Brian
Beechey, Cornwall, UK
The Gun was given to
me by our local farmer, in 1976 as a wall hanger.
I lived in the West Midlands, mid way between
Birmingham
and
Coventry
and worked in engineering in Birmingham
. The recession had started so we
were reduced down to a 4 day working week. He
offered me work repairing machinery on the farm and finally building a large
grain bin. During that time he had bought himself a new gun, and made
a gift of the Perrins to me.
The Perrins belonged to his father who had it for a good part of his life.
There is no number on the gun and the chamber is sized to take a 12 bore
cartridge. The bore of the gun is
proofed at 16 gauge black powder only (1855 – 1868). At no time can he
remember the gun being altered in his time or his fathers.
About 4 years ago I decided to re-brown the barrels, and discovered them to be
Damascus but not the two or three iron type, one I have never see before.
The first attempt was not very successful, so I purchased a browning agent
from Peter Dyson, and what a difference. My
next challenge was to rub down the stock, rechequer it and polish it with walnut
oil, and their you have it, the story of my under lever gun.
Because of the different chamber and bore size, I’m trying to insert a 16
bore case inside a 12 bore cartridge and reload with Black Powder using 16 fibre
wad, this will reduce the pressure down the tubes, and let me shoot the old girl
again.
Here is Brian shooting his Perrins at his local shoot: Brian
shooting at his local clay shoot
Other interests include making my own black powder cartridges:
Other guns include Jackson of Nottingham, Federick T Baker & Thomas
Bland. In the second picture you can clearly see the difference in the
Damascus barrels.
The Jackson of Nottingham was manufactured around 1875/1887. It is a 12
bore, side by side hammerless with a Westley Richards roll slide action. There
is no cocking lever on the action but by unscrewing a plate on the underside of
the action you can see the mechanism. The Gun was Damascus barreled and
marked "Not for Ball" but was re sleeved in 1980 by William Ford gun
maker after it failed re-proof.
The Thomas Bland was manufactured around 1896/1900. It nitro proofed
but shoot 2.3/4 Drams Black Powder 28g No 6 shot.
The Frederick T Baker, London 12 Bore gun was acquired just
over 12 months ago. It is black powder proofed (1887-1896). A high
quality wood was used in the making of the stock, and the number of the
gun is marked on both side plates 9686 - which is unusual. The weight of
the gun is only 5lb 4oz
