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I bought a "new" W&C Scott and Sons hammer double on Gunbroker last Weekend. I was a little dubious of it for a few reasons but took a chance with a 3 day return. I'm glad I did. It is an 1871 10 gauge double with 11 gauge barrels (per the proof marks) that appear to have been opened a little less than 0.009" in each barrel. It looks to be all original including the 26" barrels. The barrels ring like church bells and sustain for 30 seconds or longer. The incredible thing is that it weighs only 8 # exactly. I believe that it has been refinished at some point but it is mechanically perfect and seems and appears to have no mechanical wear. I thought at first that the gun was hard and rough to open until I realized it had non-rebounding locks like the Scott 8 gauge of the same year I own. When I put the hammers in the half cock notch it was smooth as butter. Mecahnically it is the in the top 2 or 3 guns of this era I own.
Here are some pictures. I posted part of this information on Doublegunshop to ask for info on the Scott numbering system but though it would be of interest here to compare it to the Parker 10 gauge hammer guns(of which I own several). I don't know that I have ever seen or heard of a Parker designed with this concept.
I was pleasantly surprised by the condition and it looks better than the pictures. Absolutely no mechanical issues. It locks up as tightly as a new gun, perfectly on face and shiny bores. Outside of the visible gouge on the side of the stock, there are no serious flaws. The thing that wasn't listed in the ad was that the gun weighs 8 pounds on the nose. The 26" (exactly) barrels do not appear to have been cut and the bores are shiny with no marks. The gun has proof marks consistent with 1855 to 1875 and there is no sign of reproof. The serial number dates the gun to 1871. The barrel inscription gives the 10 Gt. Castle address even though Scott didn't use this until 1872.
The barrels were marked in the proof house as 11 gauge and measure exactly .759 in both barrels. My suspicion is that they were honed about 8 or 9 thousandth at one time, but there are no reproof marks, so if it was done the work was done outside the UK. I am not certain of the rule for reproof; it may be they didn't require reproof, or they may have used the barrels to save weight and bored them that far when built to get closer to a 10 gauge bore. A tight Brownell's gauge shows the chambers to be exactly 2-5/8" but they will accept a new hull to a depth of 2-7/8".
Barrel walls are .15" at 9" in front of the breech, .12" at the 12" and the thinnest section in either barrel is .045". The barrels are a very attractive pattern of laminate.
The gun is an oddity in some respects since as near as I can tell it is a lightweight 10 gauge upland gun (I consider 8 pounds to be light for a 10 gauge double). The address and serial number would indicate that it was numbered in 1871 but finished in 1872. The address would indicate a grade A or B gun, but the engraving, laminate barrels and back action locks would say C grade. The wood however seems better than that.
The final oddity is that the barrel lug where it extends through the frame is engraved with a tiny note that says: USA Patent Nov 1 1870 with no mention of holder or number. It is in the last photo but would not show up in any pictures I tried. It is very clear and sharp when viewed in person but is so small I needed a lighted magnifier to see it. Under magnification it is sharp and clear. when seen, it is very odd. The frame is marked as Scott Patent Action and Purdey Patent Bolt. Since that is the year that Scott started establishing a dealer network in the US, I suspect they filed a patent for their action there and this mark is a reference to that.
Anyway, this is the lightest, handiest 10 gauge I have ever picked up and I would love to try some light 1 oz loads on doves or quail with it. Years ago I had a Thompson Center TCR that had a 10 gauge barrel that weighed in the 8 pound range and you didn't want to shoot very many full 10 gauge loads a day in it. Shooting dimensions are not modern, but certainly longer and straighter than most classic shotguns.
Pardon the layout. I never seem to be able to get the layout of text and pictures interspersed.
The Following 26 Users Say Thank You to Arthur Shaffer For Your Post:
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Bruce A. Hering
Program Coordinator/Lead Instructor (retired)
Shotgun Team Coach, NSCA Level III Instructor
Southeastern Illinois College
AMM 761
That is just cool! It would be neat to puddle jump ducks and rabbits with too
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"I shall pass this way but once. Any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."
The Following User Says Thank You to Keith Sirmans For Your Post:
I should mention that I posted these pictures from the auction. It is hard to tell, but these were obviously taken with a wide angle lens at an angle. The first picture looks like a sawed off shotgun, but in reality the gun looks much longer in person. The angle and size distortion of the wide angle lens causes the shortened look of the barrels.
What a beautiful old Scott ! The barrels pattern and color reminds me of the back of a Brook Trout. Congratulations on a great find and good luck hunting ! Best, Paul
04-18-2024, 07:50 PM
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