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Parabola, I have an almost identical single .410 that you pictured. Mine is by Ebrall Brothers of Shropshire and was bored out from a .360 Rook Rifle. Possibly yours is too. If you find in the Proof Marks a number something like 40 or another two digit number that would be the bore of the Rook Rifle. If it's got re-proof marks then that may be how it started out. Lagpus.....

Lagopus, the original proof marks don’t show the original Rook calibre, but Graham Greener kindly looked it up for me and it was one of a batch of .380 Long Rook Rifles Greener’s bought in from Thomas as per the above entry for number 24884.

Curiously although it us marked as being Thomas’s 1871 patent it has Purdey’s double bite.

The original Thomas Patent guns (like my William Moore and Grey) only had a single bite on the rear lump.

Campero,

There is no reason why a bored out Rook Rifle converted to .410 should not pattern as well as a purpose made .410 IF the job has been properly done AND it has not since been neglected.

British .410 ammunition had corrosive primers until about 1960 and a lot of the earlier conversions will be found to be deeply pitted and will never shoot well.

Make sure that any you look at have have a good clean bore, and they should pattern OK depending on choke.

Make sure that it is not a 2” chamber (50mm - which is pretty useless except for ratting inside a barn).

2 1/2” (65 mm) cartridges can work well but 3” (76mm) guns will be more versatile.

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Thanks, Parabola, for your words!

https://oplognosia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/facs0035-1.jpg

I do not know if the pic will show. It is a Baikal IZ18 20g customised with walnut stock and forend, polished internals, the main spring is from a Beretta 686. It is not equal to an English quality single, but it is readily available and the customising cost very little. Final weight is 2.6 kilos and for some reason the recoil is very mild.

The lever opening-cocking system combined with auto ejector makes loading really quick when you get the hang of it.

Here are my current singles.



In order down, they are:

WC Scott high grade 8 gauge Light Waterfowl gun.
Galand Paris 10 gauge waterfowl gun (barrel as thick as a pipe).
Albert Harper Birmingham 12 gauge
Manufrance Simplex Model 26 16 gauge
Bonehill 16 gauge single hammerless with crossbolt lockup.

The top two are Damascus, the rest steel. The Galand I believe is quite early. The barrel is Damascus at the front but the Octagon section is larger and is laminate. I suspect the thicker rear was hammer welded over the inner barrel section during construction. It also has a rear v-notch sight, I presume for vlock shooting. It is too front heavy for much wingshooting.

Parabola, chances are my re-bored .410 and yours are virtual twins made by the same person and sold on to different companies. Certainly looks the same in all respects. Mine was bored to take the 2 1/2" cartridge and shoots well. According to the Proof marks the conversion was carried out sometime 1939/40.

I too have a William Moore & Grey gun with a Thomas action which is a double 20 bore and number 1 of a pair. I am yet to find its companion. Lagopus.....

The current Holt's auction lists numerous former rook rifles rebored to .410. This was apparently a thriving business in England at one time. Except for the very high end guns, they mostly carry estimates of &200-300. If they were in the US, they would bring several multiples higher than that.

I don't see a .410 single as being very practical, but a 16 or a 20 might be a very good time; hammered would be even better.