Lot 1599 includes an excellent quality single-barrelled 12 bore hammer gun no. 4244 built by Westley Richards & Co. c 1872. It has a non-rebounding lock and a very fine 30” Damascus barrel. It is a very usable gun too, being nitro reproved in 2018 and a decent 14 1/8” stock, just the job for a teenager starting their shooting career.
A great many single-barrelled hammer guns were built in the second half of the 19th century, most of average quality for rough shooters, gamekeepers and boys. Occasionally as in lot 1599, an excellent quality example appears by a famous maker. Such guns were built for the sons of wealthy patrons who would remain loyal to the firm that they ordered their guns from. These quality single-barrelled guns were not cheap in their day but how exciting it must have been for a young boy to be given such a gun for their first foray into the shooting world.
Most of these quality single-barrelled guns are in excellent condition just like this Westley Richards as they saw very limited usage for only a few years until the youth grew up and acquired a conventional double-barrelled gun. Unfortunately many of them have very short stocks as they were built for boys, but not so this gun- it is ever so usable.
Estimated at just £200-£300, go on you know you want to buy this quality little gun.
Donald Dallas
