doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com New Lindner

I bought a Lindner yesterday on Gunbroker after wanting one for a while. Probably gave too much but I'm not getting any younger. Actually it is one I hadn't seen for sale before. I read somewhere on the board, but can't find it now, a reference to a list being put together to document the earlier guns. I thought some one may know the link I am quoting. I would like to report the details and see if the gun was already listed or had any known history.

It is a 12 gauge Lindner Daly with a scalloped action, carved fences, no side clips with a crossbolted extension. Engraving is floral; no animals. Stocks in decent shape and an excellant quality of burl and black streaking. Nice checkering. The barrels are 28" Damascus with prominent pattern showing. Chokes Mod and Full. Top and bottom ribs are fancy laminate. Gun has ejectors. Stock is 1-3/8 x 2-7/8 x 14-1/8. Deeley forend latch with a wood wedge. 2-5/8" chambers. Proofs show HAL over pistols, serial number 969, barrels marked 1177. PRUSSIA marked on water table.

The gun weighs 6 # 3 oz. THe top rib is marked Charles Daly Fine Damascus Bbls Featherweight.

I am guessing from the research I have been doing that this is a Model 185 Featherweight, circa 1900-1901. The condition seems to be solid and presentable but needs a very good cleaning including maybe a good sonic cleaning session. (I have a 25" deep double frequency tank that can do a whole gun including barrels as long as they are run twice with reversing.) I don't have a photo hosting account right now, but you can view the auction pictures at www.gunbroker.com/item/936048750 .

I would appreciate any comment on the gun and if my assumed pedrigree is close. Has there been any record of this gun that anyone is aware of, and is the featherweight designation an uncommon model?

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a beautiful gun. You have found a treasure. Everything about it is wonderful quality. The barrels are very top quality forging work. Even the triggers are filed and formed to best quality standards and just look at the exceptional wood. With that light weight and barrel length it must handle and swing like a dream.

We all envy you. What ever you paid is not too much.

Kindest Regards;
Stephen Howell

I think that was a good buy. Lot of drop at the heel, guys tell me they can shoot that. Lovely wood, I think you can splurge for a new pad.

I really hope you are going to use the gun. Maybe not for chopping at pheasants in sub-zero temps or in freezing rain, but, some use, anyway. Much too fine to be a safe qween . As you point out, you aren’t getting any younger.

Enjoy.

Best,
Ted

Beautiful gun, I was watching it myself. I have a 1908 185 fluid steel barrels and yours just looked better and was about 3 oz lighter. I couldn’t justify 2 of them.
Great buy. Similar gun sold for over 5k just a year ago. You just don’t see featherweights much.

Found it 3/2021 $6125.00

Very nice! Marked Featherweights are about the rarest configuration for Lindner Dalys and I don’t see very many with 28” barrels. I believe it is Ken Georgi who has the Daly data base. He is a member here and somewhere I probably have his email. I will look.

A couple other notes. I date it to 1899 but being specific is a mug's game. It's 1900 give or take a year. Model number is likely 155......it is an ejector model with Damascus barrels and a cross bolt from that time frame. Makes it a 155 FW.

I have compiled my own data base of about Lindner 75 guns. I haven't seen this one before although I do have note of serial number 968, it's likely bench mate.

There are "lightweight" Daly's and there are Featherweights. Just because it is light, doesn't mean it is a Featherweight. I have 5 Featherweights on my list.....a little higher than the percentage I was told from the big list.....roughly 3% of noted guns are inscribed Featherweight on that list. This is the only 28" barreled Featherweight I have seen. It's also the only one I have seen that is over 6 pounds. Although there are a good number of "lightweight" 12 gauge with 28" barrels coming in around 6 1/4 pounds.

If you can’t justify two of them, you just aren’t trying hard enough.

Really nice honest gun neighbor.

We Lindner collectors definitely missed the boat on this one. Yes, the Featherweight, marked as such, variation is a very uncommon Lindner subset. In that condition, should have sold for at least twice that price.

Glad you ended up with it. I was watching but other guns just followed me home. Hope it is as solid as it looks.

at 6 pounds 3, one wonders about barrel wall thicknesses...

Why?

