had this double rifle left to me and am tring to get some info on it... can anybody help thanks!!
Any pics? I've never heard of a double rifle by O, S & H.
What do you know about it? Tell us as much as you can.
Is it a sidelock or boxlock? How long are the barrels?
Double triggers? Has it been refinished?
Lots and lots of pics are the best way to get info.
OWD
thanks for reply obsessed... i dont know alot about guns but i am learning... boxlock...and 26 inch barrels ... double triggers... and not refinshed i will get mu girlfreind to take pics and have them up tomorrow....thanks again
Henry Joseph Hussey may have been the son or grandson of John Hussey, a barrel borer for John Manton.
Henry Joseph Hussey worked for Holland & Holland, and by 1894 had risen to the position of assistant manager. In that year, he left them in order to join the firm of James Lang in the establishment of a new company, James Lang & Co Ltd.
The performance of the new company was not good, but H J Hussey's performance as a gun fitter impressed the firm's customers and the directors so much that on 17 January 1895 the company was re-named Lang & Hussey Ltd. Over the next 18 months or so, the company's position did not improve significantly. Henry Webley, who was the senior partner in Joseph Lang & Son, suggested that he should invest in Lang & Hussey Ltd and that the two firms should amalgamate but, in fact, what was about to happen was not an amalgamation, it was a take-over.
On 24 June 1898 Lang & Hussey Ltd was put into voluntary liquidation and a new company of the same name was registered. Henry Webley was elected chairman of the new company and Henry J Hussey was appointed managing director on a 10 year contract. Henry Webley and H J Hussey were the only directors who continued with the new company. The staff at Joseph Lang & Son moved to work for Lang & Hussey Ltd, and their shop at 10 Pall Mall was closed. It is worth noting that some guns were stolen during or after transfer to 102 New Bond Street.
In late 1898 H J Hussey fired one of the former Joseph Lang & Son finishers, George F Whitby, in defiance of Henry Webley's instructions; Whitby was reinstated by Henry Webley.
In November 1898 the company's accountants discovered that some of the proceeds from guns which had been auctioned had disappeared. Hussey could not provide a satisfactory explanation and was asked to resign, he left taking all his craftsmen with him; his son, Henry Hugh Hussey who was also employed by the company, was fired a month later.
In 1899 Henry Hussey opened temporary offices at 22 Woodstock Street, New Bond Street, and started to trade with Lang & Hussey Ltd customers. A few months later he registered H J Hussey as a limited company and moved to 81 New Bond Street where he traded variously as H J Hussey Ltd, H J Hussey, and Hussey Ltd (He advertised on the front cover of the Shooting Times as Hussey Ltd in July 1912). A Stanley Wilson was chairman of the company, H H Hussey was certainly an employee, he may have been a director. Lang & Hussey Ltd found out that in his publicity material H J Hussey was referring to his connection with Lang & Hussey in direct contravention of his resignation agreement. He was also, of course, soliciting custom from their customers. They demanded he desist, perhaps he did, but in 1901 they decided that they should break the last connection with H J Hussey by changing the name of Lang & Hussey Ltd to Joseph Lang & Son Ltd. In the period 1913 to 1918 Hussey again referred in his publicity material to his past employment with Lang & Hussey Ltd.
Hussey made "Best" quality guns using "Imperial" as a model name. They used London outworkers, amongst them John Ross, an outworker for Lang & Hussey. H J Hussey Ltd subsequently bought his business thereby ensuring his loyalty. However, H J Hussey Ltd was not able to make profits and in 1905 the chairman offered to sell the company. Nobody was interested.
At about this time H J Hussey opened a shop trading as H J Hussey at 12 Bennett Street, Kings Parade, Cambridge. This shop may have been his insurance against the failure of the London company, and it may have been used to dispose of guns traded-in. It was probably managed by H H Hussey.
From 1909 to 1913 H J or H H Hussey, which is not clear, was recorded trading at 25 Ryder Street in London, but in 1911 H J Hussey Ltd moved to 88 Jermyn Street.
