doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Information about a Charles Boswell underlever?

The Charles Boswell underlever hammer gun with Damascus barrels I purchased at the Amoskeag auction arrived today and I'm interested in learning anything anyone would be able to provide me. It does have the 126 Strand Street, London address on it, but the serial number on the barrels, receiver, forend and lever are all 39XX

I can not trace any records for a serial # in the 3900 range. Apparently the only existing records start some time after that number.
Best guess (from Nigel Brown's British Gunmakers) is that some guns were started at the original Edmonton address but finished at The Strand which would be post 1883 or 1884 when serial numbers were up around the 12000 mark.
The proof marks might give you a better indication

Using Vol 1 of Nigel Brown's British Gunmakers it has Proofs L2, which is very faint, L3 (I think) and beneath L3 the letters CL.

Above the L2 proof it has 12 and there MAY be another proof on the left barrel, but even under bright light and a magnifying glass, nothing could be made out.

The barrel flats are maked only with C.Boswell, the rib is marked "Charles Boswell Maknr (Maker?? although it is clearly an 'n') 126 Strand Street, London W.C.

There are no markings on the watertable other then the serial number.

While I remain curious about the history of the gun, in the end, I like it and that's the most important thing.

I have never heard of The Strand being called Strand Street but its many years since I have seen a Boswell gun of any description so perhaps that is how they were marked.
If you like the gun thats the main thing.

I have a Jones underlever, non-rebounding 12 back action hammer gun SN 2296. The rib reads "Charles Boswell Maker Edmonton London N." The non-rebounding hammers pre-date Stanton rebounding locks. The wedge forend predate the Deeley-Edge forend of 1874. Later guns I have seen used Stanton patent locks and Deeley-Edge patent latches. I place my gun in the early 1870s. It is the earliest Boswell I've seen.

I also have a big Boswell 10 ga. sidelock hammer 32" Damascus. It has the same address on the rib. The serial number is 7016. That is later than your gun, but remember made and sold dates could vary widely. My 10 has a proud engraving on the top lever, "Patent Cam Direct DBL Bolt 3718-1877" I assume this is the 3718th use of the Purdey patent double bolt in 1877. Patents had protection for 14 years. I guess it could also be read as the 3718th use of the patent in some year up until the patent expired in 1891. It also has patent use on the forend latch, Deeley & Edge (protected 1874-1888) Perhaps our UK friends can clarify. I am taking the Boswell 10 to the Southern to compete in the hammer 10.

I also have a very old label:
C. Boswell
Gun and Pistol Maker
Upper Edmonton,
Near London

Chris Batha has Boswell records starting about 1899. He should be at the Southern as well.

Hope it helps,
Joe in Charlotte

That was very helpful, mine also has the wedge forend and non-rebounding hammers. That makes my Boswell almost certainly the oldest gun own.

Living in the People's Republic of Connecticut, I'm thinking the Spring Southern is a bit too far for me to attend, especially since I've just spend quite a bit of disposable money picking up 3 British hammer guns in the past 6 weeks or so. No more Internet auctions for me for a while!!!