Doing some research on a gun I am purchasing and noticed in the W&C Scott History that there is an anomaly in the early numbers I hadn't noticed. Numbers 1 to 1000 are the 1865-1868 guns. The 1000-2000 numbers are the 1868-1871 guns. They then start single year assignments so that 2000-3000 are all 1871. However, the numbers starting at 10,000 have different starting dates. 10,000 -11,000 are 1878, but the 11,000 are 1866, 12,000 are 1867-1868 etc. This continues through the 20,000 numbers and then becomes sequential through 1896.
For instance, an 1871 gun could have a 2000 number or a 15000 number, an 1876 gun could have a 7000 or a 21000 number, etc.
Does anyone know the reason for this? Were different ranges assigned to guns according to grade, proof house or something else? Proofhouse might make sense, but they generally offered three grades not two. One possibility would be that the base grades had one series and the A and Bgrades another. American makers had systems like this depending on gauge, model etc, but I have never seen this mentioned pertaining to Scott.
Firstly, the S/N list is very approximate as Scott was building 2000 guns per year, which is a pretty astounding rate of production of handmade guns in a year's time, but they were the biggest English gunmaker. Secondly, the muzzleloaders were produced concurrently with the breechloaders from the late 1860's on and each type was numbered in a 1-10000 range, so you could have two different guns, one a ML and one a breechloader, with the same S/N. Regards, Sandlapper
No muzzleloaders. One is a light waterfowl single 8 gauge (which wasn't even catalogued at the time). It is a B grade as near as I can tell with a true single shot action action and a bar lock and high grade Damascusbarrels. The one I am recieving appears to be a C grade double 10 gauge with back action locks and Laminate barrels, but marked W&C Scott on the locks and tang. It looks very lightly built in the pictures and I am anxious to weigh it. These guns are less than 200 apart in serial number (in the latter part of the 2000 range) and are listed as 1871 manufacture. Surprisingly, both carry the 10 Great Castle address. This is odd for a couple of reasons. According to the book, they used this address starting in 1872 to denote A and B grade guns. This would fit for the single if it were numbered in 1871 but finished in 1872. The double, I believe, is obviously a grade C but has much nicer wood than a normal C grade along with the Scott marked locks. The only thing I can see that would explain this address inscription is that the book says C grades that were "specials" were marked this way. When I get the gun, I am going to weigh the gun and measure the barrels to see it is possibly a specially made upland gun that was made in 10 gauge with the different locks and wood. That may even be true for the 8 gauge that came out of Boston (I would presume an early Wm. Reed order in their first year as importer.) Given that it is a very rare model and made in 1871 and is a 9 pound 8 gauge, it would likely have also been a custom order.
Sounds like you've got a pretty good handle on the situation, but you can see anything and everything with Scott guns. I think they would build you anything you wanted within reason. For example, I had a Premier hammer gun circa 1875 with no engraving other than the name and address, but the rib stated it was a Premier. Found out later that pogeon shooters would order a top grade model sans engraving to get the best quality wood, barrels and workmanship. Second example is a 12 bore Premier Boxlock in the 1895 era, that had every feature you could think of incorporated in it. I corresponded with Dr. Crawford about it, and he asked Pat Whatley, then W&S manager, about it. Crawford said Whatley told him Scott never made anything like that, but I've even heard of an Imperial Premier 10 gauge boxlock double.