J. Bott & Son London (African Paradox)

[OH Osthaus]

Originally Posted by Destry L. Hoffard

Jack,

If the price is reasonable you should pick that up. A very interesting gun.

DLH

cool - I thought we were just going to be commenting on the gun -

not spending Jack's money

go for it Jack

[TARNATION !!!]

Soo... if I get it, can I then spend some of your guys $$ for you when next you dither???????? Would you all jump in the high hundreds but under 1K????

[OH Osthaus]

Originally Posted by Jack Cronkhite

Soo... if I get it, can I then spend some of your guys $$ for you when next you dither???????? Would you all jump in the high hundreds but under 1K????

A paradox under a grand, that is very tempting as you know. Most of the very few paradox guns i have seen were H&H - and not cheap. I don't know the maker (what are the proofs? Birmingham or London) but it looks like a quality piece.

if I were going to pop on it ( i did not go to the local show last weekend to avoid temptation)

I assume you would need to find brass and handload.

is it where you can give it a good inspection?

my decision points would be

what are the bores like? I am of the camp that they matter the most. (that doesn't keep me from kicking my self from passing on some)

and is the stock repairable (i would make the effort to save that one if it could be) or is a replacement needed, that is not a simple duplicator process. I have inletted flintlocks and I truly admire the quality of work on even mid class British guns with sidelocks or backlocks.

man I do like that piece

[TARNATION !!!]

Rick: Too far away to have in hand. I'll ask a few more dithering questions while somebody else just buys it. If at the end of dithering, it is still available, I may have to bring it home. Nice thing about dithering, if I don't get it, I don't care all that much. If I cared, it would already be here. There was a time, pre PGCA, when I was quite content with my few (well less than 20) hunting irons tucked safely away between seasons. I have divested of a mere 3 of those but my new total number is starting to seem silly. I have become an accumulator with a couple of nice pieces but mostly very ordinary. This paradox gun poses my own paradox. What to do. What to do.

[OH Osthaus]

Birmingham proof house



"These are the proof marks used for choked-bored barrels between the years 1875-1887"

not that i would see it an an issue, just curious


this would be a nice photo trail as the work progresses