Very Early Redesigned Forend Latch?

[10ga Hammer]

15901 was an O grade, straight grip,#2 frame,29in barrels,unstruck weight of 4lbs 4oz. Someone wanted a LIGHT 10ga. Bought as a parts gun for $169. Good frame and action parts,barrels are literally sewer pipes. Mayb I'll make wind chimes out of em!

No evidence of barrel lug being reworked,probably couldn't tell anyway if they were refinished at the same time. I suspect forend wood was just modified to be used with the new style latch from day one.

[Richard B. Hoover]

Eric,

Sorry, I may have said that a bit awkwardly. I am really interested in finding if there are other early examples of the King Latch system with NO Patent Date inscription. Parker # 3561 has an engraved latch with no inscription. I recall years ago Ron Kirby mentiomed that some were stamped on the latch lever, but to date I have only seen the stamp on the body as in this example. In some cases the inscription is in two lines rather than one. I would like to know if there are other early lifter hammer guns with he redesigned latch that lact the Patent Date inscription.

Richard

[Richard B. Hoover]

Robert,

I appreciated the pics of the sewer pipes. I forgot that 15901 was the serial number, which would have been completed after the King latch was introduced. So do you think they were just using up some previously made forfend material that was originally finished for the wedge system?

By the way, I just looked at your profile and saw the delightful pics from your album with our dogs on the Pheasant hunt. The white dog with the orange ears is really great. Is that a "French Brittany"?

Richard
M

[Eric Estes]

Richard,

Not awkward at all, your observation made me curious. I was completely unaware of these variations. Thanks for the additional explanation. I appreciate it.

[10ga Hammer]

Nope, thems standard poodles.

Orange eared Brittney indeed (says the wife).

[B. Dudley]

Very interesting post. I would be curious to see the forend lug on those barrels too. Since that would have to have been reworked for the newer style forend latch.

[10ga Hammer]

Comparison of #9848 cross pin lug and #15901 latch style lug. Both O grade 10ga.

[Dean Romig]

It would certainly be easy enough to replace the keyed loop with the later loop for the Deeley and Edge style of forend latch.

[Researcher]

Just because a forearm has a lever in it doesn't make it a Deeley & Edge.

The Charles King designed and patented Parker Bros. forearm latch with its little lever actuated tilting block which engages the lug on the barrels is not a Deeley & Edge. U.S. use of the 1873 patented Deeley & Edge forearm latch was licensed to E. Remington & Sons on April 24, 1879. Likewise, the lever latch in the forearms of the Colt 1883 and the American Arms Co. Whitmore designed hammerless double were not Deeley & Edge.

Ansley Fox copied the King-designed lever-actuated tilting block forearm latch on his Parker Bros. look-alike Philadelphia Arms Co. gun, but later used the Deeley & Edge opposing hooks on his A.H. Fox Gun Co. gun.

FWIW page 101 of The Parker Story says the first gun with the King patented latch was 11631, but the keyed forearm was still used into 1880 on 16222.

[Dean Romig]

Thanks Dave, for clarifying that. I was corrected many years ago for referring the King latch as "Anson & Deeley" and was told it was a Deeley and Edge. Now when I repeat the "Deeley and Edge" misnomer the truth finally comes out. Thanks again.
I read The Parker Story cover to cover when I first bought it about eight years ago but I guess I didn't retain all of it.