Toby,
You are of course correct about who did what in Birmingham and London. My
objective in posing the question was to address a broader issue, Frequently
on this site members launch into passionate debates without first defining
the issue. That said, who 'made this gun?
In 1888, Lancaster sent a set of oval bore .450 barrels to Powell to be fit to
a "lifter' action. Powell supplied all of the other metal pieces as well at a
total cost of £12/10. It was then returned to Lancaster too be completed.
Who made it?
Steve
Barrels, arguably being the most important part of any gun, and the fitting, finishing, stocking & regulating being what really separates fine guns for all the others….I’d say Lancasters made it into an actual working gun.😀
When it left Powell’s, it was just a barreled action.
That is much different from completed Birmingham guns showing up to a London shop, fully functional and ready to be placed in racks to be sold, or fully functional guns that were ordered by London shops/makers that arrived from Birmingham to London in the white to be finished and proofed in London.
