Look at the proof marks on the bottom ot the barrels. If there is an ELG in an oval with a crown over it, it is a Belgian gun. Thousands and thousand of cheap Belgian guns were imported to North America from 1880 to WW-I, by big jobbers such as H&D Folsom. Many were marked with names that sort of sounded like well known makes of quality guns, in this case Wesley Richards.
W. Richards from 121 Years Ago (m) -- Back in 1889 the magazine Forest and Stream was doing a series of pattern and penetration tests of various shotguns available to the American shooting public in each issue. For the September 26 issue they decided to take a break from the Greener, Scott, L.C. Smith, Winchester Model 1887, Colt, Remington, etc., and test H & D Folsom's cheapest doubles. Here is a brief quote of what they had to say --
“...but the mean grade gun of no name. "W. Richards," that nonentity in the gun trade, was stamped on the plate, but they were really only those cheap bits of ordnance which come through our custom houses, pay a duty of 40 per cent., and yet may be placed on the counters of the gun shop at $5 a piece. The Forest and Stream has already in past times expressed its opinion about these pestiferous products of the penurious population clustered on Belgian soil.”
Take that H & D Folsom!!!
