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I have this Webley and Scott 20 gauge, and assume it in a Model 700, but it is just better than the handful of 700s I have had and have now. It is a 3-inch 20 ga, 5# 14 oz, 28" barrel, 14 5/8" lop to a checkered butt. Wood is better than the others I have had. It was imported by Service Armament in the 1970s. What can you tell me from the spec's and pictures, Thanks, Daryl

Parabola, the serial number from the Whatley and Crawford book dates it made in 1970.

It is a 700. I have a 12 ga 700 from approximately the same era & imported by Service Armament that has very nice wood, checkering &very nice execution of the basic 700 model engraving. It always seemed to me that the Service Armament imported guns were just a bit nicer for a given grade. I don't know if this was the era of production or if Service Armament held W & S to a higher standard.

Recoil. one barrel set is 30 inches with improved cylinder & three-quarter choking. Second barrel set 28 inches with quarter and full choke.

Just as an afterthought this 700 is one of the very early 1950's Webley & Scott offerings possibly from one of the first batches. These very early guns where given the not so kind name "plain Janes" and in truth they are as basic as they come in looks with their fence post wood stock and twenty eight inch barrels though their weight balance and handling for an off the peg gun is as good as it gets, I can still carry this gun for a day in the field quite comfortably.

This 700 12 bore twin barrel set was heading across the pond but the exporter got cold feet so I became the lucky owner. the case was not part of the package I just refitted a leather case of the same age as the gun. I do think that the stock was a little better quality than the normal run of the mill 700's.

If you see a rack of 700's the engraving can vary quite a bit in quality. Always the same basic style but dependent on when it was done and by whom. 20 bore versions command a fairly good premium over their 12 bore counterparts here in the U.K. Rare to see 3" chambers so maybe a special order export model. I for one wouldn't like to fire heavy 3" cartridges through it as the recoil would be quite fierce I should think. Lagopus......

As I recall and please forgive me but it was 50 plus years ago and memories are bit hazy about some specific details. The 720's were made specifically for the US and had 3" chambers .Thats 3" standard not 3" magnum .These would all be with 26" barrels which at the time every one wanted .
The 728's had 25" barrels with engine turned flat ribs .

Engraving did vary as W&S had to out source some of this as the engraving shop did not have the capacity to fill the order for the contract completion date as the original initial order was for all the guns to be delivered as one shipment .

The rest of that saga is another thing altogether .

I would like to add that the very early 700's made for the British market had 2 1/2 inch chambers though quickly changed to 2 3/4 inch. The gun in the second photograph of my post the "plain Jane" is one such 700 having 2 1/2 inch chambers.

Few Americans buying a gun that was marked for 3” ammunition would realize that it might not necessarily be magnum proofed.

From what I’ve seen, you are mostly wasting your time trying to tell them that fact, as well. You would have to go back many years to reference an American ammunition that was loaded to non magnum specification in a 3” hull.

Thank you, Graham.

Best,
Ted