How would YOU measure it anyway, ed?

I'll say. That appears to be a very nice condition FW with very unusual barrel length for a FW.

very handsome gun...and a surprising price for such quality.

do i see a bit of a dent at 5:00 o-clock on the left muzzle?

enjoy it in good health.

best regards,

tom

Make that "two" Eddie. Maybe shoot 2" LP shells in it-- hard to beat that "Kraut kraftsmanship"- a real first class bird gun indeed. Foxie

Yeh, the muzzles to me seemed to be the most abused. The stocks have some typical dings and the metal has some scratches and freckles, but the muzzles seem like they have taken a beating a couple of times. The front edge of the right muzzle appears to have been scraped too. If you look from the front, the left looks more scraped than dented I think. Either way, I they they can be touched up unobtrusively. With most old guns like this, I usually try to deep clean eveything; sonic clean, soak the filth off the stock, properly relube the innards etc. I am always careful to not affect the originality, just get rid of the crud.

I need to see the barrels before I know exactly what I have, but LS&B have fenerally been reliable in their descriptions.

I thought right up to the end I would be able to get this gun for a lot less. It hung in at 1300 then 1500 until the last few minutes, but one bidder was persistent. I had placed 3 progressive bids as a phsycological barrier, but he stopped at about $25 from my max bid.

If I hadn’t just been wrapping up a case of Covid, I probably would have been bidding on that gun. Great find.

Some of the "Fine Damascus" barrels were 2 iron



"Diamond Grade" crolle was usually 3 iron, which is what I believe your pattern is, but the images from the seller are low resolution and blurry.



Other Diamond Grades were Bernard, and this spectacular Corche pattern



Post a close up of about 4" of barrel where the contrast is most apparent after you receive the gun and I'll confirm

My perception of the sale photos was that they were 3 iron. I own an A&D patent Daly of about the same age as this and it definitely has 2 iron barrels like the first picture. The 3 iron picture you posted look similar to a Parker GH I have. I have seen barrels like the Corche pattern you posted, and I always thought they were exceptionally pretty. They look stylistically, to me, somewhat like the Parker made laminates from the late 70's/early 80's. I have a set on a D grade lifter that Breck Gorman rebuilt, and I think they were some of the best looking Parker barrels used.

Looks like I am late to the thread . . .

First off, that is a very well-bought Prussian Daly. Nicely done! As has been mentioned, featherweight Dalys (i.e, Dalys marked as such on the rib, not just lightweight Dalys) are fairly rare, and especially those with 28" barrels (26" is more common).

My best estimate on the production date of your gun is 1900 (+/- one year). The model number is a bit tricky as I don't own a 1900 period Schoverling, Daly, and Gales (SD&G) catalog. That said, I think it is most likely a 155. My hesitation here is that the Daly model numbering sequence was in a bit of flux during this period. Said more simply, I know what the model numbers are (per period catalogs) prior to your gun's production date and after your gun's production date, but I don't have the data in the middle. And because the model numbers in the catalogs I do have are different, I'm hesitant to state anything definitive on this gun. That all said, I agree with Canvasback and think it is a 155. (The presence of ejectors and cross bolt fastener are key features to help with the grade.)

I think this gun will clean up really nicely - congratulations.

Ken

Forgot to add, I own two FW Dalys - #481 and #648. Both have 28" tubes and while light, are not absurdly light. #481 is notable as it is a 20 gauge gun and a two-barrel set to boot. I'd love to hear of other featherweight Dalys.

Good buy. I I think you will really enjoy it. Gil

https://hosting.photobucket.com/ima...3D6822B-FDB3-4249-B595-2147DD352AD7.jpeg

Very early 16 gauge, 28” HAL Daly featherweight ( # 458) that needs a good ultrasonic cleaning and a new stock as the original stock was broken at the wrist and has now has been prepared as a mule.

I have kept it as the barrels are in very good shape.
Best Regards,
JBP

Wow. Sounds like my favorite kind of project. Keep us posted on its progress.

I wanted to find out if this gun had ever been entered into your database. If not, I think allthe info is included above to enter it.

AGS,

This gun was not in the database. I have added it.

Thank you,

Ken