one Canadian morning that had also been broken at the wrist. When Arthur snapped the remaining slivers of wood that held the stock together my heart stopped. I bit my lip when he broke the bent metal of the butt plate clean as a whistle. Conversely, when he pinned the pieces back together again with hidden dowels and metal rods to reinforce the area, I marvelled. I was watching a master at his craft with numerous areas of expertise. After he touched up the points of checkering and blended in the new finish with the century old varnish to cover his practiced hand, I began to get a glimpse of the alchemy I had witnessed.

Similarly, seeing a Japanese master practice the art of "kintsugi", the repairing the treasured rice bowl as it were, leaves me in awe. I am a man climbing in years, of limited means but with deep appreciation of great workmanship from another age.

Thus I'm thrilled to own an example of a working firearm from a bygone age that is not only an example of the British high art of gun-making but hides the expertise of the master gun restorer. The pristine ones can remain unfired in collections and museums. This one is going bird hunting!

The "dull, grey, case-colored finish" that Olgrouser refers to is very likely to be what remains after 120-years (115 in this case) of service. The much-harder blued components remain very much as they were, but the case-hardened metal has worn and softened to a dull silver, with hints of color remaining in the deeper parts of the engraving and perhaps some of the more-protected metal under the forend. I have come to expect it, especially on a workhorse such as this gun. You can have a gun like this refinished by re-case coloring and rebluing the furniture, but why? When I see a gun like this one redone in that fashion (tarted-up?), I immediately wonder if there were issues that are being concealed. Even with proper care over the years, good, honest wear is to be expected and even...appreciated.








Note the absence of drop points and intercepting sear pins on this gun, and only 5 years "newer" than your Evans. Most likely evidence of this Birmingham sourced W. Richards being considered a "good" gun at the time, with the London-sourced Evans being a "best" gun.

No merit to that theory imo. A highly polished surface is more resistant to corrosion, as is a hardened one. Bores were also subject to corrosive elements, in-the-white, most not as highly polished as one would think, and relatively soft.