Hi Everyone !
I'm the one who pulled the trigger on this one. The attraction for me was the barrels. I like one off type guns. When I see one like this it keeps talking to me until I either have to do something about it or play mind games with myself to get over it.
I looked the GB auction over & at first just said to myself "Oh another Grade 2" Then when I enlarged the pictures I noticed the barrel pattern was something out of the norm. I then made a quick check of the serialization book about the barrel length "Sure enough 27" Then off to the Parker story to see how many grade-2 12ga hammerless guns made with 27" Damascus barrels. The count was 24 total "None with Laminated" Now it's time to ask some questions of the seller. The usual stuff about barrel condition dents, pits, bulges etc. also what type steel did it say on the top rib & what letter was stamped in the barrel flat. He told me the top rib states Damascus steel & the letter on the flats is a "D" "It still looks like an L in the pictures" I then asked for the pictures he mentioned in the ad. After reviewing the pictures it was fairly well confirmed in my mind that the barrels were Laminated rather than D-2 standard Damascus. I then went back to the Parker story "Only this time to Vol-2 in the barrels chapter" In this chapter there is mention that the factory first used laminated rough tubes imported from England from 1868 to 1893 "This gun was made in 1891" Also in this chapter they show pictures of the Birmingham provisional proof mark for Laminated steel. If you look at the ad in the picture of the barrel flats you can see this proof mark. All of this put together made me want to pull the trigger on this one.
I again contacted the seller, cut a deal & now I'm waiting to get the gun in hand. A letter on will be ordered post hast.
On a personal note:
My 58th birthday is this Sunday and this is my present to myself. My feeling is not all gun purchases need to be bargain basement deals. Some of them are simply because the gun talk's to you and you have to do something about it.
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