I had an 1893 Grade-1 16 gauge TA hammer gun that was all original in every single respect. It was the closest to ‘mint’ condition that most of us have ever witnessed… It is my opinion that the darker checkering is due to oil, grime and whatever getting into the grain of the checkered wood, even on seldom used guns, but used nevertheless.
This one has never been in the field or fired to the best of our collective knowledge.
Judge for yourselves.
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"I'm a Setter man.
Not because I think they're better than the other breeds,
but because I'm a romantic - stuck on tradition - and to me, a Setter just "belongs" in the grouse picture."
George King, "That's Ruff", 2010 - a timeless classic.
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