The Purdey double underbite is a clue. From the pictures you posted I would guess it was built in the mid to late 1860's.
That was my thinking as well Joe - the gun also has pretty large hammers/strikers which, along with the wedge foreend, would give me a feeling 1865. Either way, it is still incredible to think this could have been made over a bench in candlelight.
Many thanks for the positive comments and input on here gentlemen - very much appreciated. As regards choke, although I would have liked a little in one barrel, I can live with Cylinder for most of the shooting I do here in the UK. I intend to use the Reilly on a mix of UK "rough" shooting and driven days, and unless I am going on a shoot with really high birds, cylinder should be fine with the right cartridge. It should have its first formal airing on a shoot with Diggory/Small Bore in October.
Drew - apologies for my ignorance of Damascus, but is two-stripe considered "better" or "worse" than three-stripe/laminated barrels (crude comparative terms I know - either in terms of strength or perceived quality? Keen to learn more.
