Richard Boutcher

UK

Richard writes......

 

This was another gun bought unseen at auction. It is a hammer action double barrel 12b shotgun which looks like it has been converted from percussion cap operation at some point – maybe at the same time the barrels were replaced by some Nitro proofed barrels made by Whiteman Bros. Ltd. (another Worcester gunsmith). It has very plain engraving on the action, pretty much just the Perrins & Son name, and the hammers reflect this minimalistic engraving style very unlike any other Perrins guns that I’ve seen almost all of which show dog and game bird scenes. Maybe the normal engraver was on holiday or sick when this gun was made, or the owner didn’t want to pay for it, or maybe it was manufactured before Perrins had employed that particular engraver. Who knows the history but that’s one of the things that intrigues me about buying these old guns trying to imagine the history and owners that the gun has gone through! It has a serial number of 2629 on the trigger guard tail which would date it to around the period 1867 to 1879.  The barrels look to have been proofed at some point between 1904 and 1954 but most likely between 1925 and 1954.