doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Another unexpected mechanism

I was stripping a nice but apparently ordinary 20b toplever hammergun today only to find a very rare bolting mechanism inside.
First clue was a pin where there should not be one.



Then a breech pin that was inaccessible without removing the toplever.
Inside was a delight of a mechanism: a V spring working through a stirrup to actuate a lever pivoting on the mystery pin mentioned above, which in turn operates a Purdey Bolt.









The patent seems to be SB Allport's own (the maker of this gun) no 3518 of 1872 and it is illustrated in Crudgington & Baker's book The British Shotgun Vol. 2 p.41.
The action itself is stamped TBF under the trigger plate, you can see it in one of the the photos below. Probably the actioner, I would love to know whose initials they are if anybody has a clue.

Nice little gem there. Very pretty clean internals!

I'd guess Ford & Thomas Ford of 121 Soho Road in the hopes his middle initials was B???


Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Interesting if you look at it form the point of view of both a design to get around other's patents or as the possible forerunner of the cam lever we are more familiar with . I have never seen the likes in actuality so it must rank along many other failed/unsuccessful or quickly superseded mechanisms which were being churned out in the 1870's .
Main problem or reason for its failed adoption into common usage would be it has to many parts so it more costly and complex .It looks more like the work of a lock maker to me.

Heer Der Neue Stockel shows gunmaker
Ford T, Birmingham/GB, erw 1857-64. Alma Pl, Victoria rd, Aston New Town

m-4

An action filer / actioner named Thomas Ford was active to at least circa 1880.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse