Original British 8 Bore Single Barrel Half Stocked Percussion Fowling Piece by Purdy – circa 1850 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Here we have a very nice British percussion single barrel 8 bore fowling piece or shotgun, in very nice condition. It features a lovely spiral forged barrel, which is almost octagonal at the breech, and marked LONDON on the top of the nocks form. There is also very nice “Starburst” engraved on the top about where the barrel wedge is.

The gun is half-stocked and has mostly steel mounts of butt plate, trigger guard, and ram rod pipes, while the nose cap is nickel silver. There is also a small white metal escutcheon on the bottom of the butt stock. The very attractive walnut stock is checkered at the grip as well as around the forearm. This is definitely an upmarket piece, and it features lovely engravings on on all fittings. The lock plate is marked PURDY, a known maker in London, not to be confused with the famous James Purdey.

We did pull the barrel during routing cleaning, and the bottom of the barrel has the CROWN / SCEPTER / BPC Birmingham Shotgun Proof, as well as the CROWN / SCEPTER / V Birmingham “Viewers” marking. Birmingham had a huge firearms industry, and many gunmakers would use barrels supplied by their many makers.

This gun really is an attractive piece, with lots of ornamentation. The lock functions, with a half and full cock position, though a strong trigger pull can fire the lock at half cock. It has a nice ramrod under the barrel, though it looks to be a working life replacement. The stock is also very attractive, and we cannot see any cracks or repairs. The checkering at the wrist is still intact, and the wood has a lovely glow from years of use and polishing.

A lovely British Fowling piece, very attractive and ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: circa 1850
Caliber: Just over 20mm – 8 bore
Ammunition Type: Lead ball / shot and Powder
Barrel Length: 32 inches
Overall Length: 48 inches
Action: Side Action Percussion
Feed System: Muzzle Loading

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