In 1914 H J Hussey Ltd closed and H J Hussey and H H Hussey formed a new company, Hussey & Hussey Ltd, at 88 Jermyn Street. However, when war was declared H H Hussey joined the Army. This did not stop H J Hussey, H H Hussey and John Ross registering two patents on 17 October 1914, one for a selective ejector and the other for a side-bolt locking system, both for O/U guns (patent nos. 21125 and 21126 respectively).
Hussey & Hussey continued trading during the war, but on 31 December 1917 H J Hussey died at the Wellington Inn, Welwyn, Hertfordshire. It appears that he was visiting Lionel Hodges who lived in Welwyn. He was the son of E C Hodges who, at the time, was a director of Henry Atkin Ltd. Henry Atkin Ltd moved into Hussey's shop and workshop at 88 Jermyn Street when Hussey & Hussey ceased trading.
In 1919 H H Hussey joined Claude Edward Harrison, formerly manager of the Cogswell & Harrison shop at 141 New Bond Street, to form Harrison & Hussey Ltd at 41 Albemarle Street. H H Hussey managed the production side of the business and Claude Harrison ran the shop and office. The company leased the Wimbledon Shooting Grounds at Worcester Park from William Watson and re-named them the Albemarle Shooting Grounds. In 1921 H H Hussey resigned to open a gun department at the fishing tackle business of Ogden Smiths at 62 St James's Street.
Claude Harrison appears to have continued the Harrison & Hussey business with his son, Edward Richie Harrison, and William Howe who was workshop manager. The firm appears to have bought guns in-the-white, some were over / under guns made in Germany. Claude died on 20 June 1928 leaving the company to his wife, Lena, but in December 1929 Stephen Grant & Joseph Lang Ltd and Herbert Beesley bought some of the work-in-progress, the remaining stock and equipment was sold to the trade. In August 1930 Stephen Grant & Joseph Lang Ltd bought the name and goodwill of the company, the lease on the premises was taken over by Boss & Co Ltd, and the Albemarle Shooting Grounds were re-named the Worcester Park Shooting Grounds.
In 1921 H H Hussey left Harrison & Hussey to join Ogden Smiths in Ogden Smiths & Hussey Ltd. Ogden Smiths were fishing tackle manufacturers at 62 St James's Street, but they may have also occupied 27 St James's Street at some time. The company had branches in the City of London, Croydon and Brighton for short periods of time.
The fishing tackle and shooting business of Ogden Smiths was transferred to a new partnership, Ogden Smiths & Hussey. In 1925 the company offered to buy Joseph Lang & Son Ltd but their offer of £3000 was refused.
H H Hussey died on 22 July 1929.
Ogden Smiths & Hussey Ltd appears to have closed in 1933.
H J Hussey Ltd sold Eley's Ejector cartridges. As Hussey & Hussey Ltd they sold cartridges under the name "The Times", and as Harrison & Hussey Ltd they sold the "Albermarle", the "Curzon", the "Grafton" and the "Stafford Deep Shell".
Pete
Wow - Pete, that's more info than I've ever seen about the Husseys.
Thanks for sharing.
BTW: Jaquas has an H.J. Hussey 12g hammergun on their site. It has 30" bbls and it's pretty rough.
I know of at least one other H.J. Hussey hammergun - a 12g with 31" bbls, once owned by Gene Hill.
OWD
So we know that the gun had to have been made some time between 1921 and 1933. It was most likely to have been produced in London, though Birmingham should not be ruled out.
Because they were selling their own brand of cartridges, the gun is likely chambered for them. Do a chamber cast to be 100% sure of the chambering. You can use cerrosafe or bee's wax for the cast.
Post pictures of the proof marks.
Have a good gunsmith who knows these old double rifles take a good look at it. They will be able to properly clean the action and should have a bore scope to inspect the barrels.
Pete
Good morning, Thanks for the info. I sent you pics last night did you get them?
Pete thanks for the info. Would it be alright to send you pics?
Yes it would be OK. I did not get any email from you. You can send them to:
movie@damascus-barrels.comPete
Pete I have tried e mailing you pics and your address comes back returned. Do I have the whole thing?
Send an email, nothing attached.
Pete