BRITISH DOUBLE RIFLE BY WILLIAM MOORE
 

RECENTLY CAME IN TO POSSESSION OF A HIGH QUALITY, EARLY VICTORIAN ERA ENGLISH DOUBLE HUNTING RIFLE IN ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL CONDITION. 32" BARRELS WITH EXCELLENT BORES. TWO GROOVE RIFLING. LANDS MEASURE .66. GROVES MEASURE .72. WEIGHS JUST UNDER TEN POUNDS. TOP RIB IS ENGRAVED: WILLIAM MOORE & CO.(MAKERS TO HRH PRINCE ALBERT)78 EDGEWARE RD LONDON. PRIVATE MESSAGE FOR LINK TO MORE PICTURES.

nice and a front stuffer

would look good next to my Wm Moore 12 bore, although thats the later BOND ST address

one of the online issues of Sporting Shot - the Shooting Sportsman emag had some a time line of the adress and name changes of his firm before it was bought out by Cogswell around 1908

Wm Moore had apprentised to Joseph Manton and was well respected for his pigeon guns

Ed: I have always thought about getting a double rifle.What price range are these front stuffers in. Thanks Thomas

Ed: What are the little bars in front of the hammers. Thomas

safeties

thomas: the little bars are indeed safeties. you see them on better english guns...

as for value, that is hard to say, as rifles like this one are quite rare and even more so in this pristine condition...my guess is somewhere in excess of $5000? if this were a cartridge gun, you could double that and not be out of line.

interestingly, i just learned that the balmoral estate in scotland was purchased by prince albert and queen victoria in the early 1850's. it is still the private property of the now windsor family and not part of the british royal estate. could this rifle have been used at balmoral?

Wow, beautiful piece! Great find Ed.

a long shot, but a neat question. Many gun and tackle makers carried a royal warrant - which generally means they made a gun for that royal family member that was well recieved-and could use the fact in advertising.

Balmoral is in a great setting in the southern prt of Cairngorms National Park and you can still arrange to stalk or fish the Dee there -

There is a muzzleloading 58 cal double rifle on gun broker right now. They say it is shootable and it looks to be in fair condition. asking around 3500.00. I beleace it is a manton.

Ed do you have any idea of calibre? I think it would be a great rifle to take to the deer woods.