doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Be still, my beating heart ......

The proof marks can be viewed here. It appears that Barnett's may have bought the gun on GI, though I don't know how long ago it was sold there. A friend sent me this link:

https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...irmingham-410---ble.cfm?gun_id=101278939

Originally built as 2 1/2 inch. Re-proofed at 3 inch.

JA is James Asbury barrel makers mark.

A very nice looking Birmingham boxlock but any .410 is of very limited use for me & one as light as this even more so.

I would note that in the GI pictures from Mike Schwandt's listing the bottom plate & trigger plate screws appear to be pristine & properly indexed but in the Barnett listing both screws are slightly buggered up and are slightly out of index so someone who didn't know his way around a screwdriver was in there. That is always a concern to me when looking at a prospective purchase.

That said, I've had a few guns come back with buggered & mistimed screws from some well known gunsmiths that were worse than that.

Joseph Asbury? I’d be willing to wager that the entire gun came out of Asbury’s shop/factory. I’m betting the action is marked “JA” as well.
Or….and this maybe a long shot…..Maybe EM Reilly made this gun for the trade????

I'm pretty sure the Fact Checkers at Snopes, CNN, and MSNBC could verify this... along with signatures on mail-in ballots from Reilly's 300 employees.

Guessing it was only matter of time before someone felt the need to hijack the original post...stay on topic hoss or shut the f... up .

Your right Kieth.

I'm surprised the makee slipped through me mind....it has the O'Rielly fActor all over it.

Kind of extensive tOy don't you think Stan'fOrd....

Yes, JA stands for Joseph (not James) Asbury. My bad, I checked the spelling of the surname but forgot to check I had remembered the right first name.

The date stamp o 1 c on the proof marks is for 1988 and must refer to the later 3” proof test as the o impinges on the / of the 7/8 oz. from the earlier 2 1/2 inch marks. There seems to be an earlier date stamp but I cannot read the detail.

John Ormiston is an interesting character. He was a Director of Holland and Holland, and the chap who bought the case for Denys Finch-Hatton’s double rifle and later found the rifle to go with it.

For more information on him go the Vintage Gun Journal, search Ormiston and you will find a number of articles by or about him.

The Purdy style engraving blinded most.....

Well, I handled the little Morris Saturday, and was offered the opportunity to shoot it , by August. It is a drop dead gorgeous piece with no warts that some thought they could see in the pictures. The heading up is perfect on both sides. The apparent gap that was thought to be on the left side was evidently caused by lighting and camera angle. It is stocked too high, as I knew by the dimensions stated, and has a Pachmayr Old English pad, not a leather covered one as it appeared to me to have in the pics. There was another very similar English .410, a Reece, at CSMC, that Lou allowed me to handle, but with 28" barrels. Very high condition, stocked too high as well, and priced nearly exactly the same. Unbelievably, Robin Hollow has another very nice English hammer .410, a T. Wild, that was in screaming condition, and priced very similarly. I made August an offer on the Morris, but am secretly hoping it won't be accepted. Why?

While talking with Kevin, of Kevin's of Thomasville, about .410 dove guns he handed me a few Polis to mount. One of them caused me to totally rethink my plan about finding the perfect .410 S X S for doves. The other three vintage guns I looked at were way under 5 lbs. which I have learned from experience are difficult to shoot well on doves, and where light weight is not needed for carrying ease. The gun I handled was a 30" barreled .410 Poli built on a 20 ga. frame. Here's where I had to start thinking outside the box a little. My first impression when he opened the gun was, why would anyone want that ............ until I handled it. It weighs either 6.8 lbs. or 6 lbs. 8 oz. (I didn't look too closely at the hang tag) and handles like a dream gun. The extra weight is nearly all in the breech area, where it should be for handling well. He said he can have them made with barrels out to 34" in length. It fit perfect with it's long LOP. The gun is side plated, and has a Woodward semi-pistol grip, which is lovely. It's certainly not an "English gun", but may well be the ideal dove field .410.

I would welcome personal messages or emails from anyone who has had personal experience with Poli S X S guns, for some length of time, and can address reliability. I know Joe Norcom has owned some for years and I have emailed him about having a conversation about his. If you read this Joe, check your emails please.

Best, SRH